More than four years after New Delhi banned Free Fire over national security concerns, Garena has brought the popular battle royale game back to India with a localized version.
On Wednesday, Garena launched the localized version, called Free Fire India, as a standalone game available on Android and iOS. The new version features India-specific content, parental controls, playtime limits, and spending caps, with user data hosted on servers in India, the firm owned by Southeast Asian giant Sea said. The launch comes more than three years after Garena quietly postponed Free Fire India’s earlier release after announcing it in September 2023.
Free Fire was one of India’s most popular mobile games before it was banned in February 2022 alongside 53 other apps over alleged links to China. The game had become more popular after India banned its rival PUBG Mobile in September 2020. Free Fire’s ban, however, sent shares of Singapore-based Sea, Garena’s parent company, tumbling, wiping more than $16 billion off its market value in a single day. Still, Garena remained active in India. Free Fire MAX, an enhanced version of the game, was not among the banned apps and remained available to players.
PUBG Mobile’s South Korean publisher Krafton later introduced Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), a version similar to PUBG Mobile but made specifically for Indian players. But BGMI has struggled to match the popularity of Garena’s Free Fire franchise. In June, the franchise had about 77.4 million monthly active users in India, compared with 20.8 million for BGMI, according to Sensor Tower data reviewed by TechCrunch.
Vaibhav Das Mundhra, Garena’s head of operations in India, told TechCrunch that Free Fire MAX would remain available alongside Free Fire India. Players will be able to use the same account across both games, play together and take part in the same events, he said.
Garena, Mundhra said, had worked with relevant Indian government authorities and incorporated their feedback while preparing Free Fire India for launch. However, he did not answer questions about why the game’s planned 2023 launch was delayed or what had changed to allow its release now.
While Free Fire India’s launch remained on hold, TechCrunch earlier reported that Garena continued developing games for the Indian market. Through its studios in Pune and Mumbai, the company worked on titles inspired by Hindu mythology, cricket, and the traditional board game Ludo, releasing some of them while the original Free Fire remained banned. One of those titles, Versus, was previously available in early access on Google Play but is no longer listed on the store.
Despite regulatory setbacks, India remains a significant market for mobile gaming companies. Mobile game downloads in the country grew 14.2% quarter-over-quarter to 2 billion in Q2, while revenue rose 3.7% to more than $106 million, per Sensor Tower.
Garena’s Free Fire MAX has also maintained a presence in India’s esports scene, with Indian teams including S8UL Esports, Apex Gaming, and Total Gaming competing at the Esports World Cup 2026.
Animesh Agarwal, co-founder and CEO of S8UL Esports, said Free Fire India’s return could open up more opportunities for players and creators. “For me, the real impact goes beyond the game itself. It’s about the players who dream of building a career in esports, the creators who have built communities around the title, and the opportunities this ecosystem can create for everyone involved,” he said.
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