On June 11, 2025, Gujarat, a western state in India, imposed a ban on the famous battle royale gamePlayerUnknown’s Battlegroundstogether with the hoax Momo Challenge that recently caused mass hysteria worldwide. Now, the ban has recently resulted in the arrest of 10PUBGplayers in the country.
In a report published by the Indian Express, the police have already begun confiscating mobile devices for investigation and to curb people from playingPUBG. The authorities noted that the game “is highly addictive and the accused were so engrossed in playing them that they could not even notice our team approaching them.”
Out of the ten people arrested from playing the game, six were undergraduate students and were taken into custody after police caught them red-handed. Two cases under IPC Section 188 for violating the ban notification issued by the Police Commissioner were charged against the individuals. The police clarified that while the accused were taken into custody, protocol dictates that they will be immediately bailed out by the police and the case will go into court to undergo trial. It is also believed that the notification that prompted the ban ofPUBGwas in relation to therecently revived Momo Challenge.
“It has come to our notice from various media thatPUBGgame, MOMO challenge is leading a violent attitude among youth. The game is also having an impact on studies as well as behavior, conduct, and language of children and youth.”
This isn’t the first time thatPUBGaddiction was reported to have negatively impacted the lives of some of its players. Last month, a man who was said to have been playingPUBGnon-stop made headlines afterhe reportedly left his pregnant wife for the game, and has since abandoned his responsibilities including his job.
The rise of video game addiction has been a hot topic of debate lately. A couple of months ago, concerns were raised by the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association in India claiming that addiction toPUBGMobilehas become a problem that is “worse than drug addiction.” Nonetheless, it is worth noting that whilePUBGis officially banned in Gujarat, the game is still legal to play in the rest of India.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegroundsis available now for Android, iOS, PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
