PUBG Mobile Global: What Happens if You Install It in India

Several players continue to access the global version using VPN.

PUBG Mobile is an online multiplayer battle royale game, that was recently banned in India.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

Even as early access to Battlegrounds Mobile India aka PUBG Mobile India is live on Google Play Store, several gamers continue to play PUBG Mobile Traverse – a version that was banned in India as part of the government’s decision to ban a number of Chinese apps in 2020.

The global version of the game has been removed from all app stores and the official website is also being blocked. However, VPN continues to let players access the latest version of PUBG Global.

PUBG mobile was banned by the Indian government in September last year, citing that the game was a threat to the “sovereignty, integrity, defence, and security of the country”.

But what happens when you download PUBG Mobile Global version? Can you continue to play PUBG Mobile global with workarounds?

PUBG Mobile Global Workarounds

Screenshot showing PUBG Mobile Global version being played.

(Screenshot: PUBG Mobile)

The Quint downloaded the global APK version to find out whether Indians are still able to play PUBG mobile (banned version).

The PUBG Mobile Global APK can be downloaded via the official website, which is inaccessible in India. However, after accessing the same via a VPN app, one can access the website and download the APK file.

We could also download the global version using several other app stores.

• Once the APK is downloaded, the game can be installed on your Android device, without any issues. Once installed, we opened the game and let it download the resources.
• The login page then appeared. However, without VPN, the game stopped itself at the account login page. We tried logging in via Facebook, Twitter and Google Play, and we were unable to download our progress. However, once we fired a VPN, the game was able to download the save files and progress into the lobby.
• We then switched off the VPN again and re-opened the game. We could play the game normally, with no issues in connectivity and performance. We were also able to download all the resource packs and update the game to the latest specifications.
• We repeated the process and played the game without any VPN connectivity.

Sourajeet Majumder, a cyber security expert told The Quint that it's been nearly a year since PUBG Mobile has been banned in India but there are still many gamers who are playing the different versions (Global, Korean, Chinese) of it. To play, one simply needs to connect to a VPN service of their choice.

"What's interesting is that recently after PUBG Mobile v1.4 update many are able to play the game without keeping their VPN on during a match and needs to turn on their VPN only during the first login attempt. In all possibilities, it is because certain Internet Service Providers are not blocking connection requests to the servers with which the updated game is interacting," he added.

Why Playing the Game Is Not a Good Idea

It should be noted that PUBG Mobile Global version is still banned in India as it was unable to secure player data and privacy.

“Downloading the APK file of a global version from an unknown site or an app store can be problematic. There are high chances that the APK files turn out to be malicious. Indians should prevent themselves from downloading or playing the game because it is not available on the Google Play Store or App Store for Indians and downloading the APK from other sources available oN the web is not at all reliable," noted Majumder.

APKs can easily be modified by anyone and there are high chances that they have malware or Trojans in them, which if gets installed on your device can prove fatal.