How to remove Free Games Zone (Virus Removal Guide)

Free Games Zone (also found as Free Games Zone virus, FreeGamesZone New Tab) is a deceptive and intrusive browser extension with a very bad online reputation. The Free Games Zone extension is known to change existing internet browser settings including the homepage, new tab page, and internal search engine, as well as generate pop-up advertisements across affected internet browsers.

Example

What is Free Games Zone?

Free Games Zone is promoted as a browser extension that can “help you easily keep up to date with music news, music reviews, and search the web.”

Free Games Zone serves ‘targeted’ advertisements to users while they browse the internet. This is a privacy concern because targeted advertisements can only be produced by the adware if it has access to user browsing data, such as  all browsing activities, bookmarks, app data, and browser history. This information is observed and used to generate advertisements it feels users are most likely to click on.

This browser extension will also change and take control of existing internet browser settings. This will cause internet browsers such as Google Chrome to start-up on and redirect to sponsored webpages.

Furthermore, potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) associated with potential Free Games Zone malware primarily bundle with other unwanted programs, malware, and other possible malicious threats. This means that it might be necessary to uninstall multiple programs from Windows and remove multiple browser add-ons and extensions from Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari. Many of these programs can not easily be found on a computer system without third-party security software.

Free Games Zone adware and the additional programs that it bundles with also manufacture new tasks and change existing Windows start-up settings in order to run every time the operating system starts and remain enabled if disabled by the user. Programs and browser attachments that may arrive with this deceptive piece of adware can also cause other issues for computer and internet users aside from pop-up advertisements, including browser redirections and a loss in computer functionality and internet connectivity. Furthermore, if Free Games Zone is manually removed, it is possibly that the adware or another one in its place will return before a week has passed.

How did Free Games Zone get on my computer?

Free Games Zone adware is usually contracted without consent or knowledge of the computer user alongside third-party programs and files, such as freeware, shareware, torrent files, and other free downloadable content. The potentially unwanted programs and files that deliver the adware can be introduced to a computer system and affected internet browsers with or without user authorization.

The program is also promoted by aggressive advertisements on media related websites including streaming video databases.

Computer and internet users who seek to download and install free programs and files online may be presented with an opportunity to accept or decline a ‘custom’ offer to install Free Games Zone adware and other programs during the setup and installation process. However, the request to decline Free Games Zone adware from installing is often presented in a very confusing manner. In some cases, the download manager may completely ignore the user request to decline Free Games Zone from installing and the adware will install against user consent and knowledge.

Free Games Zone overview

• The Free Games Zone extension can read and change all your data on the websites you visit and read and change your browsing history.
• The Free Games Zone extension can manage your apps, extensions, downloads, and themes.

• Free Games Zone bundles with other potentially unwanted programs and possible malware.
• Free Games Zone can arrive on a computer system packed inside installers and downloaders from websites such as download.com, Softonic, and others.
• Free Games Zone injects visited webpages with pop-up, pop-under, in-text, and in-image advertisements.
• Free Games Zone makes unwanted changes to existing Windows settings and schedules new tasks allowing it to run every time Windows starts and to check to see if the program has been disabled. If the program has previously been disabled it will enable itself to run.

How to remove Free Games Zone (Removal Guide)

• Step 1: Remove Free Games Zone extensions
• Step 2: Uninstall unwanted programs from Windows
• Step 3: Remove Free Games Zone virus with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
• Step 4: Cleanup and repair settings with CCleaner by Piriform
• For Tech Support Call: 1-866-521-2427

Step 1: Remove Free Games Zone extensions

Google Chrome

1. Click the Customize and control Google Chrome icon on the top menu and navigate to More tools > Extensions.

2. Search for the Free Games Zone extension in the list. Remove unwanted browser extensions individually by clicking the trashcan icon next to each one.

Mozilla Firefox

1. Type Ctrl+Shift+A.

2. Search for the Free Games Zone add-ons on the Extensions and Plugin tab. Highlight each one individually and click remove.

Apple Safari

1. Click Safari and go to Preferences > Extensions.

2.  Find the Free Games Zone extension in the list and click the Uninstall button.

Step 2: Uninstall unwanted programs from Windows

1. Open Windows Start Menu and go to the Control Panel.

2. On Windows Control Panel, click Uninstall a program or Add and remove a program in the Programs section.

3. Search for unwanted programs in the list of installed programs. Once an unwanted program is located, double click the item or select it with your mouse and click the Uninstall button. If you can not find this program in the list of installed program please see steps 3 and 4 below.

Step 3: Remove Free Games Zone virus with Malwarebytes

1. Download and install Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. The full edition of this program enables real-time protection to block malware and unwanted programs from infecting your computer, while the free version is only a free scan and removal tool.

2. Open Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.

3. Click the Scan Now button or go to the “Scan” tab to manually run a scan.

4. When the malware scan is complete you will notice a list of files it has detected. Click the Remove Selected button, then click Finish, and reboot your computer.

Step 4: Cleanup and repair settings with CCleaner

1. Download and install CCleaner by Piriform.

2. Open the program and go to Cleaner and click the Analyze button. After files and have been analyzed, click the Run Cleaner button on the bottom right of the program interface.

3. Go to Registry and click Scan for Issues. When the scan is complete click Fix selected issues… and then click the Fix All Selected Issues button.

4. Go to to Tools > Startup and search through each tab starting from Windows, Internet Explorer, all the way to Context Menu, for additional suspicious entries and click  Delete once anything suspicious is found to remove it.