[Update: Ban Confirmed] Garena Free Fire Removed from Google Play Store and Apple App Store; Is It a Ban?

Garena Free Fire, which is another popular battle royale game and Battlegrounds Mobile India rival, has been removed from the Google Play Store and App Store, which hints at the possibility of the game’s ban in India. Here are the details to know.

Free Fire Banned in India?

Garena Free Fire isno longer available on both Google’d and Apple’s app stores. While the Free Fire Max version, which was recently introduced, is still available to download via the Play Store, it remains unavailable on the App Store. Garena Free Fire’s Indian website is also live as of now.

One thing to note is that users who have already downloaded Free Fire on their Android and iOS phones can still access the game. Areportalso suggests that players are facing login issues on iOS devices. There’s no word on why has the game been removed from both app stores. A word from Garena International, the game’s publisher is still awaited.

That said, it is being reported thatFree Fire has been banned from the Play Store and App Store as part of a ban imposed on another 50 apps in India. A report by ET Now is certain about this, although, there’s no word on the names of the apps that have been banned. We will update you on this once we get more details. If this is true, it would be the third time the Government of India will bebanning apps since 2020.#ETNOWExclusive| Government of India bans around 50 more apps. The new ban also includes apps banned earlier but have resurfaced as clones. 270 apps have been banned by GoI so far@NayantaraRai@AshwiniVaishnaw@Rajeev_GoI@GoI_MeitY@PMOIndiapic.twitter.com/74QjJJu8tF— ET NOW (@ETNOWlive)February 13, 2022

#ETNOWExclusive| Government of India bans around 50 more apps. The new ban also includes apps banned earlier but have resurfaced as clones. 270 apps have been banned by GoI so far@NayantaraRai@AshwiniVaishnaw@Rajeev_GoI@GoI_MeitY@PMOIndiapic.twitter.com/74QjJJu8tF— ET NOW (@ETNOWlive)February 13, 2022

Another possibility could be arecent lawsuit filed by PUBG-developer Kraftonagainst the game. The lawsuit demanded the removal of the Garena Free Fire from both the Google Play Store and the App Store, citing infringement issues. Krafton claims that Free Fire copied most of the elements of PUBG: Battlegrounds, which is the PC version of PUBG.

Krafton also sued Google and Apple for listing the game on their app stores, along with YouTube for hosting Free Fire’s gameplay videos and a feature-length Chinese film, which is a live-action dramatization of the game.

It is also said that the removal could be due to a possible technical glitch and Free Fire might be up on the Google Play Store and the App Store soon. Since these are speculations, it’s best to wait for concrete details and we will update you with some as soon as we get hold of them. Hence, stay tuned to this space.

It has now been confirmed that Free Fire is one of the 54 apps that the Indian Government has banned in the country. You can check out our article on thenewly banned appsto check out the complete list.

Vanshika Malhotra

Started off as a stranger but tech is more like a good friend, thanks to over 5 years in the industry. While everything is attractive about tech, phones, social media, and quirky gadgets attract me the most. When not working, I find my solace in shopping and everything that concerns doggos!

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