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Yes, Marvel Snap was temporarily unavailable in the United States during the January 2025 TikTok shutdown—but it was not separately named or permanently banned by the U.S. government. The game was caught up in the restrictions because its publisher, Nuverse, was connected to ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company. The U.S. service returned within several days.
What happened to Marvel Snap?
On January 18–19, 2025, U.S. players found that Marvel Snap had disappeared from American app stores and could no longer be played. The timing coincided with TikTok, CapCut, Lemon8 and other ByteDance-linked services going offline in the United States.
Marvel Snap developer Second Dinner said the interruption was unexpected, that the game was not going away and that it was working to restore access. The statement is important: it does not establish that Second Dinner deliberately took the game offline, nor does the public record fully identify which companies made each operational decision.
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The game’s U.S. service returned around January 20–21, although the exact timing varied by platform and by whether a player needed an app-store listing, an update, server login or another service component.
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Contemporary reporting from The Washington Post and Engadget linked the outage to Nuverse’s ByteDance relationship.
Why did a Marvel card game get caught up in a TikTok-related law?
The relevant connection was corporate ownership and publishing—not the game’s Marvel characters, its U.S.-based development team or the nationality of its players.
- Second Dinner developed Marvel Snap.
- Nuverse published the game.
- ByteDance owned or controlled Nuverse when the outage occurred.
- The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act addressed covered applications and services connected to foreign-adversary-controlled companies, rather than naming only TikTok.
That structure meant a game made by a U.S. studio could still be affected through its publisher and distribution relationships. The Congressional Research Service overview and WIRED’s explanation of the broader restrictions provide additional context.
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Timeline of the outage
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| January 7, 2025 | The “Dark Avengers” season launched, showing normal live-service activity shortly before the shutdown. Official announcement. |
| January 14, 2025 | Routine patch notes instructed players to update through app stores. Official patch notes. |
| Late January 18 | TikTok and other ByteDance-linked services began shutting down in the U.S. before the statutory deadline. |
| January 19 | U.S. players reported that Marvel Snap was unavailable in stores and inaccessible in-game. Second Dinner described the disruption as a surprise. |
| January 19–20 | TikTok began restoring service after assurances about a temporary delay in enforcement. TechCrunch reported on the restoration. |
| January 20–21 | Marvel Snap returned for U.S. players, followed by an official welcome-back and compensation announcement. |
The dates describe several different events: app-store delisting, failed logins, server availability and full restoration. Those components did not necessarily change at the same moment, which is why reports give a two-to-three-day outage window rather than one universal duration.
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Was Marvel Snap permanently banned?
No. The January 2025 incident was temporary. Service was restored, and the official Welcome Back Overview documented compensation for affected players.
As of August 18, 2026, the official Marvel Snap website remained active, listed current downloads and published 2026 updates. That supports the conclusion that the outage did not become a permanent U.S. ban.
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What compensation did affected players receive?
Second Dinner issued account-based in-game compensation rather than describing the response as automatic refunds. Eligibility depended on factors including when the account was created, qualifying U.S. activity or account origin and Collection Level.
For qualifying U.S.-based accounts above Collection Level 500, the listed package included:
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Players below Collection Level 500 received a different package, including six Mystery Series 3 cards, 7,150 Credits, 1,000 Gold and other rewards. The official announcement—not a generalized summary—controls the eligibility rules and final reward details. It also stated that VPN use during the outage did not automatically disqualify an otherwise eligible account.
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The package compensated players for downtime and missed time-limited content. It should not be confused with a universal refund for purchases.
Did players lose their collections or purchases?
The official compensation notice confirms an access disruption but does not establish that player collections were erased. It is therefore inaccurate to claim that everyone lost their cards or that purchases permanently disappeared.
Live-service outages can nevertheless make missions, limited-time rewards, web-shop transactions and purchase verification temporarily difficult. Anyone whose purchase or account state did not appear correctly after service returned should keep receipts and contact official support. Unofficial downloads or account workarounds can add security, payment and terms-of-service risks.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What changed for Second Dinner afterward?
The outage also changed the game’s publishing direction. The 2025 welcome-back communication said Second Dinner was working to bring more services in-house and partner with a new publisher. In a later retrospective, the studio described the incident as a catalyst for taking on publishing responsibilities itself, including support, marketing, distribution and a web shop.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteThis is a distinction between the developer and the former publisher. It does not mean Marvel owned Nuverse or ordered the shutdown, and it is separate from Second Dinner’s license to use Marvel intellectual property. Second Dinner’s later account of the transition explains how the outage influenced its strategy.
Can people in the U.S. play Marvel Snap now?
Yes, the January 2025 restriction is no longer an ongoing U.S. outage. Players should use the official Marvel Snap website and the Apple App Store, Google Play or official PC distribution route identified there.
Avoid treating VPNs, unofficial APKs or sideloaded copies as normal solutions. They can expose accounts and devices to malware, create payment problems and may conflict with platform or game terms. For an unresolved login, purchase or collection issue, use the game’s official support channels.
The bottom line
Marvel Snap did go offline in the U.S. during the January 2025 TikTok shutdown, but calling it a separate permanent government ban is misleading. The game was temporarily affected because Nuverse, its publisher at the time, was tied to ByteDance. Service returned within days, affected players received account-based compensation and Second Dinner subsequently moved toward controlling more of the publishing operation itself.
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