Tencent to block Chinese players’ access to foreign unlicensed games through its speed booster apps

Tencent has announced a few changes to its apps for boosting internet speed. This move will block Chinese gamers’ access to many foreign titles, which weren’t approved by the government.

The Chinese tech giant will update its speed booster mobile and desktop apps on May 31, Reuters reported. These new versions will only support video games officially approved for distribution in the country.

While such titles still can be accessed by Chinese users, local internet speeds are usually too slow to play them. So gamers have been using special apps for years to bypass these restrictions and play games like GTA V or Animal Crossing.

Here’s what one user wrote on Weibo: “This is expected given the direction things are going. It is harder to be a gamer in China by the day.”

Earlier this week, China ended a 263-day video game freeze, as the country’s regulator started approving new titles again (though no Tencent games were on the list). However, government pressure on the local games industry is still hard, with new tougher measures proposed this year.