Garena Free Fire, also known as Free Fire, is a battle royale game, developed by Vietnamese game company 111dots Studio[2] and published by Garena[3][4] for Android and iOS.[5] It became the most downloaded mobile game globally in 2019.[6] In August 2021, Free Fire set a record with over 150 million daily active users globally.[7] As of 2021[update], Free Fire has grossed more than $4 billion worldwide.
Garena Free Fire | |
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![]() Logo of Garena Free Fire | |
Developer(s) | 111dots Studio[1] |
Publisher(s) | Garena |
Engine | Unity |
Platform(s) | Android iOS |
Release | 23 August 2017 |
Genre(s) | Battle royale |
Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
Free Fire Max, a graphically enhanced version of Free Fire was released globally on 28 September 2021.[8]
Garena Free Fire is an online-only action-adventure battle royale game played in third person perspective.
A battle royale match consists of up to 50 players parachuting onto an island in search of weapons and equipment to kill the other players. Players are free to choose their starting position and take weapons and supplies to extend their battle life.
When players start a game, they are in a plane which flies over an island. While the plane is flying, players can jump wherever they want, thus allowing them to choose a strategic place to land. After landing, the players must then go looking for weapons and utility items. Medical equipment, medium and large weapons, grenades, and other items featured can be found throughout the island. The ultimate goal of the players is to survive on the island with a maximum of 50 players online; this requires eliminating all opponents the players encounter along the way and ensuring that they are the only survivor remaining. The available safe area of the game's map decreases in size over time, directing the surviving players into tighter areas to force encounters. The last player or team standing wins the round.[9]
The Garena Free Fire game has different modes. They are as follows:
In the Battle Royale mode, a maximum of 52 players land on a random island without weapons. All of them have to survive by killing each other using weapons and accessories that are found in the buildings. Players have the option to play this mode solo, or in a team of 2 or 4 players. If players play this mode ranked, it will have an impact on their rank. Whereas, Classic mode is just for fun and practice.[10][better source needed]
The Clash Squad is a 4 VS 4 mode. In this mode, players come with $500 (in-game money) with them. Using this money, the players have to buy weapons and other items from the shop (only during the preparation time) to fight against the opponent team. A total of 7 rounds can take place in this mode, out of which a team has to win 4 rounds and get Booyah. A round gets over when a team eliminates all 4 players of the opponent team (or when the opponents get eliminated by zone damage, grenades etc).[10][better source needed]
The graphics were described as having "a benefit for mid- and low-specification phones", but a reviewer stated that "if games with good graphics are your thing then we don't recommend that you play Free Fire Battlegrounds. But if you like battle royale games and want to have fun with your friends, you should definitely play."[11]
Tais Carvalho of TechTudo commented that Free Fire "prioritizes performance, making it a great choice for any type of device. The gameplay stands out and has enough content to entertain and offer rewarding combat." Regarding the progression of characters and skills, she said it is "a flashy add-on."[12]
In the Google Play annual list of "Best Apps of the Year", Free Fire won in the "Best Popular Vote Game" category of 2019, being the most publicly voted in Brazil and in Thailand.[13][14][15]
Garena Free Fire is one of the most popular battle royale mobile games, behind PUBG Mobile, Fortnite Battle Royale and Call of Duty: Mobile. It is particularly popular in Latin America, India and Southeast Asia.[16] Free Fire was the fourth most downloaded game on the Google Play Store in the fourth quarter of 2018,[17] and was the fourth most downloaded game worldwide in 2018 on iOS and the Google Play Store together.[18] The title earned approximately 182 million downloads in 2018, making it the second most downloaded battle royale mobile game (above Fortnite Battle Royale and behind only PUBG Mobile),[19] and grossed approximately $19.3 million in monthly revenues through December 2018, becoming a significant financial success for Garena.[20][21] As of August 2021, Garena Free Fire has more than one billion downloads on the Google Play Store.[22]
At the end of Q1 2021, Free Fire surpassed PUBG Mobile in revenues in the United States, generating $100 million in turnover as compared to PUBG Mobile's $68 million.[23] Free Fire's revenues jumped by 4.5 times as compared to the same period for the previous year.[24]
By November 2019, Free Fire had grossed over $1 billion worldwide.[25] It went on to become the fourth highest-grossing video game of 2020 with $2.13 billion,[26] and then the eighth highest-grossing mobile game of 2021 with $1.2 billion,[27] for a total of at least $4.33 billion grossed as of 2021[update].
In January 2022, PUBG developer Krafton filed a lawsuit against Garena and its parent company Sea for copyright infringement. The lawsuit accused Garena of copying In-game items, Game mechanics and overall look and feel of PUBG: Battlegrounds and PUBG Mobile in their games Garena Free Fire and Garena Free Fire Max. According to Krafton, "Free Fire and Free Fire Max extensively copy numerous aspects of Battlegrounds, both individually and in combination, including Battlegrounds’ copyrighted unique game opening 'air drop' feature, the game structure and play, the combination and selection of weapons, armor, and unique objects, locations, and the overall choice of color schemes, materials, and textures."[28]
On February 14, 2022, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India banned Garena Free Fire along with 53 other apps which posed a threat to India's privacy and security[29][30] under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, Constitution of India.
Free Fire introduced the Free Fire World Series in 2019, which was won by Corinthians. In 2020, FFWS was replaced by the Free Fire Continental Series due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In February 2021, Garena announced the Free Fire World Series (FFWS) with a $2 million prize pool, which was held in May 2021 in Singapore and was won by Phoenix Force (EVOS Esports TH).[31][32]