China does not publish a roster of individually banned games. Instead, three separate sets of rules decide whether a game can be offered and to whom: prohibited content categories, a publication approval requirement for domestic online games, and restrictions aimed specifically at minors. A game can be unavailable under one of these without being banned for every player, and the rules that apply to children do not turn an adult title into a banned one.
Which content categories are prohibited
The clearest statement of content limits is the Interim Measures for the Administration of Online Games, published by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism as the official text of the 2017 revision (posted December 22, 2020). The measures bar online games containing:
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- violations of constitutional principles
- threats to national unity, sovereignty, or territorial integrity
- leaks of state secrets or threats to national security
- incitement to ethnic hatred or discrimination
- promotion of cults or superstition
- rumors that disrupt social order
- obscenity, pornography, gambling, and violence
- incitement to crime
- infringement of others’ rights
- conduct contrary to social morality
- other content prohibited by law
A 2015 policy document from the Cyberspace Administration of China, Opinions on the Development and Management of Online Games, names a shorter overlapping set: obscenity, pornography, gambling, violence, superstition, illegal trading for profit, and content endangering national security.
These are content standards, not a genre blacklist. Nothing in the texts makes fantasy, combat, historical or political settings, or a particular mechanic automatically unlawful. Whether a specific title crosses a line depends on what it actually contains, and the official texts do not publish case-by-case rulings that would let a reader check that.
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Publication approval is a separate requirement
Approval concerns whether a game may operate through the regulated domestic channel at all. The National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) guidance on approval of publication of domestic online game works, dated October 13, 2022, sets the conditions an applicant must meet:
- an eligible online-game publishing unit
- rights documentation for the work
- an ICP license for the operator
- compliance with the relevant laws and rules protecting minors
Application materials include the game’s name, category, publisher and operator, and content information. The Minors’ Protection Law, in the official text published by the State Administration for Market Regulation, also states that online games may operate only after lawful approval (Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Protection of Minors).
A title that lacks this authorization is unavailable in the regulated market, but that is a licensing outcome. It does not show that officials judged a particular story, character, or mechanic to be prohibited content.
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Restrictions on minors are the rules most likely to affect a game’s availability to a young player, and they come from several texts that overlap. The table below sets out each one as it appears in the official text.
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| Rule | Source and date | What it requires | Status in the texts reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Play window | NPPA notice, August 30, 2021 | Service to minors only from 20:00 to 21:00 on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays; no service at other times | Current schedule in the texts reviewed |
| Overnight block | Minors’ Protection Law (official reproduced text) | No game service to minors from 22:00 to 08:00 | Stated in the law; read alongside the narrower 2021 window |
| Earlier daily limits | NPPA notice, October 25, 2019 | Earlier schedule for minors’ play | Superseded by the 2021 one-hour schedule; do not present as current |
The 2021 notice also requires real-name registration and login for minors. Where the 2022 publication guidance and the 2021 notice describe identity checks, they treat real-name verification as a precondition of access, not an optional feature.
The Regulations on the Online Protection of Minors (State Council Order No. 766, effective January 1, 2024, published by the Ministry of Education) add a classification duty. Providers must classify games by type, content, and functions, display age recommendations at prominent points in the user interface, and prevent minors from reaching game content or functions that may affect their wellbeing. See the Ministry of Education’s text of the regulations.
Spending limits set in 2019
The 2019 NPPA notice also set caps on paid game services for minors. These figures were set in 2019, and the texts reviewed here do not confirm that they remain in force. Treat them as historical unless a current NPPA document restates them.
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|---|---|---|---|
| Under 8 | No paid game services | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| 8 to under 16 | Capped | RMB 50 | RMB 200 |
| 16 to under 18 | Capped | RMB 100 | RMB 400 |
Source: NPPA, 2019 notice on preventing minors’ game addiction, October 25, 2019.
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Adult players and the “age guidance” question
Age labels in China are not the same as Western ratings. In an official question-and-answer published by the NPPA on November 5, 2019 (official Q&A on preventing minors’ game addiction), an unnamed NPPA official is quoted as saying:
“适龄提示并不等同于西方的分级制度，决不允许色情、血腥、暴力、赌博等有害内容存在于面向成年人的游戏中。”
In English, that reads: age guidance is not equivalent to Western age rating systems, and harmful content such as pornography, bloody content, violence, and gambling is absolutely not allowed in games intended for adults. So the content categories above apply to adult titles too; an age label does not make prohibited material acceptable for adults.
How to classify a game that is unavailable
When a title is missing from the regulated Chinese market or is restricted for a player, identify which layer is involved before drawing a conclusion:
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| Layer | Question to ask | What a yes means | Governing text |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prohibited content | Does the game contain obscenity, pornography, gambling, violence, superstition or cult promotion, incitement to crime, or threats to national security or unity? | The content falls within a banned category, which can apply to all players | Interim Measures for the Administration of Online Games (MCT, posted December 22, 2020) |
| Publication approval | Does the operator hold the required publishing unit status, rights documents, and ICP license? | Without them, the game cannot operate through the regulated domestic channel | NPPA approval guidance, October 13, 2022 |
| Minor access | Is the player under 18, and is the session inside the permitted window? | The restriction applies to minors only; adults are not covered by the time limits | NPPA notice, August 30, 2021; Minors’ Protection Law; Regulations on the Online Protection of Minors |
Read the table from the top down. A “no” at the first layer does not rule out a problem at the second, and a title that passes the content and approval checks can still be restricted for minors.
Why no list of banned games exists in these texts
The official texts above set standards and procedures. They do not list individual titles that have been refused or withdrawn, and the sources reviewed do not establish a current title-by-title decision database. A claim that a named game is “banned in China” should therefore be checked against a specific official decision or approval record. Without one, the most accurate statement is that the game may be unavailable in the regulated market, and the reason may be approval, content, or a minor-access issue.
The most recent official text cited here took effect on January 1, 2024. As of October 2026, check the NPPA’s 2021 minor-access notice and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s text of the Interim Measures for later amendments before treating any schedule or cap as current.
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