Garena confirms Free Fire India launch on 28 October with playtime limits and India-hosted servers

Garena has officially confirmed that Free Fire India, a standalone version of its battle royale game built for Indian players, becomes available to download on Wednesday, 28 October, on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. The Singapore-based publisher announced the date in a release on 27 October, ending weeks of speculation among players. The company has not publicly specified a launch hour, so the exact time the listings go live on each store remains unconfirmed.

What Garena has now confirmed

Until this week, there was no official word on a release date. As recently as 26 October, eSportsAmaze reported that the 28 October date was circulating only through creators linked to Garena’s creator programme, and that the company had renamed its two Indian YouTube channels to Free Fire India Official and Free Fire India Esports without comment. The same report said the Play Store listing was still in pre-registration at that point.

That changed on 27 October, when Garena’s release, carried by Business Today, Adgully, FoneArena and Medianews4u, named 28 October as the day the game becomes downloadable. According to these reports, the game is free to download and has been optimised to run on a wide range of smartphones. Garena has also lined up a Diwali in-game campaign that runs until 15 November.

Vaibhav Das Mundhra, Garena’s Head of Operations for India, said in the release that the company’s focus is on encouraging safe and responsible play, describing India as home to a passionate community of players, creators and esports talent.

Safety features and data hosting

The relaunch comes with a set of restrictions that Garena groups under responsible gaming. As per the company’s announcement, these include:

• mandatory parental consent for players under 18;
• regular reminders to take breaks;
• limits on playtime; and
• caps on in-game spending.

On data, Garena says the game will be hosted on servers located in India, with enhanced data protection measures. The company also said it incorporated feedback from relevant Indian government stakeholders while developing the India version, though it has not detailed which agencies were consulted or what was discussed.

Why the game disappeared in 2022

The original Garena Free Fire was blocked in India in February 2022, when the Centre ordered it removed along with 53 other China-linked apps under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, according to MediaNama. The government did not give app-specific reasons, though the provision covers grounds such as national security. Free Fire MAX, a separate version, remained available after the ban, Open magazine noted.

This is not Garena’s first attempt at an India-specific comeback. In August 2023 the company announced a Free Fire India release for 5 September that year, with local data storage through a partnership with Yotta, a Hiranandani group firm, and cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni as brand ambassador. A day before the planned release, Garena postponed it, saying it needed more time to refine the gameplay experience, and no new date followed for three years.

Esports plans and what to watch

Garena says it will work with local partners to build competitive pathways for Indian players and teams, from grassroots and collegiate tournaments up to international events. Reports of a specific esports roadmap, including prize pools and rebranded tournaments, have circulated online, but these remain unconfirmed by the company.

Players looking for the game should rely only on the official Play Store and App Store listings published by Garena. Key details still to be clarified include the precise go-live time, how age and parental consent will be verified, and the exact playtime and spending limits that will apply.

Sources

• Business Today: Free Fire India launch tomorrow: Here’s how to download and what changes for Indian gamers
• Adgully: Free Fire India goes live on 28 October
• FoneArena: Free Fire India with enhanced safety features to go live on October 28
• Medianews4u: Garena to launch Free Fire India on October 28 with responsible gaming features
• eSportsAmaze: Free Fire India Launch Date: October 28 Speculation Explained
• MediaNama: Garena Free Fire relaunch in India
• Open: Free Fire India Returns: Can Garena Win Back Indian Gamers After a Three-Year Hiatus?