PUBG Mobile: 50 days after the ban, can you still play the game in India? Here's what we found

PUBG Mobile was banned alongside another 117 apps on September 8 in India. Since the ban was imposed, the popular e-Sport title has been unavailable for download on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. However, PUBG Mobile is still being played in India despite the ban.

PUBG Mobile was banned under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act for engaging in activities which is prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, the security of the state and public order.”

The ban means that users can no longer download or play the Battle Royale in India. However, users who had installed PUBG Mobile before it was removed from the Play Store or Apple App Store can still play the game, reported Digit.

The report cites users on social media who are tweeting about their PUBG Mobile account being banned after logging in from India. 

We tried accessing the PUBG Mobile website and also downloaded the APK file to test the claim.

To our surprise, we could download the game and even play a Team Deathmatch on our Samsung Galaxy S20 FE review unit. The website did not load on our iPhone 11 Pro (review).

The test was carried out only to verify the claim. Moneycontrol does not encourage its readers to try these methods and bypass the ban by any means.

The government had imposed a ban on 118 Chinese apps in addition to the 59 Chinese apps banned earlier amid the rising tensions at the India-China border. Although PUBG has been developed by a South Korean video game company called Bluehole, Chinese multinational conglomerate Tencent holds a considerable amount of share in the popular game. Soon after the ban was announced, PUBG Corporation officially barred Tencent Games from owning the game’s franchise in India. The company, in its official statement, had said that it will work with the Indian government to find a solution that will allow gamers to continue playing the battle royale mobile game.

PUBG Mobile, prior to its ban, had a massive user base in India, with over 175 million downloads.