India Bans Garena Free Fire Battle Game Citing National Security

The Ministry of Home Affairs has banned the popular battle royale game Garena Free Fire, citing national security reasons. Besides Garena Free Fire, 53 other Chinese applications are also banned by the government.

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This is the second action against Chinese apps amid the growing political tensions with China. The government of India banned 43 apps in November 2021 over the same reasons of national security risk.

Garena Free Fire was one of the most popular games in the country, which saw a massive download rate in 2021, with a 72% increase in its installation compared to 2020. The game started gaining popularity after the PUBG ban in September 2020 and continued to remain on top even after the arrival of other Indian counterparts. Interestingly, the game was developed by a Singapore-based company but was clubbed alongside other Chinese applications.

What is Garena Free Fire?

In Garena Free Fire, 50 players compete against each other in a death match. They are thrown out of an aircraft without any weapons, and they need to kill other players for survival. There are weapons all across the map for the players to collect, and you may collect the opponent’s weapons after killing them.

As in PUBG, the available safe play area shrinks over time, confining the surviving survivors in a tight circle and upping the stakes. Drive around in abandoned cars for easy journeys, and search legendary riches and supplies that are airdropped twice or three times throughout the 10-minute session. As appealing as these boxes may appear, they are also an open invitation for neighbouring players to camp and hunt you down, as the colourful smoke rising from them reveals your location. The players can get daily redeem codes that deliver premium rewards to give them an edge in games. The game continues until one survivor remains.