Fact Check: Can players download BGMI 2.2 update using APK file?

Following the release of the 2.2 update for PUBG Mobile players on September 13, Indian gamers were also eagerly awaiting the update's release in BGMI.

Seeing such a craze, many YouTubers have uploaded videos highlighting download links to APK files that can allegedly help players update their game to the latest 2.2 version. This has created doubts in the minds of gamers as to whether they should trust the files.

Within a year of its release, BGMI leapfrogged many games to emerge as one of the most popular BR titles amongst Indian gamers. The Krafton-developed title also had a huge esports scenario.

However, the game's meteoric rise was halted when on July 28, the game was delisted from the virtual stores of Google and Apple. The two companies acted on the orders of MeitY, who found the app responsible for a potential privacy breach. Since the incident, no new updates have been incorporated into the game by Krafton.

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Are the BGMI 2.2 update APK files surfacing on the internet authentic?

Many YouTubers have found certain links to APK files that they proclaim will help BGMI users download the missing 2.2 update, even if it is not showing in-game. These APK files will eventually redirect gamers to PUBG Mobile and download files from that variant, which they can later add to Battlegrounds Mobile India as per the YouTubers' claim.

Since there is no alternate way to download an update from anywhere other than the Google Play Store, App Store, or official websites, these APK files can be considered unreliable and unauthentic.

The re-introduction of the Cycle 3 Season 7 and the locked RP section has made it clear that the 2.2 update will not appear in the game anytime soon. Several YouTubers like LuckyMan and Classified YT have mentioned in their videos that players might have to stay content playing the existing features (introduced in the 2.1 update) for the next two months.

This also hints that gamers might not be able to experience the additions of the 2.2 update and play the 2.3 update altogether.

Gamers must remember that similar issues arose a month back during the Month 14 RP glitch when many YouTubers suggested links that led to a 10-year account ban for gamers who used them. Hence, BGMI players must abstain from using any link or any APK file that promises to update the Indian variant of the game to the 2.2 variant.

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When can BGMI players expect the game to relaunch?

Since the in-game servers are still functioning, millions of gamers across the country are playing Battlegrounds Mobile India daily. Furthermore, many popular YouTubers like Dynamo, Omega, NinjaJOD, Hector, and Kani Gaming are livestreaming the title regularly. However, the game is yet to be relaunched in the virtual stores.

Hrishav Bhattacharjee's Instagram story on the game's return (Image via Instagram)

Meanwhile, Hrishav Bhattacharjee (CEO of War Mania) uploaded an Instagram story where he wrote that there is a high chance that the title might come back in December as the servers are not migrated. He added that players might not be able to experience the 2.2 update or make in-game purchases until BGMI returns.