Konami Game is shut down in 2 regions

Konami has officially confirmed that the service will end for Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel in two regions later this year, lowering the match in Russia and Belarus. The Konami digital TCG will shut down in the two countries in June 2026.

The digital version of Konami's long-running trading card game has seen many changes since its launch in January 2022. Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel has welcomed a plethora of new cards to the game throughout its history, and continues to add cards from the physical Yu-Gi-Oh TCG's latest set release. Konami has also introduced new game modes to Master Duelranging from a variety of solo mode stories to the Team Battle mode, which allows up to five players to team up to take on other groups. However, some Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel players in Eastern Europe will soon lose access to the digital TCG.

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Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel shuts down in Russia and Belarus

15 June 2026 at 06.00 local time

Konami officially shared an announcement in the Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel about the endgame in two regions. The post confirms that players in both Russia and Belarus will lose access to Master Duelwith regional support for the game that will close on June 15 at 06.00 local time. The developer did not provide a reason behind the closure in the announcement and thanked affected players for their support Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel since its release. Konami also recently confirmed it Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Links will be turned off at the same time.

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The announcement of the end of the service has seen a lot of speculation as to why Konami is shutting down Master Duel in Russia and Belarus. Many suggested that the cause may be related to the ongoing war in Ukraine, with many Western games previously banned by Russia and some developers halting sales in the region. Some fans pointed out that the game's success may be limited in Russia and Belarus, with Yu-Gi-Oh franchise that never fully breaks through in the regions.

The impending shutdown of Master Duel in Russia and Belarus joins several games and developers leaving the regions amid the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The start of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022 saw companies such as Sony, Ubisoft and Take-Two pull out of Russia and halt sales amid other sanctions against the country. Many popular games, incl Pokémon GO and World of Tankswere similarly made unavailable to players in the region in response to the aggressive actions of the Russian government. The European Union even proposed a bill in early 2025 that would ban video game controllers from being sold in Russia.

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Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duels exit from Russia and Belarus comes as big changes are on the way for the game. Konami launched a big change to its recurring staple packaging in April, with the Challengers Collection featuring a rotating set of some of Master Duels most powerful booklet. The competitive meta for the game has also seen some big changes in recent months, adding the powerful Kewl Tune deck in April while May brought the new Elfnote archetype and support for decks like Exosister and Artmage. Master Duel fans in Russia and Belarus will have to find another way to experience the beloved TCG in less than a month.