Who Is the Owner of Free Fire? Know More About His Networth and Early Life

Free Fire has become a household name in the gaming community today, and the rise it has seen in the past few years is truly commendable. It was launched on December 8, 2017, by Garena, and over the years it has just leveled up and dominated the gaming markets from India to Latin America. Today it is not only one of the most popular gaming titles but also a notable name in the esports scene as well. Several Free Fire tournaments are held worldwide across several regions, with many gamers making a career out of it. Surprising collaborations with huge brands and celebrities just elevate its popularity even more. However, Free Fire was not an accident; the brain behind it was Forrest Li, the soft-spoken founder and CEO of Sea Ltd. So let's know who the Free Fire owner is and what the secret behind his success is.

Who is the Free Fire Owner?

Free Fire isn't just another Mobile battle royale title. It is a major hit in places like India and Latin America. The game is owned by Garena, founded by Forrest Li. He was born in Tianjin, China, in the late 70s and is the founder and CEO of Sea Ltd., which is the tech giant behind Free Fire. After graduating from Stanford, he moved to Singapore with a hefty student debt of over $75,000. Forest used to live simply in a small rented room before the launch of Garena back in 2009, which began as a small gaming platform that published games like League of Legends but eventually grew into something bigger.

Li made a smart move by developing a game that works well on low-end smartphones and spotty networks. It totally paid off because Free Fire became the most downloaded mobile game in 2019 and hit over 150 million daily active users by 2021. Sea Ltd went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 2017, making it the first major tech IPO from Southeast Asia. Under Li's leadership, Sea became one of the most valuable companies in the region, with his net worth exceeding $10 billion by 2025. The game has already hit more than 1 billion downloads and is a global sensation. Even with all this success, Li tends to stay out of the media spotlight, and his journey from struggling grad to tech giant is closely linked to Free Fire's amazing rise.

Free Fire Owner Net Worth

Forrest Li, the guy behind Free Fire, has really hit the jackpot after the launch of his famous game. According to multiple financial sources, his net worth is estimated to be between $8.6 billion and $10.7 billion. His company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2017, and by 2019 he became a billionaire. During the tech boom in the COVID-19 pandemic, his wealth reportedly surged to as much as $19.8 billion, which momentarily made him Singapore’s richest person. The exact figures keep fluctuating, but Forrest Li is in the ultra-wealthy category.

Most of his fortune comes from his 9% stake in Sea Limited, a company that also runs Shopee and SeaMoney. In 2024, Free Fire solely generated over $408 million of revenue. Although the game faced a ban in India in 2022, losing millions of users, Li's wealth has just increased thanks to Sea Limited's market value that has reached around $90-$100 billion. Li's journey has been very inspiring, seeing that he relocated to Singapore with little money and even a $100,000 student debt but still managed to build a huge empire with smart business skills. The massive success of the Free Fire owner has not only made him Singapore's richest but also put him on the list of top billionaires worldwide.

What is Garena?

Garena is the digital gaming arm of Sea Ltd., which is a Singapore-based tech giant founded by Forrest Li in 2009. The platform started with publishing titles like League of Legends and FIFA Online 3 and became a known name in regional gaming circles. However, the real breakthrough came in 2017 with the launch of Free Fire. The game has topped the charts in 2019, 2021, 2023, and 2024, with players just increasing day by day. While many of you know Garena as just the publisher of Free Fire, it has also distributed several other iconic hits like League of Legends, Call of Duty: Mobile, and Arena of Valor in many regions. It has a platform called Garena+ where players can chat, connect, and play with their friends and other users online.

Garena has moved beyond the publishing scene now and has built a strong community ecosystem. It is running massive esports tournaments like the Free Fire World Series, which has millions of viewers. Its success helped Sea Ltd go public in 2017 with a $1 billion IPO on the New York Stock Exchange. These events are a great way to bring talented gamers together and also motivate others to take up professional gaming.

Garena Net Worth

Garena doesn’t have its public valuation since it operates under Sea Ltd, but its numbers are big. Sea Ltd is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and has a market cap of around $90 to $100 billion. This money is hugely powered by Garena, which remains Sea’s most profitable segment. Garena made $2.17 billion in revenue in 2023 and close to $5 billion in 2024. It is increasing in revenue year by year and is predicted to have a strong 2025 with projected double-digit growth.

A big part of Garena's success comes from the super popular battle royale game Free Fire, which has around 100 million daily active players. The company has also pulled in $722 million in funding. Plus, they also make huge amounts by organizing tournaments like the Free Fire World Series and other regional leagues. Apart from all this, they also have a freemium model, so the games are free to play, but if players want cool stuff like skins and upgrades, they will need to spend the real currency. While we don't know the exact figures of Garena's net worth, it's pretty clear that their revenue streams suggest they are worth billions.