The Free Fire OB45 update was released on 26 June 2024 and opened Garena’s seventh-anniversary celebrations. It has since been replaced several times. OB46 followed on 4 September 2024, and the current version is OB55, released on 16 September 2026.

Players in India need to know one thing before downloading anything: the original Garena Free Fire app is not available in India. It disappeared from Indian app stores on 12 February 2022 and was one of 54 apps blocked by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on 14 February 2022. Free Fire MAX was not named in that order and is still on the Indian Google Play Store and App Store. The India-only version, Free Fire India, was announced in 2023 and then postponed, and it has not launched. Our guide to Free Fire’s status in India has the full background.

Avoid APK files from third-party sites. They can carry malware, and Garena’s anti-cheat can restrict accounts that use unofficial clients or VPNs. The safe route in India is Free Fire MAX from the official store. It uses the same account as Free Fire through Firelink, so existing progress and items carry over.

What the Free Fire OB45 update added

These were the main additions in OB45, according to the patch notes:

  • A new character, Kassie, a neuroscientist.
  • A new secondary weapon, the FGL-24.
  • A second new secondary weapon, the Heal Pistol-Y.
  • Mini Peak, a seventh-anniversary event in Battle Royale that brought back elements of older versions of the game.

How to update Free Fire MAX in India

Every OB update arrives through the official app stores, so updating is the same each time:

  • Open the Google Play Store or the App Store and search for Free Fire MAX.
  • Tap Update. If you do not have the game installed, tap Install instead.
  • Open the game once the download finishes. It may download additional in-game resources before you can play.

The Free Fire Advance Server

Before each OB update, Garena runs an Advance Server where selected players test the new content and report bugs. It is a separate test build, downloaded from Garena’s official Advance Server site (ff-advance.ff.garena.com) after signing in, and it only works with an activation code that Garena hands out to a limited number of players. The OB45 Advance Server has closed, as each one does once its update goes live.

For more on the PC version, see our guide to Free Fire MAX download for PC.

Sources: Garena patch notes for OB45 (via Free Fire Mania); update release dates from Free Fire Mania’s version history; MeitY’s February 2022 blocking order.

Photo credit: Imago