● Covered by 1 source · 1 reportMedium impact1 neutral
Garena relaunches Free Fire in India with localized version after four-year ban
Key points
- Free Fire India launched as a localized version of the game.
- Includes India-specific content and parental controls.
- User data is hosted on servers within India.
- Original Free Fire was banned in 2022 over national security concerns.
Free Fire Returns to India
Garena has reintroduced its popular battle royale game, Free Fire, to the Indian market under the name Free Fire India. This launch comes more than four years after the original game was banned by New Delhi due to national security concerns. The new version is available as a stand-alone game on both Android and iOS platforms.
Localization and Compliance Features
Free Fire India incorporates several features designed for the Indian market and to meet regulatory requirements. These include India-specific content, parental controls, limits on playtime, and spending caps. Crucially, user data for Free Fire India is hosted on servers located within India, addressing previous data security concerns.
Background of the Ban
Free Fire was a leading mobile game in India before its ban in February 2022, alongside 53 other applications, due to alleged links to China. The ban significantly impacted Garena's parent company, Sea, wiping over $16 billion from its market value. An enhanced version, Free Fire MAX, was not banned and remained available to players.
Market Impact and Competition
The original Free Fire had gained popularity after India banned its rival, PUBG Mobile, in 2020. While PUBG Mobile's publisher Krafton later launched Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), it has not matched Free Fire's market presence. In June, the Free Fire franchise had approximately 77.4 million monthly active users in India, compared to BGMI's 20.8 million.
Coexistence with Free Fire MAX
Garena's head of operations in India, Vaibhav Das Mundhra, confirmed that Free Fire MAX will continue to be available alongside Free Fire India. Players will be able to use the same account across both games, play together, and participate in shared events. Garena stated it worked with Indian government authorities to incorporate feedback for the launch.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
The daily brief
One email each morning: the day's tech stories, clustered across outlets and summarized. No account needed.
One email a day. Unsubscribe in one click, any time.
Today's brief
Spend a few minutes, get the whole day. Every topic's top stories in one hands-free rundown — listen, watch, or read the transcript.
▶ Play today's brief
New every morning, and the back catalogue is archived by date.
Reporting from
Garena has launched Free Fire India, a localized version of its battle royale game, four years after the original game was banned in the country. The new version includes India-specific content, parental controls, playtime limits, spending caps, and local data hosting to comply with regulations.