PUBG Mobile Makes Official Comeback in Bangladesh After 2021 Ban

PUBG Mobile is finally back in Bangladesh. After nearly four years, which saw many court rulings, legal deadlocks, players can now access the game using local networks without using any VPNs.

This is a big victory for the gaming and esports fraternity, which has been clamoring for its revival since the ban was first issued in August 2021. At that time, the Bangladeshi High Court decided that games such as PUBG Mobile and Free Fire were threatening youth mental well-being and categorized them as "destructive". By the way, Freefire and TikTok also suffered the same fate shortly after.

PUBG ban was a big setback for the Bangladesh Esports scene

Before the ban, the Bangladeshi PUBG Mobile esports scene was about to get global recognition as some of the teams also made it to the PUBG Mobile Global tournaments, competing against top teams from around the world. The ban stopped all of that overnight. 

There were some desperate attempts to bring back the game. Despite filing hundreds of petitions, players saw no results.

This must be kind of déjà vu for Indian fans as well. India faced a similar fate when PUBG Mobile was banned in 2020. But here’s where the paths split. In India, Krafton launched BGMI (Battlegrounds Mobile India) as a localized answer to the ban. It filled the competitive gap, helped the ecosystem recover, and eventually got back on track, slowly but surely. However, that was not the case with neighbors.

Now, No more VPNs

During the ban, many players quietly kept the scene alive. But one shocking incident captured the tension: a local police raid on a PUBG Mobile LAN tournament, where authorities arrested over 100 participants. Some even received jail sentences. That time, this news rattled the entire community and exposed how out of step the policy was with the reality of modern esports.

Also Read: Marvel Rivals: How To Collect Pass Rewards When Season 2 Battlepass Ends

Now that PUBG Mobile is unbanned, Bangladesh has a second chance to rebuild its esports foundation. Yes, it won't be an easy task, but it is achievable. Although there must be many who have left the scene, the demand is still strong.