Mobile Legends: Bang Bang banned in United States

Jonno Nicholson
Mobile Legends developer Moonton Games esports title
Background: 2023 M5 World Championship Finals ceremony. Image credit: Moonton Games

UPDATE 21/01/2024: Mobile Legends: Bang Bang has since been unbanned from the US and is now available to be played and downloaded.


Mobile MOBA title Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) is unavailable in the United States after being banned in the country.

Game developer and publisher MOONTON has informed users that the game is ‘currently unavailable‘ for players who attempt to log in.

MOONTON is a subsidiary of Chinese internet technology company Bytedance, the owner of short-form video platform TikTok.

Due to security concerns in the United States, TikTok was banned on January 19th, 2025. However, hours later, the platform began restoring its service following an Executive Order from incoming President Donald Trump.

Following the ban, a post on Mobile Legends’ Reddit was created after users noticed that MLBB was unable to be played in the US. This thread notified users that accounts will not be suspended or deleted following the ban.

When will Mobile Legends: Bang Bang return to the United States?

At the time of writing, there is no confirmation of a return date for MLBB in the United States. Considering the TikTok ban was reversed quickly, there’s a possibility of the game returning sooner rather than later.

With players based in the United States unable to access their accounts, the developer advises them to manage their accounts using the MLBB website.

Launched in 2016, MLBB quickly became one of the most popular mobile titles in Southeast Asia. In 2021, Bytedance acquired MOONTON for $4bn (~£3.2bn). In 2025, the game is set for an official launch in China.

Prior to the ban, MOONTON unveiled the 2025 esports roadmap for MLBB. The year will feature several international tournaments alongside the MPL and other third-party events.

MLBB isn’t the only game to be impacted by the TikTok ban. Marvel Snap, developed by another Bytedance subsidiary Nuverse, is also unavailable in the United States. Nuverse is also actively working to restore services as quickly as possible.

Jonno is a freelance news writer for Esports Insider and has been part of the team since 2019. When he's not sim racing, he enjoys reporting on Call of Duty esports and sim racing's impact on the wider industry.