How to read an NPPA game-licence batch before you plan China UA

A title that is live on global iOS or Google Play is not thereby licensed for paid operation in mainland China. The governing public register is the National Press and Publication Administration’s 游戏审批结果 (game-approval results) index. This China Watch edition is a method record: how to read that index, not a claim that any particular Western studio’s build is approved.

What the index actually contains

The index page opened on 19 September 2026 lists dated batches under four result types: domestic online games, imported online games, approval-change notices, and revocation notices. Recent domestic monthly lists on that page run from May 2025 through March 2026, with import and change lists interleaved. The page is a government results bulletin, not a store catalogue and not a UA ranking.

The domestic online-game publication approval item states that the publishing unit must hold a network-publishing scope that includes online games; the operating entity must hold an ICP licence; the work must comply with the Publication Administration Regulations and related rules; and the operator must meet minor-protection and other operating rules. The stated processing period is 80 working days from acceptance. Quantity is subject to “总量、结构、布局” (total volume, structure and layout) planning. That is an approval condition, not a UA CPI.

What a UA owner should record

Do not treat a monthly count as “the market opened”. A batch is a list of named works with publishers and operators. A change notice can add a client or console SKU to an existing licence; a revocation is a different event.

Download the field card. Next check: re-open the index when a China spend decision depends on a named title.

This is not a substitute for China's outbound publishers: the UA playbook, which discusses global buying behaviour rather than the licence register.

Research checked 19 September 2026. Local draft; human editorial review pending.