Free Fire, formerly known asGarena Free Fire, is afree-to-playbattle royale game developed and published byGarena for Android and iOS.[2] Released on December 8, 2017, the game gained widespread popularity, becoming the most downloaded mobile game globally in 2019. By 2021, it had over 150 million daily active users and surpassed $1 billion in lifetime revenue.[3][4] As of February 2024,Free Fire had 100 million active users.[5]
In September 2021, Garena launchedFree Fire Max, an enhanced version featuring improved graphics, lighting, and sound effects.[6] The game’s official annual esports competition, theFree Fire World Series, set a record as the most-watched esports event at the time, reaching over 5.4 million peak live viewers.[7][8]
Gameplay
InFree Fire, players control a character in athird-person perspective. The fire button allows them to shoot and throw items. The character can perform actions such as jumping, crawling, and lying down. During gameplay, players can utilize the "Gloo Wall" grenade as a form of cover to protect against damage.[9]
Game modes
Free Fire offers over 15 game modes, including Team Deathmatch, Clash Squad, Big Head, Explosive Jump, Cold Steel, Zombie Hunt, Rampage, and Pet Mania.[10] However, modes other than Battle Royale, Clash Squad, and Lone Wolf are only available during special events.[11][12]
TheBattle Royale mode inFree Fire accommodates up to 52 players landing on an island without weapons. They must fight to be the last one standing by scavenging weapons and equipment from buildings. Playing this mode in ranked mode will affect their ranking. There are 6 maps to choose from:Bermuda,Bermuda Remastered,Kalahari,Purgatory,Alpine, andNeXTerra. The mode allows for solo, duo, or squad play.[13][14]
Clash Squad is a 4-player versus 4-player mode where players purchase weapons and items from an in-game shop during preparation time, then engage in combat against the opposing team. The mode is played in abest-of-7 format, lasting anywhere from 4 to 7 rounds. Each round is won when all players from one team are killed, either by their opponents or through environmental factors. As of 2022, the maps used in Clash Squad are the same as those in Battle Royale mode. The mode can be played as either Ranked or Casual.[15][16]
Lone Wolf is a variation of the Clash Squad mode that can be played as either a 1-player versus 1-player or 2-player versus 2-player "duo" format with more intricate rules. In each round, both sides have the opportunity to select their equipment for the next 2 rounds. The game is played in a best-of-5 format. If both teams have won 4 rounds each, a final round begins with both sides able to choose any weapon they prefer. All players are automatically equipped with basic items such as a vest and helmet from the start of the round. This mode takes place on its own map known asIron Dome.[17][18]
Free Fire Craftland editor
Craftland allows players to design their own maps in Free Fire using an in-game builder tool. The maps created can be shared and played with others. Craftland also supports script editing for advanced customization, giving creators greater freedom to bring their ideas to life. Players can add buildings, gameplay elements, and decorations to the map until they reach the maximum space limit. There are two maps available for players to use as the base for their designs.[19][20]
Character system
Free Fire character system
Free Fire features a character system of 50+ characters. Each character has a unique skill which can be active or passive. Active skills can be triggered manually by an in-game button and passive skills are triggered automatically. Each character can equip 4 skills including the character's skill and 3 skills from other characters (one active skill and three passive skills can be equipped by a single character).[21]Free Fire characters have unique backstories. A few of these characters were inspired by real-life celebrities whomFree Fire had collaborations with, such as Chrono from the collaboration withCristiano Ronaldo,[22] Dimitri & Thiva from the collaboration withDimitri Vegas & Like Mike,[23] A-Patroa from the collaboration withAnitta,[24] Alok from the collaboration withDJ Alok[25] and JBeibs from the collaboration withJustin Bieber.[26] In the game, it is possible to acquire all characters by using gold, an in-game currency that can be earned through gameplay and event participation, or with Diamonds which can be bought with real-world currency.[27]
Pet System
InFree Fire, pets can provide support to players during fights. As of 2023, the game features 21 different pets that players can choose to bring into battle. Each pet has a special ability that sets it apart from the others. Some of these abilities are passive and trigger automatically, while others are active and require manual activation. One of the pets in the game, Poring, was added as part of a collaboration withRagnarok Online. Players can also customize their pets with skins and emotes.[28]
Ranking System
InFree Fire, a seven-tier ranking system, including sub-tiers like Bronze I, II, III, categorizes players by skill and performance. Players earn ranking points based on kills, damage, survival time and standing position, progressing from Bronze to Grandmaster. Seasons reset ranks (e.g., from Silver III to Bronze I or II). There are two ranked modes: Battle Royale rank mode and Clash Squad rank mode.[29][30]
Premise
Free Fire's premise is detailed in animated shorts and other materials published by Garena to promote the game.Free Fire Universe is the universe where the game,comics and stories take place. Each character has a different story and a family background and characters are connected to each other. There are three cities in the universe, called La Luna, Griza, and New Dawn where the characters live. Characters are divided into two factions: the Horizon and the Mambas. The Horizon is the ruling faction of the city where the rich and powerful people are while the Mambas are a liberation group against the Horizon.[31] In 2022Free Fire released the first short film, "How to Start a Fire", which featured the character Hayato Yagami.[32][33]
Reception
Logo (2017-2022)
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 playFree Fire Battlegrounds. But if you like battle royale games and want to have fun with your friends, you should definitely play."[34]
Tais Carvalho ofTechtudo commented thatFree 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".[35]
In theGoogle 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 inBrazil and inThailand.[36][37]
Garena Free Fire is one of the most popular battle royale mobile games, behindPUBG Mobile,Fortnite Battle Royale andCall of Duty: Mobile. It is particularly popular inLatin America,India andSoutheast Asia.[38]Free Fire was the fourth most downloaded game on theGoogle Play Store in the fourth quarter of 2018,[39] and was the fourth most downloaded game worldwide in 2018 oniOS and the Google Play Store together.[40] The title earned approximately 182 million downloads in 2018, making it the second most downloaded battle royale mobile game (aboveFortnite Battle Royale and behind onlyPUBG Mobile),[41] and grossed approximately $19.3 million in monthly revenues through December 2018, becoming a significant financial success forGarena.[42][43] As of August 2021,Garena Free Fire has more than one billion downloads on the Google Play Store.[44][45]
At the end of Q1 2021,Free Fire surpassedPUBG Mobile in revenues in theUnited States, generating $100 million in turnover as compared toPUBG Mobile's $68 million.[46]Free Fire's revenues jumped by 4.5 times as compared to the same period in the previous year.[47]
By November 2019,Free Fire had grossed over$1 billion worldwide.[48][49] It went on to become the fourth highest-grossingvideo game of 2020 with$2.13 billion,[50] and then the eighth highest-grossingmobile game of 2021 with$1.2 billion,[51] for a total of at least$4.33 billion grossed as of 2021[update].
In 2020 and 2021,Free Fire won the Esports Mobile Game of the Year award at the Esports Awards.[52]
Free Fire began theFree Fire World Series (FFWS)esports competition in 2019. In 2020, FFWS was replaced by a series of regional events, the "Free Fire Continental Series" (FFCS), due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[56][57] In February 2021, Garena announced theFree Fire World Series (FFWS) with a $2 million prize pool.[58]
In 2021, theFree Fire World Series became the most-watched esports event in history with over 5.4 million peak live viewers, surpassing the2022League of Legends World Championship which had 5.1 million peak viewers.[59][60][61]
Regional events
The "EMEA Invitational" was a replacement for the Free Fire World Series in 2021 forEurope, the Middle East and Africa. This championship featured a total of 12 teams. With a prize pool of USD 200,000.[62]
TheFree Fire Asia Championship was a replacement for the Free Fire World Series in 2021 for Asia. This championship featured a total of 31 teams from Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Taiwan, and MCP (Malaysia, Cambodia, and Pakistan). The teams compete for a prize pool of USD 400,000.[63]
The Liga Brasileira de Free Fire (LBFF) is the mainFree Fire esports event in Brazil. Comprising 3 divisions, Series A, B, and C, it is played in two stages a year, with the elite qualifying for theFree Fire World Series.[64]
Free Fire Max
Free Fire Max is an enhanced version ofFree Fire that was released in 2021.[65][66] It features improvedHigh-Definitiongraphics,sound effects, and a 360-degree rotatable lobby. Players can use the same account to play bothFree Fire Max andFree Fire, and in-game purchases, costumes, and items are synced between the two games.[67] Both games are connected with FireLink technology,[68][69] which allows players from both games to play together simultaneously. In February 2022, the Government of India bannedFree Fire for security reasons, alleging a connection to China, butFree Fire Max remained available in the country.[70]
Collaborations
Collaboration with other popular franchises is a major marketing strategy used to promote the game. Since its launch,Free Fire collaborated with popular video games, celebrities, TV shows and films.[71]Free Fire has two types of collaborations which are global and regional. Unlike global collaborations, regional collaborations are only available to players from specific regions. In 2022,Free Fire collaborated with singerJustin Bieber and debuted his song "Beautiful Love" inFree Fire.[72][73]
Ananime adaptation co-produced by Garena andKadokawa was announced on 13 May 2024. The project was launched through a joint investment, with Kadokawa Qingyu — Kadokawa’s overseas branch, as its production manager.[97][98] It will be animated by Candy Box and directed by Ken Takahashi, with Sus4 Inc. producing the music.[99]
Controversies
In January 2022,PUBG developerKrafton filed a lawsuit againstGarena and its parent companySea for copyright infringement. The lawsuit accused Garena of copying in-game items, game mechanics and overall look and feel ofPUBG: Battlegrounds andPUBG Mobile in their gamesFree Fire andFree Fire Max. According to Krafton, "Free Fire andFree Fire Max extensively copy numerous aspects ofBattlegrounds, 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."[100]
In October 2024, theFFWS 2024 trailer sparked controversy for depicting a character running up stairs with a "Ram Darbar" emblem printed on the stairs alongside various cultural elements from other countries. The placement of the emblem on the stairs was perceived as disrespectful to Hindu deityRama. This led to backlash in India and Indonesia, with demands for an apology fromGarena. The original trailer was removed, and an edited version was uploaded to Free Fire's Malaysian YouTube channel.[103][104]
References
^"Free Fire -IGN". 31 March 2023.Archived from the original on 31 March 2023. Retrieved31 March 2023.
