PCG will always bring you the latest news on the hottest games as soon as they are announced. It doesn’t matter if it’s shadow drops from Gamescom or bombshell announcements made at TGS. We also have the most recent news about highly-anticipated titles such as Wolfenstein 3D.
You may already know that 1992’s most popular FPS is known, but Germans haven’t been allowed to purchase it since 1994 when the game was banned for its inclusion Nazi symbols. That ban—and a later one on the game’s 1997 expansion Spear Of Destiny—was at last lifted in 2019 (opens in a new tab, but German players still couldn’t really get their hands on the games because they hadn’t been given an age rating by Germany’s Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (Entertainment Software Self-Regulation, or USK).
Now, that’s all changed. German games site GameStar (opens new tab) According to reports, the USK has finally checked out the newfangled “Wolfenstein 3D” thing and gave it a rating along with Spear Of Destiny. Although the game can be enjoyed by 16-year olds, Spear Of Destiny is only for those over 18 years. According to a Twitter user Kinsie (opens new tab), Wolfenstein 3D and its expansion are no longer restricted in Germany on Steam, and are now available for purchase for a cool €4.99. You can also get it from GOG and Microsoft Store.
There has been some confusion about Wolfenstein’s availability. German news sites, forums users, and many German Reddit and forum users rejoice at Wolfenstein 3D being available for purchase. However, a few confused people claim they bought Wolfenstein 3D in Germany from sites like GOG. You can also find old GOG threads. (opens new tab) Germans seeking to have a copy of the game given to them in order to bypass German buying restrictions. Regardless, even if it was possible—in some under the radar way—to buy the games previously in Germany, it shouldn’t have been under German law.
This is all about to change. Residents of Germany now have legal access to join us in defeating Mecha Hitler thanks to the USK rating. (opens in a new tab Saving the world from fascism’s scourge. It’s only been 30 years since the last one.
