Will PUBG Mobile get unbanned in India?

There has recently been talk of PUBG Mobile getting unbanned in India, but this is sadly not the case. 

PUBG Mobile has been banned in India for years, but not due to violence or addiction as some may initially think. Instead, it's because the app is distributed by Tencent, a Chinese tech company that India has deemed a threat to its national security. Similar to the United States, India believes that Tencent is collecting and transmitting Indian gamers' data.

You're probably thinking of BGMI

The rumors around PUBG Mobile's return to India are likely due to the unbanning of Battlegrounds Mobile India, or BGMI. This is a rebrand of PUBG that hoped to get around the 2020 ban. 

Developer Krafton cut ties with Tencent and released BGMI in India in 2021. It was reported that there were 100 million players in India that first year. 

Unfortunately for PUBG fans, India blocked Battlegrounds Mobile India on Google and Apple app stores in 2022. After a 16-year-old boy killed his mother for reprimanding him for playing BGMI, the government decided to look into the game once more. It's believed that India still felt China's initial involvement was enough to ban the game again - Tencent has a 13.6% stake in Krafton.

However, BGMI was then brought back in 2023, continuing the roller coaster for the mobile app. It was initially back on a trial period but it's still available in mobile stores right now. 

PUBG Mobile is not.