Despite the ban of Free Fire, its graphically enhanced version Free Fire MAX is still available on the Google Play Store. However, iOS players are not that lucky as both the titles have been taken down from the Apple App Store.
Much to the utter shock of Indian mobile gamers, Free Fire was banned in the country yesterday, 14 February. The game was taken down from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store two days earlier.
Free Fire MAX’s availability on the Google Play Store
The enhanced version of the battle royale game can still be downloaded by Android mobile gamers. The situation has is quite ironic as there is no major difference between the two titles in terms of origin, gameplay or game mechanics.
The Indian government took the decision to ban 53 mobile applications along with Free Fire. The majority of these apps are either of Chinese origin or are clones of the apps that were banned before. The exact cause of Free Fire's ban is a source of confusion as the game has no Chinese roots.
Many players are also confused as to why Free Fire MAX is still available on Android devices. While some players with medium to high-end phones are switching to the enhanced version, others are taking to social media to request that the Indian government ban this battle royale title as well. Here are a few reactions:
With regards to the ban of the battle royale title, Garena stated the following to Sportskeeda Esports:
“We are aware that Free Fire is currently unavailable in the Google Play and iOS app stores in India and that the game is currently not operable for some users in the country. We are working to address this situation, and we apologize to our users for any inconvenience.”
It is still not sure whether Free Fire MAX will be banned in the future. The servers of the title are running smoothly on Android and iOS devices, but are expected to be taken down soon.
Check out the latest Free Fire MAX redeem codes here.