Free Fire India removed from Google Play Store, here’s why

Free Fire was once one of the most popular battle royale games in India. However, in early 2022, this changed, as the Indian government banned the game for reported data privacy concerns. As a result, the popular BR title’s future in the country was brought to a halt.

However, Garena announced in August 2023 that it was bringing it back into the country. However, it would now be a separate game called Free Fire India. The company tied up with a local company for hosting the data infrastructure and also promised to have reduced violence in the title. The release date for this new version of Free Fire was set for Sept. 5, 2023. However, the date came and passed but Garena didn’t release the game.

The company, in its statement, said that it needed a few more weeks to release the game. Now, nearly four months later, Free Fire India is nowhere in sight. Even more worrying for fans, the game has been pulled from the Google Play Store. We take a look at why this happened and what it means for the release of the title. 

Why was Free Fire India removed from the Google Play Store in India?

The main reason why Free Fire India has been removed from the Google Play Store is the 90-day preregistration policy. This Google Play policy states that within 90 days of a game being placed in the pre-registrations tab on the Play Store, the game must launch within that country. If the game doesn’t launch within the given timeframe that would result in the game being removed.

Pre-registration for the game started in September 2023, but the game was not available for download by December 2023, which is more than 90 days after the pre-register period. This led to its removal. 

When will it release?

Currently, Garena hasn’t revealed a clear reason behind the game’s long delay. It remains to be seen when it eventually releases in the South Asian country.

It was believed by many that the game was going to make a return to the Indian mobile gaming ecosystem this year. Due to multiple delays, many even assumed that the game was going to launch in Diwali this year. Indian organizations such as True Rippers as well as Orangutan announced their teams for Free Fire this year.

Currently, fans of Free Fire India can play Free Fire Max which is an enhanced version of the game.