10 Video Games Surprisingly Banned Around the World

Video games have consistently gained popularity around the world. Some of the most popular video games are filled with violence, sexual scenes, drug use, and other mature situations, earning the game a ban or censoring in several nations. However, some games have received a country-wide ban for shocking reasons. Here are ten video games that are surprisingly banned around the world.

Related: 10 Video Game Secrets We Wish We Never Found

10 Crash Bandicoot 2 (Japan)

It’s hard to believe that Crash Bandicoot would have content that was so unsuitable that it would be banned, but it was in one country. Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back was banned in Japan for a death animation. In the game, Crash is squashed into a stunned, floating head with feet. Seems harmless, but Japan stated that it resembled the Kobe child murders, which was a series of child killings that occurred in Kobe, Japan.

The game was initially banned by Japan, but the developers didn’t want to cause any controversy and decided to alter the animation for the Japanese version of the game. The Japanese version of the game shows Crash redesigned to appear less aggressive and cuter. There were also other small changes to make the game more lighthearted for Japanese gamers.^[1]

9 The Guy Game (United States)

The Guy Game, released in 2004 by TopHeavy Studios, was a trivia game that allowed up to four players to complete multiple-choice questions and mini-games. While all of this is going on, there is filmed live-action footage of bikini-clad women on spring break. Players are trying to accumulate points that go toward the Flash-O-Meter, which progressively removes censorship of women exposing their breasts. Sure, it’s not a game you wanted your mom to know about, but the gameplay is warranted for a ban, right?

Footage for the game was filmed on South Padre Island during spring break in 2003. They went around trying to pay women to expose their breasts for the camera, and the footage was used for the video game. A guy playing the video game discovered his underage sister topless during gameplay, and the discovery led to a lawsuit against the game.

The unidentified woman gave producers a fake identification card and inconsistent information for media release. She sued the developers and publishers for breach of privacy and emotional distress. The lawsuit led to a temporary injunction against any further distribution, which led to TopHeavy Studios ceasing further sales of the video game.^[2]

8 Mass Effect (Singapore)

Mass Effect is a video game about a civilization that is threatened by an advanced machine race better known as the Reapers. The action role-playing game was originally released in 2007 for the Xbox 360. It debuted at #6 on the video games sales chart in the United States, and it also won several awards, including Best RPG at the IGN Best of 2007 Awards and Game of The Year by the New York Times. Even though the game was a huge hit, censorship kept it off the shelves in Singapore.

The video game had an optional subplot that allowed the player to develop a relationship with a non-player character. If the relationship grew stronger, scenes would show sexual activity with partial nudity. Singapore was the only nation that had a problem with the game and banned the game for same-sex love scenes between a human woman and an alien female. The Singapore Media Development Authority later reversed its decision and allowed the game to be released with an M18 rating.^[3]

7 Pokémon Go (Iran)

Pokémon Go introduced a new generation to the popular franchise while bringing nostalgia to old fans. The game makes you a trainer, and you must get out and be active to try to “catch ’em all.” The game was new and exciting in so many ways, but one country had one major issue with the mobile video game.

Iran made the decision to ban Pokémon Go due to unspecified security concerns. Iran’s High Council of Virtual Spaces believed the game’s usage of maps and geolocation data presented a security issue for the people of the country. Other countries and cities around the world have expressed their concerns with the game, but Iran was the first country to place a ban on the game.^[4]

6 Football Manager 2005 (China)

Football Manager 2005 was released in 2004 as a football (or soccer for Americans) management simulation video game. Players take the reign of a professional football team and try to coach them to a championship by managing team finances, signing new players, and giving the team pep talks. The game is supposed to simulate the real-world management of a team. What could be so controversial about a sports management game?

China found out that Taiwan and Tibet were listed as separate countries in the game, which led to a country-wide ban. They believed the game’s content was harmful to the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. SEGA announced that a Chinese version would be released with Taiwan included as part of China. The game went on to earn excellent reviews from most critics and gaming sites, including an 89 out of 100 by both GameRankings and Metacritic.^[5]

5 Animal Crossings: New Horizons (China)

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a social simulation game for the Nintendo Switch and is the fifth game in the Animal Crossing series. Players live on a deserted island and work to develop a town as they progress. The game is pretty chill as players walk around and catch bugs, water plants, and try to build a peaceful town, but China somehow found a reason to ban the game.

Players in the game have the ability to create custom graphics and meet up with other players virtually. Some banners created by users included images of the Chinese President and phrases such as “Free Hong Kong.” Images such as these are considered offensive and led to the country-wide ban.^[6]

4 Pokémon (Saudi Arabia)

Pokémon took over the world in the ’90s with the hit TV show, trading cards, and Game Boy video games. Their products made their way to store shelves all around the world… except in Saudi Arabia. The country stated that the games promote Zionism and involve gambling. The religious authority claimed that the video game and trading cards contain un-Islamic symbols, including the star of David.

It was compared to gambling due to the competition that involves money being exchanged between card collectors. The franchise has been critiqued by several other countries with partial bans and censoring. Nintendo released a statement saying that they didn’t create any symbols with religion in mind, and they promised to investigate all claims.^[7]

3 EA Sports MMA (Denmark)

MMA can be a brutal sport as two fighters rip into each other, leaving blood pouring into the ring. When EA Sports MMA was released in 2010, Denmark decided to place a ban on the game, but not for the bloody violence.

Denmark decided to not allow the release of the video game due to the marketing of energy drinks. Their law prohibits the marketing of energy drinks. EA decided not to change the product placement of energy drinks on fighters’ shorts and in the ring, but instead, they decided not to release the game at all in Denmark.^[8]

2 The Sims 4 (Uzbekistan)

The Sims 4 is a life simulation game that allows users to create characters, build homes, and live in a world full of imagination. The game features mild violence and gore, mild drug use, mild sexual situations, and some intense scenes, earning it a T for Teen rating in the United States. These features were more than enough to earn a ban from Uzbekistan.

Uzbekistan banned The Sims 4, along with 33 other video games, for distorting values and threatening stability. The games are believed to be used to propagate violence and threaten security. Their government also didn’t want these games to distribute false information about the country’s history and culture. The ban is also a result of their government trying to keep young people away from “destructive” influences.^[9]

1 Mario Kart Tour (Belgium)

The last game you would think to find on this list is a first-party Nintendo game, but somehow Mario Kart Tour found a way to earn a ban. Belgium made the decision to ban the video game due to loot boxes that did not comply with local gambling regulations. Players could spend real money on loot boxes without knowing the contents of the loot boxes, which is associated with gambling in Belgium.

The Netherlands joined Belgium in banning the game unless the company selling them has a gambling license. The Norwegian Consumer Council also called the loot boxes manipulative and exploitative. Nintendo even faced a lawsuit in the United States after a young gamer claimed the loot boxes encouraged addictive behavior just as gambling. Nintendo made the decision to remove loot boxes from Mario Kart Tour in 2022. Who knew that Mario Kart could rev up so much controversy.^[10]

fact checked by
Darci Heikkinen