Valve announced Thursday that, after more than a decade, Germany has decided to allow folks to play an uncensored version of Left 4 Dead 2.
“Valve recently requested that German authorities re-evaluate the game,” the company’s short statement reads. “We are happy to let you know that as a result the uncut international version of Left 4 Dead 2 is now available to our customers in Germany.”
German users that already own Left 4 Dead 2 can simply download a free DLC package to update the game to its original glory.
When Left 4 Dead 2 launched in 2009, video game ratings boards in Germany and Australia refused to classify the game due to its depictions of violence and gore. This effectively banned Left 4 Dead 2 from being sold in those countries before Valve released censored versions that, among other things, changed the colour of the blood and removed dismemberment.
Germany is particularly strict when it comes to violence and, for obvious reasons, references to Nazis in video games. Its video game ratings board, the Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (USK), has throughout the years refused classification for several major releases, prompting studios to develop similarly censored versions of games like Mortal Kombat, Grand Theft Auto, and Wolfenstein.
While players in Australia have been able to enjoy an uncensored Left 4 Dead 2 since the country classified the game in 2014, German players had no recourse, apart from importing Left 4 Dead 2 or purchasing it behind a VPN, until now. Kotaku reached out to Valve about the timing of its request but didn’t hear back before publication.
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