Free Fire

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) has paved the way for survival battle royale games on all platforms, including Android. However, although PUBG does provide amazing graphics and gameplay, it remains a demanding game unless you have high-end hardware.

A lighter alternative

People who are not able to play PUBG often turn to the many different PUBG clones available on the Play Store, and Garena Free Fire appears to be the most popular alternative choice. The game boasts a smaller 450 MB initial download file and it's available for a broad range of Android devices.

Familiar survival mechanics

The core premise of the game is simple: everyone jumps out of an airplane and parachutes onto a location somewhere on the map. The objective is to be the last man or team standing while the map continuously shrinks.

There are 'only' 50 players in a Free Fire game, which is significantly less than the 100 players in a PUBG match. This 'loneliness' can especially be felt if you drop off in a slightly less popular part of the map, as much of the game can pass without seeing an enemy before the final moments.

Optimized for budget devices

Besides that, there isn't much that separates this game from its older brother, PUBG. Even though PUBG boasts better graphics on premium hardware, Garena Free Fire definitely looks cleaner and performs smoother on low- to mid-tier Android devices.

More than just a clone

The problem with PUBG for Android is that beginner matches can have too many bots. Out of 100 players in a match, around half can sometimes be AI. While Free Fire also uses bots for early matchmaking, its smaller 50-player cap means lobbies quickly fill up with real opponents as you rank up, and getting a victory feels much more satisfactory. Even though PUBG is more realistic and serious, Garena Free Fire is more than just a clone: it does things even better in certain aspects and deserves to step out of its shadow!