A survival horror game based on the iconic Halloween film series has been banned in Australia and New Zealand – but not because of the violence.

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Halloween: The Game is set to launch September 8 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. “It’s Halloween night, 1978, the unsuspecting families of the quiet suburban town of Haddonfield are making holiday preparations, and evil has made its way home,” reads an official description of the game. “The Boogeyman is out. Team up in a 1v4 asymmetrical horror showdown on everyone’s favourite night of the year. Choose to save the quiet town of Haddonfield from bloodshed as a Hero of Haddonfield or stalk and terrorise the residents as Michael Myers.”

Earlier this week, Halloween: The Game developers shared a release map that told fans when the title would be available in their country but Australia and New Zealand were missing.

Despite every effort on our part, the Australian Classifications Board has denied “Halloween: The Game” a rating. The denial was not based on the presence of the iconic slasher, Michael Myers, or the outstanding kills that can be performed in the game, but rather the presence of…

— Halloween: The Game (@HalloweenTVG) August 9, 2026

“Despite every effort on our part, the Australian Classifications Board has denied Halloween: The Game a rating. The denial was not based on the presence of the iconic slasher, Michael Myers, or the outstanding kills that can be performed in the game, but rather the presence of a controlled substance,” they explained on X. “Unfortunately, to our disappointment (and certainly yours) this means that we cannot sell the physical or digital product in both Australia and New Zealand.” Pre-orders have already been refunded.

Many fans believe Halloween: The Game has been banned because players can smoke weed to give Michael Myers game-changing perks. “To make things stranger, medical cannabis is perfectly legal in Australia and New Zealand so it makes it even more silly because of that,” one fan wrote on Reddit. 

In other news, Five Nights At Freddy’s fans will soon be able to visit the central pizza restaurant in real life.