Garena Free Fire, PUBG Mobile are banned or limited in these countries; check list

Garena Free Fire, PUBG Mobile ban: Battle royale games exploded in popularity when PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) was released in 2016. The arrival of Garena Free Fire and PUBG Mobile a year later here ensured that the genre remains popular to this day, with other popular titles like Fortnite, Call of Duty Mobile adding to the number of outstanding online mobile games available here. The latest entry exclusive to India is of course, Battlegrounds Mobile India, which was launched recently after PUBG Mobile and PUBG Mobile Lite were banned here. However, these games have short, extremely violent matches and gamers (including children) are known to get addicted to them. As a result, these titles like Garena Free Fire and PUBG Mobile have caught the eye of regulators and governments around the world resulting in slapping of bans, restrictions and limits on them in different countries.

Bangladesh: Garena Free Fire and PUBG Mobile bans

The most recent ban was actually issued on August 25, when the Bangladesh Telecom Regulatory Commission (BTRC) directed government body Department of Telecommunication (DoT) to ban games like PUBG Mobile and Garena Free Fire in the country. We had previously covered that a High Court in Bangladesh had ordered relevant authorities in the country to “remove all dangerous or harmful games and mobile applications” from the Internet in the country.

Also read: Looking for a smartphone? Check Mobile Finder here.

China: PUBG Mobile ban

China made headlines last month when it announced stringent limits on the maximum amount of time that minors would be allowed to play games on their phones. These rules allowed minors to play for two hours on holidays, while gameplay would be limited to one hour on regular days. The limits came after a Xinhua-owned newspaper called out the harmful effects of gaming on children and used terms like "spiritual opium" and "electronic drug" to describe the addictive effects. China also does not have PUBG Mobile or PUBG Mobile Lite, but a “cleaner” version called Game for Peace.

India: PUBG Mobile India ban

Last year, the Government of India banned over 100 apps in connection with national security concerns, including PUBG Mobile India, PUBG Mobile Lite, TikTok, CamScanner and several other apps. These apps were culled due to their links with Chinese companies, and the government cited national security reasons for the bans. However, one of these apps has made a comeback of sorts, in the form of Battlegrounds Mobile India, which the developers said earlier this year was in compliance with all local regulations. Meanwhile, pre-registrations for PUBG New State, a new title set in the future are now live in India for both iOS and Android. However, it is not certain whether PUBG New State will get banned too here.

PUBG Mobile - Krafton bans 1.95 lakh accounts: While we are discussing countries where the apps have been banned, it is worth noting that Krafton itself has banned over 1,95,423 accounts between August 20 and August 26, which were allegedly in violation of the company’s policy on hacking and cheating the game. Most games have very strict policies against using hacks and cheats to gain a leg up over other gamers, as it sours the experience for other users. In order to avoid being banned online, users should make sure they do not use game enhancements and any other tricks that can be considered getting an edge over other players as that can lead to your account being banned on your favourite game, whether that is PUBG Mobile or Free Fire.