If you downloaded Free Fire today, you see a polished game with 4K graphics (Max), flying characters, teleporting skills, and guns that turn into dragons. But it wasn’t always like this.
There was a time when there were no Gloo Walls. A time when the M4A1 was the only AR people used. A time when “Alok” didn’t exist. To understand the game today, we must look back at where we came from. This is the story of how a 50MB game became the world’s biggest mobile esport.
“Only OG players remember camping on top of the Factory roof with fists.”
Era 1: The “Simple” Days (2017-2018)
When Free Fire launched, it was ugly. The graphics were blocky. The render distance was terrible. But it was fun.
No Gloo Walls, No Skills
Imagine playing Free Fire without Gloo Walls. If you got caught in the open, you died. You had to use trees and rocks. This made the game much more tactical regarding positioning. You couldn’t just spam ice walls to save yourself from a bad rotation.
The Character System: Everyone was Adam (now Primis) or Eve (Nulla). There were no skills. No healing in the zone with K. No dashing with Tatsuya. It was pure gunplay.
The “Grass” Camping Meta
Because there was no auto-aim on prone players initially (or it was very weak), the meta was to wear green clothes and lie down in the grass. The final circles were just 10 people snake-crawling. It was hilarious and terrifying.
Era 2: The “Alok” Revolution (2019-2020)
November 2019 changed everything. Garena released DJ Alok.
Why Alok Broke the Game
Before Alok, healing meant stopping to use a Medkit. Alok allowed you to heal while moving. He also gave you speed. This introduced the “Rush Meta.” Players could now run at you, take damage, heal while running, and kill you.
For almost 2 years, if you didn’t have Alok, you were kicked from squads. “Give Alok” became the most commented phrase on every YouTube video. He wasn’t just a character; he was a currency.
The Glider (And its Removal)
Do you remember the Glider? You could jump off the Observatory or high towers and fly across the map. It was incredibly fun. Players used it to camp on top of the invisible barriers or high billboards where no one could shoot them.
Why it was removed: It broke the ranked system. Players would just fly in the sky until the final zone, getting easy rank points without fighting. Garena removed it from Ranked to save the competitive integrity.
Era 3: The “Chrono” Disaster (2020-2021)
Then came CR7. Chrono.
When Chrono was released, his shield blocked 600 damage, and you could shoot from inside it. It was the most broken thing in gaming history.
The Anti-Meta:
You rush an enemy. You almost kill him. He presses one button. An impenetrable bubble appears. He kills you from inside while you can’t touch him.
The community raged. Tournaments became “Chrono vs Chrono.” It took Garena almost a year to nerf him into the ground (now you can’t shoot from inside). This era taught us that “Pay to Win” mechanics can ruin a game fast.
Era 4: The Gun Skin (Evo) Era (2022-2024)
Garena realized selling characters was limited. So they started selling Evolution (Evo) Guns.
The Blue Flame Draco AK
The first Evo gun changed the economy. It wasn’t just a skin; it was a stat monster. Rate of Fire ++ and Damage + on an AK47? It melted Level 3 vests in milliseconds. Players spent hundreds of dollars to max it out.
This created a divide. “Rich” players had a statistical advantage (Stats) over “Free” players. However, Garena balanced this later by giving free skins with decent stats in events, narrowing the gap slightly.
Era 5: The Modern Tactical Era (2025-2026)
Today, Free Fire is in its most complex state. It is no longer just run-and-gun.
The Skill Web
With the introduction of Orion, Tatsuya, and the reworked Ford, the game is now about Counters.
– Enemy uses Tatsuya to rush? You use Orion to block.
– Enemy uses Dmitri to self-revive? You use Rafael to bleed them out.
– Enemy uses Grenades? You use Steffie.
The “IQ” required to play today is much higher than in 2018. You need to know what every character does. You need to recognize the visual aura of the enemy’s skill and react instantly.
Map Evolution
Old Bermuda vs New Bermuda (Remastered):
– Old Peak: A few houses with broken walls.
– New Peak: A massive mansion complex with complex stairs and cover.
– Nurek Dam: Added to give more loot density.
The maps have been redesigned to reduce camping and encourage fighting. The addition of “Revival Points” means people die faster but come back, keeping the match action-packed until the end.
What We Miss (Nostalgia)
Despite all the improvements, we miss the simplicity.
– We miss the CG-15 (the SMG that could charge a sniper shot).
– We miss the Snowman on the map in winter.
– We miss the scary Skull Mask that everyone feared in Season 1.
We miss when a Booyah felt impossible because we didn’t know how to play. Now, Booyahs are routine.
Conclusion: Is Free Fire Dying?
People have said “Free Fire is dying” since 2019. Yet, in 2026, queues are instant. Tournaments have millions of viewers. The game didn’t die; it evolved.
It changed from a survival horror game into a high-speed tactical shooter. You might miss the old days, but you have to admit: Tapping a button to dash 20 meters with Tatsuya feels pretty cool.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Can I play the old version of Free Fire?
A: No. Free Fire is a live service game. You cannot revert to previous patches. However, Garena sometimes brings back “Old Bermuda” in limited-time events.
Q: Was the Golden Ford really invincible?
A: In 2018, yes. A bug with Ford allowed players to sit in the zone forever with zero damage. It was patched quickly, but it remains a legend.
