The short version
- Free Fire India launched on October 28. It's free on Google Play, and was downloadable by about 10:30am IST. The iPhone version wasn't live in early reports.
- It's a standalone app from Garena, about 390MB to install, with more data downloaded on first launch.
- Reported limits: 6 hours a day for adults and 3 hours for under-18s, who also need parental consent. Servers are hosted in India.
- It's the first official Free Fire in India since the original was blocked in February 2022. Free Fire MAX stayed available throughout.
What launched
Garena announced on October 27 that Free Fire India would be available to download from the next day on Android and iOS, through Google Play and the App Store. By mid-morning on October 28, the Android version was live. The Play listing shows the developer as Garena International III, based in Singapore, and a 16+ content rating for strong violence and in-game purchases.
The core game is the Free Fire players know:
- Battle Royale: 10-minute matches with 50 players on an island, with a shrinking zone.
- Clash Squad: 4v4 team matches of about 7 minutes.
- Craftland: a mode for building your own maps and game types.
- Characters: more than 50, each with a special skill.
There's also a Diwali event running until November 15.
Image: Garena
The new rules
This is what makes the India version different. Garena calls them responsible-play features, and says it added them after feedback from "government stakeholders", without naming who.
Image: Zerocade
| Rule | What's been reported |
|---|---|
| Daily playtime, 18+ | 6 hours, then the game locks until the timer resets |
| Daily playtime, under 18 | 3 hours |
| Parental consent | Required for under-18s, including a parent's phone number |
| Spending | Caps for minors; amounts not announced |
| Sign-up | Phone number verification |
| Servers | Hosted in India |
| Breaks | Regular reminders to rest |
Garena's own announcement mentions playtime limits, spending caps and break reminders, but the hour figures come from Indian outlets' launch coverage, not a published Garena policy. Treat them as likely rather than final until Garena posts full terms.
India servers also don't settle every data question. Where game servers sit and where all personal data is stored and processed aren't always the same thing, and Garena hasn't published those details.
How it got here
The original Garena Free Fire was one of 54 apps the government blocked on February 14, 2022, under Section 69A of the IT Act. The order cited risks to Indians' privacy and security, and an official said many of the apps were sending data to servers in China. Garena is owned by Singapore's Sea, which had Tencent as a major investor.
Garena tried once before. It set September 5, 2023 as the launch date for Free Fire India, then postponed it days before release. There was no new date for three years. Our explainer on India's app bans covers how blocks like this work and how BGMI followed a similar path back.
Free Fire MAX, the higher-graphics version, wasn't on the 2022 list and has stayed on sale in India the whole time. Garena hasn't said whether it will continue alongside the new app. Some reports say you can sign in to Free Fire India with an existing MAX account and keep your progress, but there's no official guidance yet. Check the in-game notices before you buy anything.
Image: Garena
Phones and storage
Garena says the game is built for a wide range of phones. Launch reports put it at about 390MB from the Play Store, with extra game data after first launch, so keep 3 to 4GB free. It's lighter than Free Fire MAX and reportedly runs on phones with 2GB of RAM.
That matters in a market where most players are on budget Android phones. It's the same pitch Krafton is making with BGMI Air, its 1GB version of BGMI. On paper, the two biggest mobile battle royales in India are now chasing the same low-end phones.
Esports
Garena's Vaibhav Das Mundhra, head of operations for India, said the country has a passionate community of players, creators and esports talent. Garena says it will support Indian esports from grassroots and college events up to international competition. It hasn't named partners, prize pools or a first Free Fire India tournament.
What to watch next
Watch for the iPhone version going live, Garena publishing its full playtime and spending rules, and an answer on Free Fire MAX accounts. Esports details should follow. If you're a parent, the consent step at sign-up is where to look first.
