The superhero-themed card game has become an unexpected casualty of the United States’ renewed TikTok ban under President Trump’s 2025 administration. Players attempting to run, update, or download the game for the first time were met with error messages. “A law banning MARVEL SNAP has been implemented in the U.S.,” it said. While many have braced for the TikTok ban, Marvel Snap getting caught in the crossfire has left fans confused. But it shouldn’t have come as a surprise.
After all, the issue stems from Marvel Snap‘s publisher, Nuverse, which is owned by ByteDance — the same Chinese tech giant behind TikTok. This means, the broader legislation also targeted other apps that have no direct connection to the video-sharing social media like Lemon8.
This development has sent ripples through the mobile gaming community as the game is even removed from the Android and Apple Play Store.
“On reveal: Discard US players,” wrote @AlanPantoj61377 on X, twisting in-game mechanics to humorously describe the current situation.
“i can’teven play the game anymore. I guess we really are in the end game now,” wrote the panicked toomanybongos on Reddit.
“Well, there goes countless hours and a surprising amount of money,” added dejected Impervious_Rex.
Desperate players are turning to VPN services to bypass the Marvel Snap ban. They’re also questioning whether other games published by ByteDance — or just games made by Chinese developers in general — could face similar restrictions.
The developer, Second Dinner, admits that this move came as a surprise to both the studio and Nuverse. It is now working hard to get Marvel Snap up again ‘as soon as possible.’ Nevertheless, some speculate the studio might pursue a new publisher to keep the game accessible in the U.S.
Interestingly, the ban has driven some users toward RedNote, a Chinese platform owned by Xingyin Information Technology. The app, described as ‘Instagram-like,’ has seen a surge in users as people speculate it could replace ByteDance’s social media. However, critics argue that RedNote could face the same fate sooner or later if business ownership remains the focal point of political scrutiny.
Whatever the case, dedicated players can only hope Marvel Snap finds a way to dodge the TikTok ban. Otherwise, it will turn to ash in an international policy dispute as its name ironically implies.
