List of banned video games

Brazil has banned many video games since 1999, mainly due to depictions of violence and cruelty,[7] making it illegal to distribute and otherwise sell these games.[8][9]

Additionally, the Brazilian advisory rating system requires that all video games be rated by the organization, where unrated video games are banned from being sold in Brazil. Often, bans do not extend to digital platforms.

A very large number of video games are banned in the People's Republic of China. Games that depict drugs, sexual themes, blood, organized crime or defamation of the Chinese government are almost always banned. Because of the large size of the Chinese video game market, many studios edit the content of their games to conform to the government's standards.

Home gaming consoles were banned in mainland China from June 2000[17][18] until 2013; when the ban was lifted, next-generation consoles such as the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 were allowed in the country.[19]

As of April 2019, after implementing a new mandatory local rating and approval system, any and all games containing depictions of violence, blood, gambling and imperial history are de facto banned from all accessible platforms in the nation (unless otherwise changed to comply with local standards).[20][21][22]

Notable games banned in this region are:

EA Sports MMA was not released in Denmark because of a law prohibiting marketing for energy drinks, which EA chose not to remove from the game.[29] However, distribution is not illegal, as the game can still be found on shelves as an import.

A video game can be banned in Germany if it is confiscated by court order because it violates a section of the Strafgesetzbuch (criminal code). Private possession (and thus playing it) and acquisition (such as downloading a demo from the Internet) are still legal, but any dissemination is not. The seller would break the law if a sale took place, not the buyer. However, on 10 December 2002, one German court (Oberlandesgericht Hamm) decided that a single sale of a single copy does not qualify as dissemination.[30] Unlike indexing by the BPjM, which restricts the sale of all content-equal versions, the versions that are confiscated are enumerated in the court order. Being put on the index by the BPjM or, since April 1, 2003, being refused a rating by the USK, does not equal a ban. Rather, it imposes strict trade restrictions on the title. While only very few games have been confiscated, the list of indexed games is very long.[31]

In December 2006, just one month after the Emsdetten school shooting, Bavaria and Lower Saxony proposed legislation, to be presented to the national parliament, that would make even playing any game that featured “cruel violence on humans or human-looking characters” punishable by fines and up to a year in prison. [32][33][34]

§ 86a outlaws the use of symbols of unconstitutional organisations, § 130 Volksverhetzung (agitation of the people), and § 131 instructions for committing crimes. In the official lists, these three sections are always bundled, so any game that contains swastika flags and/or any depiction of Adolf Hitler is listed alongside racist propaganda pieces. This law was lifted 8 August 2018.

§ 131 outlaws representation of excessive violence in media "which describe cruel or otherwise inhuman acts of violence against human or humanoid beings in a manner which expresses a glorification or rendering harmless of such acts of violence or which represents the cruel or inhuman aspects of the event in a manner which injures human dignity".[35]

§ 130 and § 131 make it a criminal offence to do the following with corresponding scriptures:

1. distribute/sell them
2. issue in public, demonstrate or otherwise make them available
3. leave them to a person under the age of 18
4. produce, buy, deliver, store, offer, announce, praise, import or export them within the meaning of points 1 to 3.

This means that import or purchase and possession for personal use of such games is still legal for persons over 18 years of age.

In the case of video games that contain pornography with children or minors, where a real or realistic event is depicted, the possession of the video game or working towards possessing it would be illegal under § 184b or §184c StGB. Otherwise, if the work depicts a fictitious event, the distribution of such material is illegal.

In August 2008, Sega confirmed that The House of the Dead: Overkill and MadWorld would not be released in Germany,[36] due to the likelihood that they would be refused to get a rating by the USK.[37] Sega also announced in November 2009 that they would not distribute Aliens vs. Predator for similar reasons.[38]

A "Beschlagnahmung" (ban) is enforced for a minimum of ten years, after which a request for review may be submitted.[39]

Although the bans usually don't extend to the digital versions, local versions are still toned down in depictions of violence and similar content to be classified by the USK without any rulings.

No known games have been banned in Greece. A law banning all electronic games in public places was passed in 2002, but eventually disregarded.[42][43][44] Many games were censored in Greece, such as GTA 4 in 2010 when the Greek government claimed the game was full of extreme gore and even referenced a scene where one of the characters, Jimmy Pegorino, killed a couple. Half-Life 2 was also pulled off the shelves in Greek video game stores in 2006, due to its dystopian setting.

Iran typically bans any game that contains violence, depicts cruelty, features strong sexual content, nudity, or portrays the Middle East negatively. Battlefield 3 was banned because it presented a fictional U.S. invasion on Tehran. Even before the ban, many retail stores were removing copies of the game from their shelves.[51]

Pokémon Go was banned due to security reasons.[52]

Valkyrie Drive: Bhikkhuni was banned for excessively glorifying homosexual and immoral values. The ban does not extend to digital distribution, however.[53]

The IFCO rarely rates video games, and leaves decisions to PEGI and the BBFC. Manhunt 2 was banned for "gross, unrelenting, and gratuitous violence", but the ban was later lifted and the game was given a PEGI 18 rating.[54]

In 2006, following the release of the trailer to the game Rule of Rose, the magazine Panorama ran an article claiming live burials of children at the protagonist's hand. Shortly after, then-mayor of Rome, Walter Veltroni, called for a ban of the game in Italy. The game's European publisher, 505 Games, dismissed these claims,[55] and the game was not banned following Veltroni's comments.

In 2007, following the decision of the governments of the United Kingdom and Ireland, the Minister of Communications Paolo Gentiloni publicly expressed the desire to ban the distribution of Manhunt 2 in Italy, due to the gratuitous violence and excessive cruelty in the video game, but the ban was never put into practice.[56]

Video games are rarely banned in Japan, and it holds the place as one of the top video game producers in the world.[57] However, Fallout 3 was edited in Japan due to two reasons: a quest named "The Power of the Atom" which gave the player a choice to nuke a city named Megaton, which caused part of the quest to be removed, and a weapon in the game called the Fat Man. Because of its relation to the real historic event, the weapon was renamed to the Nuka Launcher in the Japanese version of Fallout 3.[58] Japan's Spike removed all references to Kim Jong-il and North Korea in Homefront, as well.[59] Resident Evil 4, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Bulletstorm, Gears of War 3, Grand Theft Auto V, Dead Island, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance and numerous other violent titles, distributed physically and digitally, were heavily edited for excessive violence, but only on the localization level; the games can still be played if the locale is switched from Japanese to English. The Mortal Kombat series was subsequently banned in Japan, including its newest release, due to heavy amounts of violence . On 13 March 2019, the sales of Judgement had stopped producing future sales in Japan, following Pierre Taki's arrest on suspicion of cocaine use. As a result, Sega had replaced both the voice actor and the character model having been subsequently removed.

Malaysia tends to ban offensive content such as extreme impact violence, depictions of cruelty, any content considered anti-Muslim, sexual content and nudity. In August 2008, after the Grand Theft Auto series ban in Thailand (see below), head of a Malaysian consumer rights organization, Muhammad Idris, called for the ban of the entire Grand Theft Auto series and other similarly violent video games such as the Manhunt series and Mortal Kombat.[61][62] In February 2010, one week after Dante's Inferno was released, the game was banned by Jabatan Agama Islam (JAIS) in Malaysia for offensive depictions of cruelty, hellish visions, sexuality and content that was against Sharia.

In 2016, Pokémon Go was banned by the Federal Territory for Muslims for promoting the search for power, which leads to gambling and safety issues related to playing the game. The ban was later lifted following massive backlash on social media and an update that slightly modified security measures on the app.

In September 2017, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) blocked access to the entire Steam store following the discovery of a controversial fighting game involving religious deities, Fight of Gods.[63] The ban was lifted one day later after Valve agreed to block the game in Malaysia.[64]

Though no video games have ever been banned in the country, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 was banned in the state of Chihuahua due to Mexican rebels being depicted as antagonists and stereotyping the cities of Chihuahua City and Ciudad Juárez.[65] However, the game can still be found in shelves in other states.

In New Zealand, games are classified by the country's Office of Film and Literature Classification. If they are dubbed "objectionable" in all cases, they are banned. In this case, the game in question is not only illegal to sell, but also to own, possess, or import. Games are typically banned and classified as "objectionable content" when they contain extreme violence, offensive depictions of cruelty, animal cruelty, sexual content involving children, or graphic depictions of sexual content, including sexual fetishes that are "offensive & abhorrent" (depictions of urination, bestiality, necrophilia, urophilia, coprophilia, and/or incest).

North Korea bans all foreign video games and almost all foreign products (regardless of content).

In 1981, a presidential decree issued by Ferdinand Marcos outlawed the use and distribution[79] of all video game consoles, arcade games and pinball machines, deeming them as a "destructive social enemy"[80] and "to the detriment of the public interest".[81][82] Despite the law being technically in effect following the EDSA Revolution, it has since been disregarded and unenforced.

While no video games are banned nationwide so far since 1986, at least one title, Defense of the Ancients, has been banned at a barangay in Dasmariñas, Cavite following complaints of delinquency issues, and two murder incidents involving youths in the area resulting from brawls in relation to the game.[83]

In Russia, games are classified by the "On Protecting Children from Information Harmful to Their Health and Development" federal law. No known games have been banned in Russia due to excessive violence, nudity, negative portrayal of people of Russia or expression of religious views of any kind because of the freedom of speech guaranteed by the Constitution of Russia. Media in the United States and Europe have incorrectly reported that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, which features a storyline in which Russian "ultranationalists" take control of the country and invade the United States, was banned in Russia. Activision called these reports 'erroneous'.[84]

In 2019, Sony Interactive Entertainment Russia refused to sell Call of Duty: Modern Warfare digitally.

Most banned games can be found in many stores (often at a substantial price) due to the government failing to enforce the bans of these games. However, some major stores will not stock banned titles.[86]

Singapore rarely bans games. With the implementation of the Video Game Classification in 2008 by the Media Development Authority, most games are widely available for purchase to their respective age group, such as those containing full frontal nudity or strong graphic violence under an "M18" rating. Games that were previously banned such as Mass Effect were re-rated either "Age Advisory" or "M18" after the implementation of the classification system.

Since 2006, South Korea has only banned video games on rare occasions. Even before this, games were very rarely banned unless that game mentioned elements of the Korean War in order to avoid tensions between the North Korea and South Korea. However, Manhunt, Manhunt 2, and Mortal Kombat are still banned because of violence and cruelty. Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction were previously banned, but the bans were later lifted.[94]

The Game Rating Board requires that all video games be rated by the organization. Unrated titles are absolutely banned from being sold in the country, and websites selling them can be blocked.

Thailand will typically ban any games with excessive violence, and sexual content, such as many eroge from Japan, for the same reasons as its ban on any pornographic films.

Additionally, since August 2008, all video game titles of the Grand Theft Auto series have been completely banned in Thailand,[96] because of a case where an 18-year-old Thai player supposedly influenced by Grand Theft Auto killed a taxi driver from Bangkok.[97]

The ban, however, does not extend to the digital PC versions of Grand Theft Auto V.[98]

Tropico 5 is yet another banned title. The military junta claims that it could "affect peace and order" within the country.[99]

In the United Arab Emirates, a branch of the government called the National Media Council (NMC) works to control the media and entertainment industry in the country, and they have the authority to issue bans on any specific media products, including video games, to comply with the country's legal and cultural values. Usually, the NMC do not explicitly state their actual consensus for any kind of issued ban on a product, so official reasons behind their bans remain unclear. However, bans issued by the NMC apply only to the sale of those products through local outlets; they do not make private ownership illegal. There are certain exceptions, notably for Spec Ops: The Line (see below). Some banned games may be available and sold on the nation's grey market.

In 2018, the NMC introduced a localised rating system for various media, including video games.[100]

The following titles are banned from mainstream physical retail.

Games in the UK usually only receive a ban when they contain real sex scenes and/or gratuitous violence. BBFC age ratings are compulsory and backed by legislation, taking effect 30 July 2012.[128] It is illegal to sell, buy or rent, but not import, a game that has not been classified by an approved age rating organisation in the UK. This only applies to games stored on physical media, not downloadable media.[129]

In the United States, the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB)—a self-regulatory organization, issues ratings for video games and enforces voluntary regulations on how they are marketed and sold.[133] The Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association—which challenged a California law restricting the sale of "violent video games" (defined using a variation of the Miller test separate from ratings assigned by bodies such as the ESRB) to minors, insisting that video games were considered a protected form of expression under the First Amendment, meaning that federal or state law cannot be used to regulate their distribution based on content.[134][135]

However, games can still be recalled as the result of court orders; a nude model featured in The Guy Game sued its developer and publisher over use of her likeness, as she was underage at the time of filming and thus could not personally consent to her depiction. All remaining copies of the game that contained her likeness were recalled from stores.[136][137] In 2012, a court found that Silicon Knights had plagiarized Epic Games' proprietary Unreal engine, and had used it in Too Human and X-Men: Destiny, along with other unreleased projects. The studio was ordered to recall and destroy all remaining copies, materials, and source code relating to the games.[138][139]

The ESRB's highest rating, "Adults Only", has been considered a total ban on the mainstream sale of certain games, as most retailers refuse to stock games carrying the rating, and they cannot be published on major video game consoles due to company policies.[140][141][142][143] The release of Thrill Kill, an AO-rated fighting game with strong sexual themes, was outright cancelled by Electronic Arts (who had acquired its developer) due to objections over its content.[144] Following the discovery of an incomplete sex minigame that was not included in the final game but could be accessed using a modification or cheating device, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was re-rated Adults Only and recalled by Rockstar Games, in favor of a new revision of the game that omitted the offending content entirely and carried the original Mature rating.[145][146][147]

In November 2009, the Government of Venezuela announced that it would ban all video games in which the objective was to shoot people. The ban was due to widespread violence in the country.

The bill was later published in the public journal of that country on 3 December[148] and went into effect 3 months later,[149] 3 March 2010, making Venezuela the first country to completely ban violent video games in the world and make their manufacturing, distribution, selling, rental, exhibition and use illegal. Even though the proponents were not from the Venezuelan Government's political party, Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela (PSUV), President Hugo Chávez supported the ban,[150] claiming there are some Internet games featuring him so players can "kill them"; and even calling video games consoles, including Nintendo DS and Sony PlayStation, "poison" and values of capitalism, which he considers "the road to hell".

According to reports of the Venezuelan National Guard, more than 13,000 objects, including violent video games, have been massively destroyed in the states of Lara[151] and Portuguesa.[152]

The ban is criticized by gamers and experts alike for its ambiguity and lack of clarity on its penalties, aside from being too harsh and indoctrinating a negative point of view.[153] On the other hand, Sony expressed their hopes for the government to make changes for the law for good.[154]

The ban extends to the digital versions of these games.[155]

Mega Man 5 is believed to be banned in Vietnam, due to one of the bosses, Napalm Man, as well as the stage itself, referring to the Vietnam War.

• Video game controversies
• List of regionally censored video games
• List of recalled video games
• List of banned films
• List of books banned by governments
• List of controversial video games

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