PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS

PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS is a free-to-play battle royale shooter for up to 100 players. Everyone starts with no gear, parachutes out of a transport plane and searches buildings and landscapes for weapons, armor vests and supplies. A constantly shrinking play zone eventually forces the survivors into encounters. The last one standing wins.

The title, originally known as PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, was released for PC in 2017. PUBG Studios continues to develop the game, KRAFTON publishes it.

PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS was released for PC on Dec 21, 2017. Xbox One and PlayStation 4 followed in 2018. Since Nov 13, 2025, there have been native versions for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

The older PS4 and Xbox One versions were discontinued on that day. On current consoles, existing progress is kept. PUBG also switched to a free-to-play base model on Jan 12, 2022.

PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS runs on Windows PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Support for the former PS4 and Xbox One ended on Nov 13, 2025. On PS5 you need to install the dedicated native version. On Xbox Series, the switch was made via Smart Delivery.

PUBG MOBILE is a separate game for iOS and Android. The smartphone version belongs to the same brand, but it is not an additional native version of the console and PC shooter described here.

Each match starts with choosing your drop spot and ends with a last surviving player or team. After landing, you collect gear, explore the terrain and decide which fights to take. The blue zone gradually shrinks the safe area. Anyone who stays outside loses health.

A good result depends on more than just accuracy. Cover, breaking out in time and managing scarce healing items often determine how the rest of the round plays out.

You decide where to jump while still in the plane, using the map. You can land early and fight around busy buildings, or keep flying to look for equipment first in less contested areas. With the parachute you control the final phase of the landing.

The place of your first step therefore affects how quickly you meet opponents and which resources you can reach.

Weapons, body armor, helmets, healing items and ammo are spread across the map. After jumping out, you have to find your equipment yourself. Dropped supply packages contain especially valuable items, but their smoke also makes their location visible to other players.

The arsenal ranges from assault rifles and precision weapons to pistols, shotguns and throwables. Weapons and attachments enable different distances and approaches. Anyone who controls recoil and uses cover has good chances, even without rare equipment.

Erangel, Miramar, Sanhok, Taego, Deston, Vikendi and Rondo are among the major PUBG locations. The maps differ in landscape, settlements, sight lines, cover and movement options. On Erangel, open fields and hills meet towns such as Pochinki and Georgopol. Miramar focuses more on desert areas, while Sanhok offers dense vegetation.

Vehicles help you cover large distances before the next shrinking of the play zone. Besides cars and off-road vehicles, boats and other means of transport are available depending on the map. A fast vehicle shortens the journey, but its noise often gives away your position.

The blue zone shrinks the safe play area over the course of a round. Anyone outside it loses health and must return to the safe area. This moves the fighting from widely spaced starting positions into ever tighter encounters.

You can play alone, as a pair or in a squad of up to four people. In a team, you share tasks while exploring, equip each other and support each other in fights. Solo, on the other hand, means making every decision yourself.

PUBG lets you play from first-person or third-person perspective, depending on the mode. The camera affects how you use cover and watch opponents. In first-person, your overview depends more on what your character can see directly.

In the training area Camp Jackal you practice weapons, parachute jumps, vehicles and equipment. Additional arcade options such as team deathmatch allow fights outside the usual battle royale flow. This lets you practice shooting and movement in a targeted way, without having to play an entire survival round first.

PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS is an online multiplayer game. The console versions support cross-platform matches between PlayStation and Xbox. The PC version is organized separately. An internet connection is needed for matches, your account and ongoing game content.

PUBG: Playgrounds offers additional game modes that come from community creations. In your own area, selected variants can be entered via player search. This permanently expands the shooter beyond the classic battle royale rounds and makes experimental rules easier to access.

Getting started with PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS is free. Optionally, Battlegrounds Plus offers additional features as well as paid cosmetic content. Additional purchases are not necessary to take part in the basic battle royale mode.

According to Steam, the PC version of PUBG requires at least Windows 10 (64-bit), 8 GB RAM, a GeForce GTX 960 or Radeon R7 370 and 40 GB of free storage. The processor should be at least in the class of an Intel Core i5-4430 or AMD FX-6300. 16 GB RAM, GeForce GTX 1060 or Radeon RX 580 and 50 GB of storage space are recommended. A broadband internet connection is required.

On PS5, PUBG runs at 1440p at 60 frames per second, on Xbox Series X with dynamic 4K resolution at 60 FPS. The Xbox Series S offers either 1080p at 60 FPS or 1440p at 30 FPS. The PlayStation 5 Pro supports dynamic 4K output at 60 FPS.

The new versions replaced the older console versions on Nov 13, 2025.

The PC version supports German on-screen text. Steam also lists English, French, Italian, Spanish, Korean and other languages. The game interface is therefore accessible even without English skills.