This is a report that just gets better as it goes. Let’s begin with the most important point: DayZ is now outright banned in Australia. Publisher Five Star Games recently submitted the game for classification and was denied to due to the presence of the extremely horrible and utterly evil substance known as… marijuana.

That’s right, weed has caused DayZ to be banned Australia. The game contains marijuana joints that can be used as health restoration items. Simply named “cannabis” in the game, the featuring of such an item is beyond what the Auustralian Classification Board allows.

“The use of drugs (marijuana) as an incentive or reward during the gameplay exceeds what can be accommodated within the R18+ classification and therefore must be Refused Classification,”

– Statement from RC report.

The best part of this controversy is that the “cannabis” item has yet to be introduced into the game. If you just spare a second to check the item’s page on the DayZ wiki here, you’ll note that the item actually hasn’t been put into the game. In other words, DayZ was banned thanks to a feature that doesn’t even exist in the game yet.

DayZ is a game about survival and can be played solo or with friends in a PVP environment.

The game was denied classification back in June 2019. Prior to that, the game was already granted an MA15+ rating three times for the last ten months under the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) system. Technically, this means that it was on the same level as the M rating given by the ESRB.

According to Kotaku Australia, the game’s developer Bohemia Interactive applied for a separate rating a month after being refused classification. After answering questions on the automated IARC survey, the game yet again received a rating of MA15+.

Unfortunately for the developers, the Australian Classification Board is above the IARC in terms of hierarchy and can override IARC ratings. For now, the game still remains under the category of Refused Classification.

The game has already been pulled off from the Australian localities of digital storefronts such as Steam, PS Store, and Microsoft Store. For other regions around the world, the game is still available and you can get it for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.