Free Fire has been banned in India along with 53 other apps, including Stick Fight: The Game Mobile, Rise of Kingdoms: Lost Crusade, Onmyoji Chess, and more. The game was removed from Google Play Store and Apple App Store on February 12 for “allegedly obtaining various critical permissions and collecting sensitive user data.”
According to the Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the banned apps “collected real-time data are being misused and transmitted to servers located in hostile country. In addition, there are other serious concerns as some of these apps can carry out Espionage and Surveillance activities via camera/ mic, accessing fine location (GPS) and do malicious network activity similar to previously blocked apps.”
Developed by Garena, a Singapore-based company, Free Fire has been banned under section 69a for “allegedly engaging in activities prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of the country also posing serious threat to Security of the State and defense of India.”
Free Fire Max is still available on Google Play Store but has been removed from Apple App Store. There is no official statement from Garena regarding this matter and no information on whether Free Fire Max will stay or not.
Free Fire has been a huge hit in India. The game was #1 in India’s mobile battle royale segment by downloads and revenue. This is the fifth batch of apps to be banned by the Government of India since June 2020. 56 games have been banned, mainly from developers and publishers based in China, including PUBG Mobile. However, games such as Genshin Impact, Lords Mobile, and Top War are still live and operating.
