Grand Theft Auto 6 is not completely banned in Gulf countries like Bahrain and Qatar. The viral claim misreads a PlayStation pre-order page.
A viral claim is making the rounds that Grand Theft Auto VI is officially banned in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman. It spread fast, as these things do, off a line spotted on the PlayStation pre-order page. The problem is that the claim misreads what that line actually says. The game is not banned in ALL those countries. A bonus is.
On the PlayStation GTA 6 page, under the eligible consumers section for the pre-order bonus, there is a list of excluded territories: Bahrain, China, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, the Russian Federation, and Taiwan.
Someone read that, saw Gulf countries on a GTA 6 exclusion list, and the "banned" headline wrote itself.
However, the exclusion only applies to the free month of GTA+. It doesn't apply to the game itself. Players in some of those countries can still get their hands on the next Grand Theft Auto. They just do not get the GTA+ promotional bonus thrown in. The game purchase and the bonus are handled separately, and only the bonus is region-locked.
Country-by-Country GTA 6 Status
| Country | On PlayStation Store? | GTA+ Pre-Order Bonus? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Kuwait | No | Excluded | Banned |
Bahrain | Yes | Excluded | Listed 2025, adult rating likely |
Qatar | Yes | Excluded | Listed 2025, adult rating likely |
Oman | No | Excluded | Banned |
Saudi Arabia | Yes | Check local store | Among first Gulf listings in 2025 |
UAE | Yes | Check local store | Among first Gulf listings in 2025 |
Lebanon | Yes | Excluded | Listed 2025 |
GTA 6 is listed nearly everywhere in the region, with the GTA+ bonus excluded in the named territories.
Back in 2025, GTA 6 appeared on the PlayStation Store in select Gulf countries for the first time. Dedicated store pages exist for these markets, which means Sony has set up local storefront support rather than walling off the game. If GTA 6 were banned, those pages would not be there.
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Now, some of those country pages currently show the game as not available for purchase/ Pre-orders are going live globally around now, so this is more of a timing thing. In others, such as Oman and Kuwait, the entire franchise is subject to a complete ban.
You can't blame the internet for reacting this way. Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online faced restrictions in parts of the Gulf for years, and those eased in 2025, with the game becoming available under adult ratings. GTA 6 looks set to follow a similar path. However, we can't pretend the Gulf is a settled market for a game this explicit.
Regulators in these countries make their own calls based on violence, sexual content, and themes, and they can move late. GTA 6 is a particularly provocative entry, set in a neon-soaked, crime-heavy setting like Vice City, Leonida. It is entirely possible that local authorities impose censorship, content edits, delays, or even last-minute restrictions closer to the November 19 launch. Physical copies are no good either. So while there is no ban today, nobody should treat the situation as locked in.
For fans in the wider region, check your local PlayStation Store account directly for the actual purchase status. Keep an eye on official local regulators as launch approaches, because their rulings are what actually determine availability.