PUBG Mobile banned in India: can you still play using VPN?

Published On: September 3, 2020

Highlights

PUBG Mobile and PUBG Mobile Lite have been banned in India
These games may not work using VPN if a blanket ban is enforced
Express VPN, Nord VPN, and other VPN apps may not be useful to circumvent the ban

PUBG Mobile and PUBG Mobile Lite have been banned in India along with 116 other Chinese apps, according to a new order by the Indian of India. This comes a few months after the government banned 59 Chinese apps that included TikTok, CamScanner, and more. As of writing this story, PUBG Mobile is still available on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, and we were able to play the game as well. But this may not be the case for long. Once the ban is implemented, PUBG Mobile will be pulled from the app store, and those who have already installed the game will be unable to play it. This has caused PUBG Mobile players to wonder whether the game will still work using a Virtual Proxy Network or VPN.

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Also read: TikTok has stopped working in India even on VPN

As of now, PUBG Mobile can be played using a VPN. However, the government will likely enforce a blanket ban on the game, similar to the ban on TikTok. This means that PUBG Mobile will not work even while using a VPN which means you won’t be able to circumvent the ban. So, before you download and subscribe to VPN apps like Express VPN, Nord VPN, and so on, it would be wise to wait and get a confirmation on whether PUBG Mobile actually works on these services after the blanket ban is enforced.

After TikTok was blocked, users were unable to use the app even with a VPN. It was speculated that TikTok was being blocked by device ID in addition to the IP address, which means the app wouldn’t work even if you mask your IP address.

Even if PUBG works using a VPN, players will have another issue to worry about. While using a VPN does not violate the terms of service agreement (ToS), it can trigger a third party application ban. If PUBG Mobile detects the use of a third-party application, it can trigger a hack detection that can lead to the player being banned for as long as 10 years.