PUBG Mobile has been a revolutionary game for India and brought about a whole segment of gamers to the gaming world. The game created a varied player base that no other game has up until now. But amid the anti-China sentiments it was banned by the India government on grounds of being published by Tencent Games, a Chinese company.
When banning the game the Indian government cited, “prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, the security of state and public order.” The game was previously banned and was removed from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. And those that had already downloaded the game could still play it.
Following the ban, PUBG Corporation which holds the rights to the game announced that it is severing ties with Tencent Games in India and will be publishing PUBG Mobile themselves. And on October 30, PUBG Mobile finally stopped working even for those that had it on their phones.
And with the death of what is probably the most popular battle royale game in India, we will take a look at other options that users have to fall back upon. We have shortlisted five of them and here’s a look.
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Call of Duty: Mobile
This is probably the most significant second option to PUBG Mobile in India. Activision’s Call of Duty: Mobile was launched back in October of 2019 and has since blown up. Like PUBG: Mobile, Call of Duty Mobile is also available for free.
Activision probably predicted the anti-China sentiments and parted ways with Tencent Games. Call of Duty: Mobile offers a similar battle royale mode and also has a host of other multiplayer modes in the game that include Frontline, Team Deathmatch, Domination, and others.
Call of Duty: Mobile already has an emerging esports scene as well which is supported by the developers at Activision. Hence this shows promise as a replacement for PUBG Mobile.
Platforms: Android, iOS
Garena FreeFire
This game is probably the closest to PUBG Mobile in terms of gaming experience and modes, Garena FreeFire is also a battle royale game with the last man standing format. It has over 500 million downloads on Google Play Store and App Store, Free Fire is already a popular game and can be played solo, in duo mode with friends and with a squad.
It comes across as a game with easy to use controls and since it's slightly lighter compared to PUBG Mobile, it can be easily played on devices with average technical specifications.
Free Fire offers various avatars or characters to choose from most of which can be either bought with in-game currency or bought by spending diamonds that you get while playing the game. The game is free to download, however, it does have in-game purchases and even esports competitions.
Platforms: Android, iOS
Fortnite
While Fornite has been a rage in the west and other countries, it didn’t really catch on in India. This might primarily be because of the game being initially available on PCs and consoles. And even the launch on mobile has not been smooth for Epic Games. This was due to the clashes of Epic Games with Google.
But from June 2020, the game is effectively available on almost all mobile platforms. And it is one of the most refined battle royale games out there. Fortnite is an evolving battle royale game which is very different from when it launched.
Platforms: Android, iOS
Butter Royale
Butter Royale from the developers at Mighty Bear Games is a children friendly game where the characters squirt butter and food. This is a rather fun game that is fit for children as well as adults. This is a visually appealing game that uses colourful visuals.
But sadly this game is only available on iOS and would also require an Apple Arcade subscription to play it.
Platform: iOS
Battlelands Royale
Battlelands Royale from publisher Futureplay also has miniature characters and is a cuter version of the other battle royale games out there. But unlike the other battle royale game this one offers a rather quick turn time and is rather exciting.
For example it only takes seconds to drop down to the map and for the action to start. The game offers matches with 32-players hence it does not take forever for a match to end.
Platforms: Android, iOS
