Games That Were Censored After Release

If you played video games as a kid in the 80s or 90s, you probably remember that some Japanese games were changed before they were released here. A well-known example is the Dragon Quest series, where Nintendo used to remove crosses because of its policies on religious symbols. While games were often censored when they came to North America back then, most versions released around the world are now the same, though there are still a few exceptions.

These days, if a game gets censored, it typically happens after it’s already been released. This could be due to something offensive being found, like a gesture considered inappropriate in certain regions. Regardless of the reason, developers usually release a patch to address the issue and avoid further problems.

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More Games

LittleBigPlanet

Days Before Release

LittleBigPlanet was a popular side-scrolling platform game on the PlayStation 3. Players could personalize their characters, enjoy pre-designed levels, and even build their own. However, just before its release, Sony delayed the game due to a concern raised by the Muslim community. They identified a chant within the game that originated from the Qur’an, their holy book.

Although the game was temporarily removed so developers could release a fix, some players had already obtained copies. The music issue was a mistake, but it didn’t significantly impact LittleBigPlanet.

God Of War: Ascension

“Bros Before Hos”

Man, God of War: Ascension feels like ages ago! It was the last time we explored Greek mythology with Kratos before the big switch to Norse gods in the 2018 game. Basically, the whole game was about Kratos battling The Furies – these seriously messed up goddesses who were constantly trying to torment him. It was a brutal hack-and-slash adventure, as you’d expect!

Players received a trophy called “Bros Before Hos” after defeating an enemy, but some found the name offensive. The game developers quickly released an update changing the trophy’s name to “Bros Before Foes,” which was a positive change that didn’t significantly impact the game, God of War: Ascension.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Coffee, Anyone?

Many fans consider Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, released in 2004, to be the best game in the GTA series. Around 2005, hackers discovered hidden data within a removed mini-game that allowed for intimate scenes with in-game dates. This discovery led to the game being nicknamed “Hot Coffee.”

After protests, the game was pulled from stores until a problematic mini-game could be removed. While GTA often faces controversy, this incident likely boosted the popularity of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas rather than harmed it.

The Last Of Us

Wait, This Isn’t Pest Control

The Last of Us is a tense and frightening game set after a devastating apocalypse. It tells the story of Joel and Ellie as they travel across the country from Boston to Seattle. Throughout their journey, players can discover bulletin boards covered in notes and flyers, including one with a phone number for pest control.

I remember when The Last of Us first came out – it was so exciting! But it’s wild to think that shortly after the PS3 launch, someone actually tried calling a number that appeared in the game and it connected to a real person! Apparently, the programmer just picked some random digits, hoping they weren’t in use, but they were. It caused a bit of a stir, and they had to patch the game, but thankfully, everything turned out okay and it didn’t ruin the experience. It’s a funny story to look back on now!

Dead By Daylight

A Little Too Dark

Released in 2016, Dead by Daylight gradually became incredibly popular among multiplayer fans, especially those who love horror. In 2017, the game added Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre as a playable killer. Players could unlock a cosmetic item – Leatherface’s mask – by getting a certain number of kills with him against specific characters.

Claudette Morel, a Black character who survived the events of the game, became the center of controversy in 2022 when players noticed a cosmetic item for the villain Leatherface resembled blackface. The game’s developers quickly removed the item with an update and compensated players with in-game currency.

Spider-Man 2 (2004)

MJ, Meet MJ

Before Insomniac’s Spider-Man games came out, everyone thought the Spider-Man 2 game was the absolute best. It came out with the movie back in 2004, and like a lot of games from that era, it had some awesome cheats. I remember one letting you play as Mary Jane – you just had to enter the code ‘GIRLNEXTDOOR’ to switch characters. It was a fun little secret!

The code was removed when the game was re-released as part of the ‘Greatest Hits’ collection on PlayStation 2 and similar collections on other platforms. This was because it allowed players to trigger a cutscene where Michael Jackson appeared to kiss himself, which some found objectionable.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Steve’s Meat

When Super Smash Bros. Ultimate launched in 2018, it included almost everything fans hoped for, and the developers promised to add more characters later through downloadable content. In 2020, Steve from Minecraft was added as DLC, which was very popular with players. One of Steve’s winning animations showed him eating a piece of meat and then lowering it towards his waist.

The image briefly showed the meat looking like something unexpected, but the issue was quickly fixed after the downloadable content came out. Luckily, it was a harmless mistake and didn’t upset anyone, mostly just causing a bit of amusement.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

A Bad Gesture

Nintendo recently ran into another issue with one of its popular Switch games, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – arguably the most successful Mario Kart title to date. Shortly after the game’s release in April 2017, players raised concerns about a pose used by one of the female Inkling characters.

Okay, so I noticed something kinda weird in Splatoon 2. When my Inkling girl would bump into someone during a race, she’d flex and grab her bicep. Turns out, that gesture is actually considered offensive in some parts of the world – like, seriously rude, similar to flipping someone off! Nintendo quickly put out a patch that changed the animation so she just flexes her arm now, which is way better and avoids any misunderstandings.

Judgment

Removing A Problematic Actor

Judgment was created as a separate game within the popular Yakuza universe. It kept the exciting fighting style of the main series but starred Takayuki Yagami, a former lawyer who becomes a detective. One of Yagami’s investigations centered around a character played by actor Pierre Taki, named Kyohei Hamura. The game first came out in Japan on PlayStation 4 in December 2018, but was temporarily removed from stores by March 2019.

When Taki faced drug possession charges, Sega altered the character of Hamura in the game Judgment, including changing the voice actor. However, these changes didn’t impact the game’s release in North America in 2019.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers

Nerfing Historical Figures

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is a challenging action game inspired by both Soulslike mechanics and Wuxia films, and it quickly gained a dedicated following. Released in July 2025, the game received a major update (patch 1.5) in August, but this update upset many players. The changes were largely a response to earlier criticism regarding how Chinese mythology was portrayed in the game.

The game is now a bit simpler in places, with some enemies no longer attacking and major bosses based on historical figures now surrendering instead of being defeated. This change has upset some players who believe the update removed too much content.

2026-04-17 23:15