Which FPS Mobile Game Has The Most Daily Players? (2023)

First-person shooters (FPS) are one of the most popular game genres, especially on mobile platforms.

For this reason, the number of these titles has increased significantly over the last 5 years. But not all games are the same. Some are very popular among gamers, while others don’t make it to the limelight.

With such a large number of different games available to the modern gamer, the number of daily players is a good indicator of how popular a title is. The higher this number is, the larger the game’s fan base is.

The core question is why, but here’s a quick answer to the question of which mobile FPS game currently has the most players:

Currently, Garena Free Fire tops the list of FPS games with the most daily players on mobile platforms. According to activeplayer.io, around 40 million players currently play Garena Free Fire per day.

This is a huge number, but in order to understand how big it is, we need a point of reference.

For this purpose, let’s look at the number of daily players of other famous mobile games that are particularly popular in 2022. Here’s the list of titles and the number of daily players they have right now (July 2022), in descending order:

• Garena Free Fire: approx. 40 million per day
• PUBG mobile: approx. 30 million per day
• Fortnite: approx. 23 million per day (since crossplay exists, hard to say how much is really mobile, no separate numbers);
• Call of Duty: Mobile: approx. 6.5 million per day;

All of the above titles are the best in the mobile FPS game space.

So you can see that Garena Free Fire and PUBG Mobile are the big players in mobile, at least globally, followed by Fortnite. However, currently, Garena Free Fire is the clear number one. 

Note: This article was written in English. Translations into other languages may not provide the same linguistic quality. We apologize for grammatical and semantic errors.

Why Is Garena Free Fire Popular?

From the above, it is clear that Garena Free Fire is extremely popular. 

Have you never heard of this title? 

If you’re from Europe or the US, that is easy to explain.

The majority of Free Fire’s player community is from Brazil, India, and Indonesia. 

So what makes this title so popular there?

Garena Free Fire Ecosystem

This is largely thanks to the game developers and their unique approach to developing the game and the entire ecosystem around it.

The game offers players a lot of fun not only within the app and through the organization of various e-sports tournaments and streaming platforms.

A lively and active community has formed as a result.

In addition, this community is well served, and the game is always being developed further, thus retaining the players in the long term. 

Modest Hardware Requirements

Another significant factor that has been instrumental in making the title so popular is the modest hardware requirements. Free Fire works smoothly on almost any smartphone, and yet the overall gaming experience is surprisingly good.

The title brings together players from all over the world in a single gaming location, making Garena Free Fire very attractive.

Players can enjoy sessions with other players from all over the world without the need for high-end hardware.

A Large Number Of Characters

In addition, the game is very diverse and offers, for example, over 40 ready-made characters. So there should be something for everyone.

The more you play or make purchases, the more options you have. It opens up a whole new world for players who like variety.

Another feature contributing to the game’s popularity is the numerous personalization options, such as skins and clothing. This allows each player to find their own individual style and identify with their character or simply create a fun character. 😀

Celebrities Endorsements 

The great success of Garena can also be attributed to the fact that the title was supported by several celebrities, including DJ Alok, Cristiano Ronaldo, and BTS.

So the fans of these celebrities have also developed a connection to the title. So there was also some excellent marketing going on.

Various Gameplay Modes

Garena Free Fire’s exciting game modes have also contributed to the title’s success.

Some of these modes include:

• One on One;
• Team vs. Team;
• Ranked Game;
• Clash Squad;
• Pet Rumble;
• Big head;
• Pet ludo.

So there is also enough variety and replay value provided.

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This video will give you an impression of Garena Free Fire and maybe increase your headshot quota…

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Garena Free Fire vs PUBG Mobile: What Are The Major Differences?

To be frank, Garena Free Fire is nothing more than a PUBG clone. Still, Free Fire has managed to leave PUBG mobile behind, at least internationally, but PUBG mobile is similarly successful with an equally great 30 million users per day.

So let’s compare the top dog with the number 2, PUBG mobile, and see what the differences are.

The two games have the same basic principle: the last survivor wins, so both are so-called battle royale games.

But then the differences already begin: 

One noticeable difference is that in PUBG Mobile, 100 players start a game, while the number of players in Garena Free Fire is limited to 50.

Duration Of Each Session

This fewer number of players in Free Fire also leads to shorter game sessions of about 10 to 15 minutes. In PUBG Mobile, on the other hand, the sessions last 25 to 30 minutes.

Quality Of Graphics

Another big difference between the two titles is the graphics. PUBG mobile looks very realistic and supports 60 to 90 frames per second (FPS).

Free Fire is limited to 60 FPS and looks more like an arcade game overall.

As a former competitive PUBG (PC) player (over 6,000 hours of play), I prefer the realistic rendering in PUBG.

However, I have to admit that Free Fire’s vibrant colors make the gameplay attractive.

Gameplay Modes Of The Two Titles

The next big difference between the two games is in the game modes. It’s worth noting that PUBG Mobile has even more modes than Free Fire.

Weapons Are Quite Different

The weapons in the two games also differ significantly. Even if the two games have one weapon in common, the way it behaves is unique to that title.

In addition, the weapon stats and effectiveness are different in both games.

So if you’re used to playing PUBG mobile and switch to Free Fire, you’ll have a lot of trouble performing very well at first. However, if you often play different shooters, you know you will adapt to such conditions relatively quickly.

Number Of Characters

The last difference between the two games, but worth mentioning, is that the number of characters in Free Fire is more than 40.

In PUBG, on the other hand, there are no such characters.

Nevertheless, PUBG mobile also offers players a high degree of customization options (skins, etc.).

Fazit Garena Free Fire vs. PUBG mobile

Both games are from the currently most popular sector in terms of first-person shooters, Battle Royale.

However, while PUBG mobile is aimed more at players who like it as realistic as possible and a bit more graphically elaborate, Garena Free Fire appeals more to players who either prefer an arcade style or simply don’t have any high-end hardware because that is, of course, the big coup of Garena Free Fire.

Moreover, due to the low hardware requirements, the game gives many more players worldwide the opportunity to participate in the game.

It reminds me a bit of PUBG and Fortnite on the PC, where the gaming community is similarly divided. Some prefer the realistic PUBG, while others prefer the playful arcade game Fortnite. 

Of course, both have their right to exist, as you can see from the player numbers.

By the way, the two games still have two big things in common:

• both games are free-to-play
• both games have developed huge Esports scenes, which is no wonder considering the gigantic player numbers

Garena Free Fire vs Call Of Duty Mobile: What Are The Major Differences?

Let’s compare Garena Free Fire with the most popular non-Battle Royale shooter, Call of Duty mobile. The different gameplay is, of course, the main difference.

Call of Duty mobile also has a good Battle Royale mode, but the focus is not entirely on that.

If you’re a gamer who likes to play first-person shooters, there’s no getting around the very popular Call of Duty series. No matter what platform you’re on (PC/console/mobile), Activision, the publisher of Call of Duty, puts out excellent first-person shooters. 

Let’s take a look at how Call of Duty mobile compares to Free Fire.

As mentioned earlier, Garena Free Fire has a session limit of 50 players, while Call Of Duty mobile, like PUBG mobile, has room for 100 players per session.

Duration Of Each Session

And in this case, the game sessions of Garena Free Fire are again shorter than those of COD mobile, and again the number of players will be the decisive factor for this.

Gameplay Modes Of The Two Titles

The game modes of the two games differ strongly from each other. Call of Duty naturally offers completely different modes due to the different game principles:

• Team Deathmatch;
• Frontline;
• Gun Game;
• Sniper Only.

Weapons 

Also, the weapons in Call of Duty Mobile are much more realistic than those in Garena Free Fire. I like the variety and handling of Call of Duty weapons much better, but that’s up to you.

Graphics and Aesthetics

Call of Duty Mobile is the right choice for those looking for a more lifelike gaming experience, but it’s important to note that you’ll have to master your aiming much better in COD than in Free Fire since COD mobile pays much more attention to detail.

The look and graphics of the two games are also different. Garena has chosen a playful look for the gameplay, while COD mobile takes a more realistic approach.

Fazit Garena Free Fire vs. COD mobile

COD mobile is also a free-to-play game that is very successful (about 6.5 million daily players). However, Garena Free Fire has had a 2-year head start on the market and has clearly used this head start to build a loyal community.

COD mobile needs much more hardware power but can graphically offer more details and realism.

If you prefer the most realistic implementation of weapons in shooters, COD mobile could also be a game for you.

Will There Be New FPS Competitors In Mobile Gaming?

Mobile gaming is an enormously growing market; therefore, new games, especially FPS games, are constantly being worked on in the mobile sector. Still, it remains to be seen whether a real competitor for Garena Free Fire and PUBG mobile will emerge in the near future. 

Even though there are rumors of a mobile spin-off of Overwatch, for example, which is supposedly coming at the release of Overwatch 2 (PC), it will be difficult to beat the current top dogs soon.

However, a hot candidate could be the extremely successful title Valorant on PC, which is supposed to come as a mobile version in late 2022 or early 2023 if everything goes smoothly. Let’s see what Riot Games presents us this time; the first pictures looked very promising.

Since May 2022, the popular Battle Royale game Apex Legends has also been released as a mobile version and has started very successfully. We will have to wait and see if the success continues.

However, I would be surprised if Apex Legends mobile would manage what the PC version already failed to do, namely to become more popular than PUBG (and thus not more popular than Free Fire).

Where Can I Download the Mobile Games Mentioned?

Just try it out! Here are the download pages of the games mentioned above for your phone: 

Garena Free Fire

PUBG Mobile

Fortnite Mobile

Call of Duty Mobile

Apex Legends Mobile

Final Thoughts

When I decided to write this article, it was the first time I really looked into the player numbers of mobile games. Although, as an old PC gamer, who played a lot of Esports on PC, I have to admit that the current PC first-person shooters can only dream of such player numbers.

Of course, it’s perfectly logical why this is the case.

Almost everyone has a smartphone these days and can use it for gaming.

In contrast, not everyone can afford or wants a PC, let alone a high-end system like the one needed for first-person shooters if you’re an ambitious gamer and want to keep up in the competitive field.

The developers of Garena Free Fire have also taken the very clever route of keeping the hardware requirements as low as possible so that currently, 40 million players a day play the game, pure madness. 

Mobile games are obviously a strong trend, and I’m curious how this will develop further.

Thanks for reading.

Masakari out – moep, moep.

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