List of banned video games in Australia

Below is a list and summary of video games that have been Refused Classification (banned) within Australia.

Overview

Originally, video games in Australia could only be rated up to MA15+. At the time, the R18+ classification rating could be given to film, but a video game with content deemed fitting for the R18+ rating would be 'Refused Classification' due to an appropriate classification not being available for the medium.

In July and August 2011, all Australian state Attorneys-General agreed to instate an R18+ rating for video games, which would be available by the end of 2011.^[1] Many games previously refused classification would now fit into the R18+ rating and, if the publisher chose to pay the reclassification fee, would theoretically be able to sell their game in Australia. The date was later changed to allow the rating to be introduced at the beginning of 2013.^[2]

With the R18+ rating in place, it is expected fewer video games will be Refused Classification. Games may still be Refused Classification if deemed to contain material unsuitable for R18+ classification, such as depictions of sexual violence or the promotion of illegal drug use, as well as drug use that is related to incentives and rewards. More specifically, games which may be Refused Classification include:

• Detailed instruction or promotion in matters of crime or violence.
• Depiction of rape.
• The promotion or provision of instruction in pedophile activity.
• Descriptions or depictions of child sexual abuse or any other exploitative or offensive descriptions or depictions involving a person who is, or appears to be, a child under 18 years.
• Gratuitous, exploitative or offensive depictions of:
  • (i) violence with a very high degree of impact or which are excessively frequent, prolonged or detailed;
  • (ii) cruelty or real violence which are very detailed or which have an extremely high impact;
  • (iii) sexual violence
• Depictions of practices such as bestiality
• Gratuitous, exploitative or offensive depictions of:
  • (i) activity accompanied by fetishes or practices that are offensive or abhorrent;
  • (ii) incest fantasies or other fantasies that are offensive or abhorrent

Classification is compulsory, and games refused classification by the ACB are banned for sale, hire or public exhibition, carrying a maximum fine of $275,000 and/or 10 years' jail. It is, however, legal to possess RC games (except in Western Australia and prescribed areas of the Northern Territory).

Material that is refused classification is put on the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service list of prohibited items. Any copies of such games found at the border will be seized,^[3] and the recipient, depending on the number of copies being imported, may receive up to A$110,000 in fines.^[4]

The list depicted below is of games that are either still banned, or were initially banned but have been edited exclusively for Australia. It should be noted that some of these games were banned before the introduction of the R18+ category; if some of these games were to be re-rated today, they would likely receive the R18+ rating. The second list is of games that have been eventually released unedited, rating appealed or the worldwide edition later being released uncut and being identical to other countries.

Due to the licensing of the International Age Rating Coalition software for developers to rate their own game, several hundred games have been banned from various app stores and due to said games being relatively minor they will not be listed here.^[5]

List of video games refused classification

Current

The list below includes games where the worldwide edition has been banned for sale in Australia because either the game has been refused classification or a classification has been revoked. Games in this list with a current classification are available for purchase in a censored or altered form.

Name	Original Date of Certification[6]	Reason	Original Rating	Present Rating
50 Cent: Bulletproof	2005-10-25	Banned because of high impact bloody violence.[7] A censored version was later released with an MA15+.[8]
Blitz: The League	2007-01-18	Banned because of drug use related to incentives and rewards.[9]
BMX XXX	2002-10-16	Banned because of high impact sexual references. A censored version was later released with an MA15+.[10]
The Bug Butcher	2016-07-20	Banned because of drug use related to incentives and rewards. A censored version was later released with an M rating.[11]
Crimecraft	2009-11-26	Banned because of drug use related to incentives and rewards.[12]
Dark Sector	2008-02-14	Banned because of high impact bloody violence.[13]
Dreamweb	1995-02-09	Banned because of a scene of sexual violence. A censored edition was later released with an M rating.[14]
Enzai: Falsely Accused	2009-08-21	Banned because of sexual violence.
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number	2015-01-15	Banned because of a scene of sexual violence. But is available to purchase on G2A and other places when using a VPN, as long as it says: "Steam key global" .[15]
Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude	2004-09-09	Banned because of sexuality and nudity in relation to incentives and rewards. But is available to purchase on steam.[16]
Marc Eckō's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure	2005-11-19	Originally released with an MA15+. Federal Attorney-General Philip Ruddock later appealed the rating, banning it for high impact themes involving the glorification of graffiti. But is available to purchase on steam.[17]
Manhunt	2003-10-22	Originally rated MA15+. Federal Attorney-General Philip Ruddock later appealed the rating, banning it because of high impact violence involving torture.[18]
MeiQ: Labyrinth of Death	2016-06-21	Banned because of interactive sexual activity involving a person who is, or appears to be, a child under 18 years.[19]
Narc (2005)	2005-04-09	Banned because of drug use related to incentives and rewards.[20]
NecroVisioN	2009-04-08	Banned because of high impact bloody violence.[21] A censored version was later released with an M rating.
Omega Labyrinth Z	2018-02-02	Banned because of interactive sexual activity involving a person who is, or appears to be, a child under 18 years.
Paranautical Activity	2016-01-05	Banned because of drug use related to incentives and rewards.[22]
Postal	1997-11-04	Banned because of high impact themes involving depictions of revolting and abhorrent content. In 2012, the game became available for purchase on Steam without classification and has yet to be taken down.
Postal 2	2005-10-14	Banned because of high impact themes involving abhorrent and revolting content. In 2012, the game became available for purchase on Steam without classification and has yet to be taken down.[23]
Phantasmagoria	1995-08-25	Banned because of a scene involving sexual violence. In 2016, the game became available for purchase on Steam without classification and has yet to be taken down.[24]
Reservoir Dogs	2006-06-24	Banned because of high impact violence and torture.[25]
Risen	2009-07-20	Banned because of sexual activity and drug use related to incentives and rewards.[26]
Saints Row IV	2013-07-29	Banned because of implied sexual violence and drug use related to incentives and rewards. An appeal was lodged but failed, though the content involving sexual violence was overturned, the drug use was not. An edited version was released lacking a mission involving "Alien Narcotics".[27][28]
Song of Memories	2018-08-15	Banned. Full explanation forthcoming.[29]
State of Decay	2013-06-26	Banned because of drug use related to incentives and rewards.[30] A censored version that changes the drugs to vitamins was later released with an R18+.[31]
Shellshock 2: Blood Trails	2008-06-23	Banned because of high impact bloody violence.[32]
Silent Hill: Homecoming	2008-09-22	Banned because of a high impact torture scene involving drilling into body parts.[33] A censored version was later released with an MA15+, changing the angles of said scene.[34]
Singles: Flirt Up Your Life	2004-10-21	Banned because of sexuality and nudity in relation to incentives and rewards.
Soldier of Fortune: Payback	2007-10-17	Banned because of high impact bloody violence.[35] A censored version was later released with an MA15+ rating, disabling the ability to mutilate enemies.[36]
South Park: The Stick of Truth	2013-09-19	Banned because of a scene of sexual violence involving minors. A version was released replacing said scene with a card humorously explaining what has been cut.[37]
Syndicate	2011-12-19	Banned because of high impact bloody violence.[38]
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings	2011-04-27	Banned because of sexuality and nudity in relation to incentives and rewards. A side quest was given an edit (where a choice to accept sex as a reward is automatically turned down) and the game was subsequently re-rated MA15+.[39]
Valkyrie Drive: Bhikkhuni	2016-08-09	Banned because of implied sexual violence related to incentives and rewards.[40][41] The PC version of the game became available for purchase in the Steam store on June 20, 2017 without classification, until it was finally taken down on August 10 in the same year.
Voyeur	1995-02-09	Originally rated MA15+. Later appealed and banned because of a scene of high impact sexual dialogue involving incest.[24]

Overturned

The list below includes games where the Australian edition is identical to that of other countries because either: the rating has successfully been appealed, the worldwide edition has later been released in Australia unedited ("uncut"), or the game has received a worldwide edit.

Name	Original Date of Certification[6]	Reason	Original Rating	Present Rating
Aliens vs. Predator	2009-12-03	Originally banned because of high impact bloody violence. Rating later appealed and overturned.[42]
Duke Nukem 3D	1996-05-02	Originally banned because of sexual violence. Later released uncensored with an MA15+.
Fallout 3	2008-07-04	Originally banned due to drug use related to incentives and rewards. Edited worldwide due to the small change needed (the name of morphine was changed to Med-X).[43]
F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin	2008-11-27	Originally banned because of high impact bloody violence. The decision was later appealed on the basis that the violence was unrealistic.[44]
Grand Theft Auto III	2001-11-28	Originally released uncut, it was later banned due to sexual violence involving prostitutes.[45] A censored version was later released with an MA15+. The PC version was later released uncut also with an MA15+.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas	2004-10-02	Had its classification revoked following the Hot Coffee controversy. Edited worldwide with this version of the game also achieving an MA15+.
The House of the Dead: Overkill Extended Cut	2011-08-23	Originally banned due to high impact bloody violence.[46] Sega successfully appealed the rating on the basis that the over the top violence mitigated the impact.
Left 4 Dead 2	2009-09-15	Originally banned due to high impact bloody violence. A version has been released using the same censoring as Germany.[47] On 29 August 2014, the uncensored version was passed with an R18+.[48]
Mortal Kombat (2011)	2011-02-25	Originally banned because of high impact bloody violence.[49] The Komplete Edition was later rated R18+ in 2013 after the said rating was introduced.
Outlast 2[50][51][52]	2017-03-15	Originally banned because of implied sexual violence. The game was resubmitted without the scene and received an R18+ rating. The updated rating reflects the modified version of the game that will be released worldwide. The developer has said that the scene was taken from an 'alpha' version.[53][54][55]
Punisher, The	2004-11-23	Originally banned because of high impact violence involving torture. Edited worldwide due to international trouble (threats of receiving an AO rating in America and being deemed as "objectionable material" in the UK). This edition was passed, receiving an MA15+.
Sexy Poker	2009-05-13	Originally banned because of nudity in relation to incentives and rewards.[56] Edited worldwide with this edition receiving an M rating.
Shellshock: Nam '67	2004-06-23	Originally banned because of high impact themes and violence. Re-rated MA15+ when the game was resubmitted and objectionable content was shown within proper context.
Silverball: Product Version 8	2003-11-21	Originally banned because of sexuality and nudity in relation to incentives and rewards. Rating appealed and re-rated to an unrestricted M on the basis that the nude static images were incidental to play rather than as a reward.
Tender Loving Care	1998-07-30	Originally banned because of high impact sexual references and nudity. Later submitted as a DVD due to being more of an interactive live-action movie than a videogame. Due to being under different guidelines it was re-rated MA15+.
We Happy Few	2018-05-21	Originally banned because of drug use related to incentives and rewards.[57] The game was re-rated R18+ after a review was conducted with input from Gearbox Software, the game's publisher.[58]

See also

• Australian Classification Board
• Australian Classification Review Board
• List of banned video games
• Censorship in Australia
• Video gaming in Australia

References