1-6-2023 Rarbg, a well-known torrent website notorious for facilitating illegal downloads of movies and TV shows, has officially closed its doors. Users who attempted to access the website on Wednesday were met with a message announcing Rarbg’s demise, as reported by Torrent Freak.
The statement on the website read, “We would like to inform you that we have decided to shut down our site.” It went on to explain that Rarbg had encountered numerous challenges over the past two years, including the loss of staff members due to the Covid pandemic. Additionally, the statement highlighted the rising operational costs resulting from increased data centre prices and inflation. Rarbg also cited direct impacts from the war in Ukraine, revealing that some of its employees were actively involved in the conflict.
Rarbg gained popularity for its platform that allowed users to download torrents. Torrents are small files that are shared online by multiple users in fragments through BitTorrent software. Although torrenting itself is not illegal, it has become closely associated with the distribution of copyrighted content, including movies, TV shows, video games, and pornography, which is against the law.
Established in 2008, Rarbg emerged as an alternative to Pirate Bay, following the legal battles and subsequent shutdowns of the latter. Between 2015 and 2016, several major torrenting sites, including KickassTorrents, Torrentz, and ExtraTorrent, were also closed, potentially driving more users to Rarbg.
According to web traffic counter Similarweb, Rarbg recorded a total of 40.8 million visits last month. The website was known for hosting popular torrents, often featuring the latest episodes of TV shows from platforms like Netflix, high-quality films obtained from the internet or recorded through camcorders during cinema screenings, anime series, and pornography. These torrents were typically categorized into different sections, allowing users to browse through top 10s and top 100s.
While Rarbg’s closure leaves a void in the torrenting landscape, it remains uncertain whether the website will resurface. Pirate Bay, despite its past shutdowns, has managed to stay online through proxy websites and alternative domains.
Although Rarbg is no longer operational, numerous other torrent sites continue to exist. According to Torrent Freak, the current top three sites are YTS, 1337x, and NYAA.
