PUBG Mobile India was banned by the Government of India in September 2020 after the 'digital surgical strike' in which 118 Chinese apps were also banned. Following the ban, PUBG Mobile India tried to stay in the news by announcing a couple of teasers around Diwali that the game could relaunch by the New Year. PUBG Mobile Corporation tried to meet the Government of India but sadly, the government bluntly stated that there was no meeting with PUBG and the ban would not be lifted. However, the government also declared that access to PUBG was 'not illegal' and that meant that gamers could play PUBG Global which is the Korean version.
Recently, there were reports that PUBG Mobile India gamers could bypass the ban by playing it through a VPN network and setting a different location in order to play PUBG Mobile India. However, according to the latest development, the move to playing PUBG Mobile India through VPN has been carefully monitored by the Government of India. In an RTI query that recently surfaced on social media, MEITY (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology) is seriously aiming to block access to PUBG and related apps even via VPN and other mobile apps.
The Korean version of PUBG Mobile can be played in India but gamers will have to start from scratch. However, when you play PUBG Mobile Global, it can be synced with social media apps such as Facebook and Twitter for saving the game progress online.
March 2021 relaunch also in doubt?
Recently, Krafton Inc had given out a job status application for an eSports consultant on their Linkedin profile but that was removed within a couple of hours. The move raised further speculation that PUBG Mobile India's potential relaunch for March 2021 has been stalled. Krafton Inc has made new hirings but when it comes to meet the Government of India, there has been no progress.
PUBG Mobile has released some global upgradations including runes and a new version of the 1.2 version. The APK download is available everywhere except in India. Currently, in Dubai, there is the PUBG Mobile Global Championship that is been played with 16 teams. The teams are participating in remote locations with proper internet facilities after plays to play it in the Coca-Cola arena were scrapped with three gamers testing positive for the coronavirus.
