Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) Disappears from Google Play, Apple App Store Following Government Order

The sudden disappearance comes just under two years after PUBG was banned in India, leading to the creation of BGMI.

Advertisement
By Gadgets 360 Staff | Updated: 29 July 2022 00:14 IST
Highlights
  • Krafton says BGMI has over 100 million users
  • The game is popular with esports players as well as casual users
  • Exact reasons for the ban are unknown

Battlegrounds Mobile India, better known as BGMI, has disappeared from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store following a government order. Those who already have it installed on their devices can still play the game, at least for now. The removal happened without warning late on Thursday evening, leaving many users surprised. However, Google has now confirmed that it received a government order directing it to delist the popular online game. BGMI was launched in India by Krafton as a response to the government banning multiple Chinese apps including the then-popular Playerunknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) due to security risks. A similar game, Garena Free Fire, was also banned in February this year.

As #BGMI and #BGMIban started trending on Twitter, rumours and speculation about possible reasons for a ban included connections to recent allegations of video games being connected to violent incidents, and new concerns about data privacy and online security. New State Mobile, which is published as a separate app by Krafton, remains available.

Advertisement

A Google spokesperson has confirmed that the Battlegrounds Mobile India removal was a result of a government order. "On receipt of the order, following established process, we have notified the affected developer and have blocked access to the app that remained available on the Play Store in India,” the spokesperson told Gadgets 360. Details of the order are awaited. 

Really comes as a shocker because the Growth of Esports in India has been tremendous.
All will come down to a stop if something happens to BGMI(Top esports game in India)
Trust will be broken.
People who HOPED, will remain hopeless.
I hope you look into the matter @GoI_MeitY

Advertisement
— MortaL (@Mortal04907880) July 28, 2022

Developer Krafton claims to have invested over $100 million to develop BGMI and an esports ecosystem in India over the past few years. The company also recently announced that BGMI has surpassed 100 million registered users. At that time, Krafton CEO Changhan Kim had said "India is an important market for Krafton. We are positive about the opportunities in the country and are committed to create a robust gaming ecosystem. Our focus is pivoted towards constantly elevating the mobile gaming experience for our growing community and invest in the flourishing start-up landscape here”


Is PS Plus better than Xbox Game Pass now? We discuss this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.
 

Get your daily dose of tech news, reviews, and insights, in under 80 characters on Gadgets 360 Turbo. Connect with fellow tech lovers on our Forum. Follow us on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News for instant updates. Catch all the action on our YouTube channel.

Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Acer Swift Air 14 Launched With Intel Core Series 3 CPU, Lightweight Design
  2. Apple Brings New Wallpaper, Apple Music Playlist Ahead of WWDC 2026
  3. Itel Aqua Launched in India With IP67 Rating, 1,200mAh Battery: See Price
  4. Find X9 Ultra Review: Oppo's Crown Jewel
  5. New iPhone 18 Pro Leak Suggests It Could Arrive in These Battery Variants
  6. MSI's First RTX Spark Laptop Targets AI Workloads, Creators and Developers
  7. Asus Unveils Zenbook 14 at Computex 2026, New Vivobook S Series Tags Along
  8. Asus ROG Xbox Ally X20 Unveiled With a Larger 7.4-Inch OLED Screen
  9. HP OmniBook X 14, Ultra 16 Refreshed With Nvidia RTX Spark 'Superchip'
  10. iPhone 17 Won't Start After Battery Runs Out? Apple Says iOS 26.5.1 Fixes It
  1. Asus Zenbook 14, Vivobook S14, Vivobook S16, Vivobook S14 Flip and Vivobook S16 Flip Launched at Computex 2026
  2. Asus Pad With MediaTek Dimensity 8300 Chip, 9,000mAh Battery Unveiled at Computex 2026
  3. Amazon Music to Play ‘Limited Ads’ for Prime Members in India as Firm Offers Unlimited Plan With Ad-Free Music Streaming
  4. Apple Rolls Out iOS 26.5.1 Update With Fix for Charging Bug Affecting iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Models
  5. Asus ROG Xbox Ally X20 With Larger 7.4-Inch OLED Display Unveiled at Computex 2026
  6. ViewSonic IN05 Series ViewBoard 4K Displays Launched in India With Android 16, AI Features
  7. Asus ProArt P16, ProArt P14 and New ProArt Mini PC With Nvidia RTX Spark Unveiled at Computex 2026
  8. Computex 2026: MSI Prestige N16 Flip AI+ Announced as Company's First Nvidia RTX Spark-Powered Laptop
  9. Apple Releases New ‘Glow All Out’ Wallpaper, Apple Music Playlist Hinting at Next Week’s WWDC 2026 Theme
  10. Xiaomi's HyperOS 3 Adds AirDrop Support on Select Models With Ability to Share Files With Apple Devices
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2026. All rights reserved.