Grand Theft Auto V will be intact and unedited when it lands on Australian shores.

Worry not, Aussies! The shifting winds of your videogame rating system are blowing your way this week, as Grand Theft Auto V, the latest addition to Rockstar's epic violent crime franchise, has been given an R18+ rating. According to the Australian Classification website, the game is rated "strong impact" for Themes, Violence, Language, Nudity and Sex, and "high impact" (which is even worse) for Drug Use.

And just to be clear, a Rockstar rep confirmed with GameSpot that the rating is for the "original" version of the game, the same that everyone else in the world will get. Grand Theft Auto V is the first game in the series to be given what I think we can all agree is an appropriate R18+ rating; the rest were crammed into the more restrictive MA15+ category.

It's good news for Australian gamers, but it may also be a tad baffling for the folks at Deep Silver: While Grand Theft Auto V got the go-ahead on its first try, the upcoming Saints Row IV has been refused classification not just once, but twice.

via: GameSpot