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Pokemon GO may have been an international sensation upon its release in 2016, but the game is banned and unplayable in certain countries, primarily on security or ethical grounds. While trainers can use VPNs to play the game in these nations, they won't find Pokestops, gyms, or many other primary gameplay features since Niantic does not employ its services within their national borders.
In some cases, countries may have banned Pokemon GO for their own reasons, with Niantic imposing other GO bans. In many cases, the game is not available for download through conventional means. Players who manage to do so will find that they're unable to access the majority of core gameplay features and are left roaming an empty game map.
With that in mind, let's look at the countries where Niantic's mobile title is banned.
All countries where Pokemon GO is officially banned
While Pokemon GO is available to play in a large number of regions across the world, some nations or Niantic itself have banned the game for specific reasons. Each case offers a different rationale for the ban, but the game is either in an unplayable/inaccessible state or can only be reached with VPNs/spoofing although gameplay features will be missing.
The following countries have either instituted a complete and explicit national ban on Pokemon GO or Niantic has banned the use of the game's location services:
- Iran: In 2016, the Supreme Council of Virtual Space in Iran banned playing Pokemon GO, citing security concerns due to the game's use of location-based technology. The ban was allegedly supported by the nation's security services. Though some players have managed to play by circumventing the country's information blocks, they do so at their peril. Some players have joked that they play the game knowing they could get into trouble with the Guidance Patrol.
- Russia: In 2022, Niantic joined the collective response of multiple corporations and ceased operations in Russia due to the country's invasion of Ukraine. Niantic remarked in a statement, "We stand with the global community in hoping for peace and a rapid resolution to the violence and suffering in Ukraine."
- Belarus: Due to Belarus' support of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Niantic ceased operations in the country at the same time it did so in Russia.
It should be noted that while certain countries, such as most of mainland China have geographically blocked the use of Google's location services and Niantic has blocked GPS tracking, the game has not been officially outlawed on either side. The list above only includes nations whose governments have formally banned the game, or Niantic has banned its use on their end.
Through the use of GPS spoofing, VPNs, and sometimes both, trainers have been able to circumvent geo-blocks in various countries and play Pokemon GO. However, the blocking of location services and GPS tracking isn't technically a direct ban as it is a limitation of technological access for a wide swath of apps and internet-accessible programs.
