Is RimWorld Banned in Australia?

Wondering whether or not RimWorld is banned in Australia? We've got you covered.

RimWorld is an acclaimed sci-fi colony sim that invites players to manage and simulate their own colonies throughout space. What makes the game unique is that it uses an AI storyteller to procedurally analyze and create unique events for the player to encounter during their playthrough. RimWorld debuted on PC in early access in 2013 before being released in full in 2018. It recently came to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on July 29, 2022.

As such, with the game continuing to pick up steam with new expansions as well, it's perhaps no surprise that many are wondering whether or not the game can be played in certain regions. Here's a breakdown of whether or not RimWorld is banned in Australia.

Is RimWorld Banned in Australia?

RimWorld is no longer banned in Australia.

Back in February, the notoriously sensitive Australian Classification Board notably gave RimWorld a "Refused Classification" rating as Ludeon Studios and Double Eleven looked to bring the long-beloved game to console.

This surprised many at the time as not only did it mean that RimWorld Console Edition would prohibited from releasing in Australia, but it would also effectively ban long-available Steam version of RimWorld from being sold there as well.

Ultimately, in April, the Australian Classification Board overturned its initial "Refused Classification" rating following an application review.

RimWorld remains to be classified as R 18+ in Australia, the highest rating that a game can be given. The board referred to the use of drugs in the game as having "a high impact," but determined that "the game mechanics ultimately provided disincentives related to drug-taking behavior, to the point where regular drug use leads to negative consequences such as overdose, addiction and withdrawal." It also specifically mentions how the game's drug use is "depicted at a distance through a top-down perspective, in a highly stylized, simplified form."

For more on RimWorld, feel free to check out:

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• RimWorld Pollution Explained
• RimWorld Biotech Pregnancies Explained
• RimWorld Biotech Genes Explained