When was BGMI banned in India? Official Krafton news today confirms game's unban

In July 2022, the BGMI community in India was stunned as the popular game was removed from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. The Indian variant of BGMI was blocked under Section 69A of the IT Act, similar to the restrictions placed on PUBG Mobile. Since then, the game's players have been yearning for positive news regarding a plausible return.

The game's developer Krafton disclosed earlier today, May 19, 2023, that the game is set to return very soon. In line with this, the game’s servers have been pulled down for maintenance, and they will likely be back in the near future with new in-game content.

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Specifics about BGMI’s initial ban and highly awaited return

The game was prohibited in the country back in July 2022 (Image via Sportskeeda)

When Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) was removed from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store towards the end of July 2022, players assumed there were some technical problems. It was later revealed that the Indian Government had enforced a ban on the battle royale title.

Following this prohibition, the game’s community was astonished, and many tried to switch to other alternatives. Some even continued to play BGMI because the servers were still active, but no new content was being introduced.

Krafton has announced that the game will return and comply with Indian laws. A part of the message posted by them on the game’s Instagram handle stated:

We would like to express our deep appreciation to the Indian authorities for permitting us to restart the operations of BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE INDIA (BGMI). KRAFTON, Inc., as a responsible South Korean company that abides by the law, has put in place several measures to ensure compliance to all Indian laws.

They added that the game's downloads will become available very soon. It is worth noting that prohibition has only been removed for a three-month period, as Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship of India confirmed.

A final decision will be taken after closely watching other issues related to the game prevalent in Indian society, such as user harm, addiction, and more.

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Server under maintenance

BGMI's servers are currently under maintenance (Image via Krafton)

After the official announcement regarding the return of BGMI, the game servers have been taken down. When trying to access the battle royale title, players encounter an error message which states:

“Server is not online yet. Please check the official news for further information regarding availability. Thank you for your understanding”.

It is anticipated that the servers will be brought online very soon, and the game’s download on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store will also be made available simultaneously. Fans have a patient wait ahead of them until the battle royale game's servers are back up.