Garena Free City Pre-Registration Opens in SEA, Middle East, Africa

Garena Free City, the latest addition to Garena's expansive lineup, is now open for pre-registration on both iOS and Android in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Africa. If you've been eagerly awaiting the next installment in a renowned series, this game might just be the perfect interim fix.

Let's be frank—Garena Free City is essentially Garena's rendition of Grand Theft Auto, slated for release on June 30th. Whether you see this as a positive or negative development hinges on your personal taste. At first glance, it might come across as a somewhat uninspired mobile clone of GTA. However, delve a bit deeper, and you'll discover some intriguing features.

For starters, the game boasts an impressive character customization system, reminiscent of The Sims, allowing you to tweak individual features to your heart's content. Unlike the more realistic approach of GTA, Garena Free City embraces a more whimsical style, complete with giant robots and summonable power-ups like deployable cover.

Bold & Brash Yet, it's clear that much of the game is attempting to replicate the allure of Grand Theft Auto Online. While this approach is disappointing because the more unconventional elements are what truly capture attention.

Garena might have picked an inopportune moment to launch Free City, though. While I believe there's no such thing as a definitive game within a single genre on mobile, the upcoming release of Ananta is poised to offer a vast open world and zany side quests, much like Free City, but with even more flair.

Ananta also promises a unique experience, though its anime aesthetic might not appeal to everyone. Conversely, my main critique of Free City so far is its reluctance to fully embrace its uniqueness.

Want to stay Ahead of the Game with the latest releases? Be sure to check out Catherine's regular feature of the same name to explore upcoming games you can dive into right now.