Key Takeaways
- Garena Free City is a new mobile game that combines elements of GTA 5 and GTA Online.
- Developed by Singapore-based Garena, Free City is currently only available to Android users in Argentina.
A newly emerged game called Garena Free City looks like a mobile version of something between Grand Theft Auto 5 and GTA Online. But the jury is still out on whether that comparison holds true, as Garena Free City is presently only available to mobile gamers in a single country.
Much like its name suggests, this recent release comes from Garena, a Singaporean developer and publisher specializing in mobile and free-to-play titles. The company is best known for battle royale game Garena Free Fire, which boasted over 150 million daily active players at the height of its popularity.
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The Singapore-based developer recently soft-launched another title in the form of Garena Free City, which is an open-world action adventure set in a sunny metropolis. As spotted by Pocket Gamer, the game materialized on the Google Play Store on December 4, and is presently exclusively available to users in Argentina. It was initially teased in late August 2024, with Garena touting it as an “incredible adventure” that allows players to explore a massive map, purchase properties, participate in multi-stage heists, go on a rampage, and engage in both PvP and PvE multiplayer, among other activities. Free City is hence seemingly aiming to emulate the GTA Online formula, but with some GTA 5-like ideas thrown in.
One element of the game that feels more akin to GTA 5 than GTA Online is its promise of stealth and assassination missions, as well as undercover ops requiring discretion and precision. Although content of this sort also exists in GTA Online, it’s less structured and lacks the narrative depth that Garena Free City will seemingly try to offer, as suggested by its Play Store description. The same listing also states that the open-world action adventure will feature in-depth car customization mechanics.
Garena Free City Global Release Remains Unconfirmed
It’s currently unclear whether Garena Free City will see a global release. While an English-language version of its Play Store page exists, the game’s current social media presence is entirely focused on Latin America. That notwithstanding, an international release would be a more natural fit for Garena’s overall product portfolio, which doesn’t include too many region-locked titles.
Aside from being mechanically similar to GTA, Garena Free City even seems to borrow some visual cues from Rockstar’s massively popular franchise, such as promotional artwork featuring vibrant comic book-style character illustrations arranged in a grid layout—which are prominently displayed on its Play Store page. The game itself is set to further expand Garena’s diverse mobile offerings, which include the currently most popular video game on TikTok, among dozens of other successful titles.
Source: Sea Limited / Garena (PDF)
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