Not every country is as fortunate to have a limitless array of video games on their shelves and digital marketplaces like the United States. Many nations have laws restricting the sale and access of the interactive medium, and other titles create special cases for certain governments. The following list will focus on the latter as it presents ten games you’d be surprised to hear were banned in certain countries.
A couple of these have since been made available in the country, and a couple of these are from the USA. As much as some games deserved to be locked away for their poor quality, censorship is rarely a good thing for creativity.
10 Pokémon Go Is Banned In Iran
Upon its release, Pokémon Go became a cultural phenomenon for its accessibility and the genre encouraging phone users to explore outside. Not every nation was on board with this new style of game, however.
Iran banned it for security reasons they never specified. They are far from the only nation to outlaw the game, but they were the first to do so, perhaps setting a trend. We wonder what their real reasons for the ban were, and if they had any rationale in their decision.
9 Mortal Kombat Is Banned In Japan
Japan’s impact on the medium is immeasurable. Because of their influence on gaming, it is surprising to learn of their relatively stringent laws on the form of entertainment. Violent content is often censored, causing some games to miss out in the market entirely.
Mortal Kombat, for example, has always been restricted in the island nation. The extreme violence and dismemberment is the main cause of its status. People thought the US was irrational for the senate hearings regarding video game violence in the early ’90s; at least they didn’t outright ban them on the spot.
8 Homefront Is Banned In South Korea
Homefront, written by Apocalypse Now screenwriter John Milius, details an invasion of the United States by Korea, which unified in this timeline under Kim Jung-un. Because of this fictional turn of events, the title was banned in South Korea. Relations are obviously tense between the divided Korean nations, so it makes sense for them to ban the game on those grounds.
At the same time, it is unfortunate for any gamer living in the country who was looking forward to it. Judging by the reviews, it does not look like they missed out on much.
7 The Guy Game Was Banned In The US
The Guy Game was a trivia game that rewarded correct answers by showing the player topless women filmed during a spring break trip. One girl featured sued shortly after its release, on the grounds of her not knowing the footage would be in the title.
She was also only seventeen years old at the time, making the footage illegal altogether. The suit caused the game to be pulled off the shelves, and manufacturing more copies were immediately halted. In this case, the world is probably a better place without The Guy Game.
6 Bully Was Banned In Brazil
It can be tough for a gamer in Brazil. Consoles are ludicrously expensive and certain games are banned for ridiculous reasons. Bully was restricted from sales because of its setting and depiction of violence at schools.
The game’s anti-bullying message didn’t matter when it came to the content at face value. In addition to the cult-classic Rockstar Games title, EverQuest was also banned for many years. Both of these were eventually lifted, though the former remained outlawed until 2016.
5 Marc Ecko’s Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure Was Banned In Australia
Australia often makes headlines for their strict censorship laws and occasional bans. These almost always involve the game’s violence or depiction of drug use. Marc Ecko’s Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure made the list for an entirely different reason, however.
Because of its depiction and celebration of graffiti, the nation thought it would be a bad influence on the youth. It initially got on shelves with a fifteen plus rating, but an appeal caused its outright ban.
4 Mass Effect Banned In Singapore
What could possibly be so bad about Mass Effect? Was it the violence, drug use, or foul language that got it forbidden in Singapore? It turns out it was none of the above.
The human to alien affairs and depiction of lesbian carnal relationships did the trick. Fortunately, someone eventually found an outright ban to be ridiculous, so the game finally made its way to the country with an eighteen plus rating just a week or so after the ban.
3 X-Men Destiny And Too Human Are Banned In The US
Silicon Knights’ last two games were Too Human and X-Men: Destiny. Not only were they poorly received, but they were the result of a lawsuit that contributed to the developer’s closure and ended with the titles being pulled from shelves forever.
Epic Games sued the studio for misuse of their Unreal Engine, and the courts agreed with the claim, essentially erasing the two games from existence. Silicon Knights would only last for a few more years, closing down in 2014 without any additional games to their catalog.
2 EA Sports MMA Banned In Denmark
This is perhaps the tamest ban on the list. Denmark has a law against marketing energy drinks. EA Sports MMA includes advertisements for such drinks, and the publisher refused to remove them, prohibiting the release in the country.
A workaround does exist, however. The title can still be imported and sold on shelves this way. EA must have not deemed it worth the effort to remove these ads in order to get the game officially released in the nation.
1 Football Manager 2005 Banned In China
Football Manager 2005 is a simulation game revolving around managing a Soccer team. Because Tibet and Taiwan are designated as separate countries, China outlawed the game in their territory.
The developer defended themselves, saying a modified version of the game was being prepped for China. It’s just one year of annual series, so any fans who missed out in the country just had to wait until the next year’s edition.
Next: 10 Canceled Open-World Games You Never Knew Existed
