PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (or PUBG as it’s commonly known) spearheaded the popularity of battle royale games. It was a breakout hit that inspired countless competitors such as Fortnite and Apex Legends, but it still remains one of the most played games on Steam and Xbox Live.
Unlike its rivals, PUBG is a more simulation-focused affair, with real-world weapons and physics to consider, such as bullet drop and variable weather conditions. If you’ve been turned off by Fortnite’s flamboyant art style or the relentlessly fast gameplay of Call of Duty: Warzone, PUBG is well worth a go – it’s also on Xbox Game Pass.
Since its meteoric rise from a Steam Early Access title to achieving the highest concurrent player count on Steam back in 2018, PUBG has made its way to PS4, Xbox One, Stadia, Android and iOS. There’s also PUBG Lite, a free-to-play adaptation of the game which can run on lower-spec hardware, such as laptops. PUBG also receives regular updates, adding new content, features and – perhaps somewhat predictably – plenty of fixes for annoying bugs.
Where we droppin'?
But what is PUBG? Well, if you’ve ever watched the film Battle Royale, you should understand the basic idea. 100 players drop onto a deserted island and quickly scavenge for loot. You’ll need to find armor, weapons and healing items, then do whatever it takes to survive until you’re the last man standing.
To make things more interesting, you’ll have to move to a constantly shrinking zone that randomly appears on the map, via land, air or sea. If you get caught outside of the zone, you’ll gradually take damage, which increases dramatically as the game progresses. Pro tip: don’t get caught outside the zone.
Should you manage to survive until the very end, you’ll see the coveted “winner winner chicken dinner” phrase appear on screen. And due to the overwhelming odds stacked against you during every match, you’ll probably want to screenshot it as they don’t come around very often – which makes them taste all the sweeter.
Despite the game now being available on multiple platforms, PUBG continues to evolve with the addition of new maps, survivor passes and modes for players to enjoy. We’ll show you what’s new, why it matters, and what’s planned for the future of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.
What's the latest PUBG update for PC?
Update 8.3 (now on test servers)
With Season 8 winding down, PUBG Corp. is kicking things up a notch with a brand new update. Update 8.3 brings a new Ferry system to the beloved Erangel map and an item that will help if you find yourself outside the blue zone. Here's what you can expect from update 8.3 which is now on the PUBG test servers.
Ferries will make crossing the perilous gap between Southern Erangel and Sosnovka Island a much more relaxing affair. Instead of reaching the island via one of the two main bridges, which are often full of hostiles in wait, four ferries now make round trips throughout the game so you can hop aboard. Ferries are not available in Ranked More, however.
For those who live life on the edge of the circle, the Jammer Pack is a new item that prevents blue zone damage for a short time. The pack will be a rare spawn on Sanhok and Karakin in Normal and Custom Matches.
A new Assist System has been added to the game, which shows when you earn an assist during gameplay. Assists are earned after dealing at least 25 damage to an enemy who is soon killed after by a teammate.
Waiting for a Ranked Mode match should also be a bit more enjoyable now, as players will have the option to join Training Mode to practise their skills while the lobby populates with players.
As usual, various bug fixes and gameplay changes are also present in update 8.3, and you can find a full list of everything that's been included in the full patch notes below.
Update 8.2 is now live
Update 8.2 brings new toys to PUBG and updates the look of some classic weapons. There's also a slew of quality of life improvements, which should make the game more enjoyable to play.
First up is the new weapon: the MG3. This powerful 7.62mm weapon spawns in care packages on all maps, but isn't currently available in Ranked mode. Joining the MG3 is a new throwable in the form of a decoy grenade. The decoy grenade can disorient your enemies by mimicking gunshot sounds.
Three classic weapons have also received an overhaul, with the M416, SKS and Kar98k remodeled from scratch to improve their visual quality. The sounds of these weapons have also been changed to sound more like their true to life counterparts.
The Erangel map has undergone a couple of notable changes, too. Four docks have been added, which should provide another area for players to drop and battle it out for high-level loot.
Various quality of life improvements arrive with update 8.2, with the Throwables Wheel now containing more slots, and a helmet hide function has been added that lets you wear a helmet without changing the appearance of your character. This visual change will only be visible to the player, though, and not any enemies you encounter.
Update 8.2 includes a heap of bug fixes, too, so check out the official patch notes below for a full breakdown of everything that's included.
Update 8.1
PUBG's latest update welcomes players back to the jungles of Sanhok as part of Season 8, which is out now for PC players and July 30 for Xbox One, PS4 and Stadia players.
Sanhok has been comprehensively remastered for update 8.1, as almost every structure, tree, rock and material in the close-quarters map has been rebuilt from the ground up. Player feedback has influenced a lot of the design decisions, too, with popular locations like Boot Camp, Ruins and Quarry all undergoing significant changes.
Along with an overhauled Sanhok, update 8.1 adds a loot truck, which are autonomous cargo transports that offer players a new way to obtain gear. If the trucks receive damage, it'll drop some loot. Destroy them, however, and you can expect to receive a bigger cache of weapons.
Some of the weapons that the loot trucks drop will be fully-kitted out and ready to use, with pre-installed attachments and unique skins, a first for the game.
Update 8.1 also introduces the improved Jerry Cans changes which were supposed to arrive in update 7.2, and ranked mode has been adjusted so that points are given based on team placement instead of your individual performance. Vikendi has also been added to the ranked mode map rotation.
Footsteps, a long-running point of controversy in PUBG, have been improved to provide clearer and better sounds. For example, footsteps sounds over distance have been tweaked, as has the difference between going barefoot and wearing shoes.
Of course, like any new seasonal update, a new survivor pass is available to purchase. Called 'Payback', players can unlock skins that are themed around the new remastered Sanhok.
Update 7.3
Update 7.3 is available now and focuses on a host of vehicle changes, the addition of a new explosive and some quality of life improvements.
Vehicle damage
Vehicles will no longer explode instantly once they reach zero HP. Instead, players will now have a small window to bail, as the engine will be disable and the vehicle will set on fire first. After five seconds, the vehicle will then explode.
Vehicles will also now have multiple damage zones, with the engine being the best place to target your fire, and react more realistically to velocity.
New throwable
Speaking of explosives, PUBG is getting a powerful new throwable. C4 will be added to the battleground as part of update 7.3, and should make for some interesting new gameplay opportunities. You won't be able to throw C4 very far due to its weight, but its explosive range covers a massive 25 meter radius, which can also penetrate cover.
Parachute follow
The final noteworthy change is the ability to follow a teammate automatically while parachuting. You can choose to follow a teammate before you leave the plane, which should make it easier to coordinate exactly where you'll all be dropping.
Apart from the big three additions above, most of the other changes relate to bug fixes, quality of life improvements and the addition of some new purchasable skins.
Update 7.2
Update 7.2 is now available for PC players to install. The sizable update introduces a number of pleasing changes to the game, the most crucial of which is Ranked Mode.
Ranked Mode
Ranked Mode replaces the old Survival Title system and is a separate mode to the new normal match, which will include the universally disliked PUBG bots. A player's rank will increase or decrease depending on their performance in each game and, perhaps somewhat controversially, ranked mode is only available to squads.
Each Ranked Mode match will include a maximum of 64 players (that's quite a bit less than the usual 100 player limit) and players will compete on either Erangel, Miramar or Sanhok. The red zone has also been removed, and the timing and speed of the blue zone have been increased.
Bot opponents
Seemingly undeterred by the criticism from console players, developer PUBG Corp is adding bots to the PC version of PUBG with update 7.2. Thankfully there is a way to avoid them as they'll only appear in normal games, but it's a divisive addition nonetheless. Bots are also designed to appear less frequently as your skill increases, but that hasn't been the case sadly, which the developers are aware of.
Gameplay balances
More adjustments have been to made to the strength and characteristics of each weapon type, with the M416 receiving a slight nerf, while other assault rifles such as the M16A4, Beryl M762 and MK47 Mutant will get a nice buff.
One of the biggest new gameplay changes is how gas cans can be used. You can now pour fuel onto the ground and light it with a weapon or throwable, and you can rain fire down upon your opponents by shooting a thrown gas can while it's mid-air. Frustratingly, we'll have to wait a little longer for the gas can changes to arrive as PUBG Corp has pulled them from the latest patch due to technical issues.
Due to an issue found with its new features, the planned Gas Can update has been postponed and is not included in Update 7.2. We will provide further details in the future.The bug preventing footstep sounds being heard properly when away from line of sight is fixed this update.May 20, 2020
Introducing Season 7: Vikendi returns, along with a ‘new’ weapon and Survivor Pass
Update 7.1 sees the long-awaited return of Vikendi, PUBG’s snow-covered map that was unceremoniously hooked during Season 6. The old Vikendi was generally disliked by players due to its many performance issues and rather uninspiring locations. That’s all changed this time around, though, as Vikendi has received a significant face-lift and a bevy of new attractions for players to wage war on.
The old dilapidated Dino Park has now been transformed into the fun-loving Dinoland, which has been completely remade to feel like a proper amusement park. There are also nine functioning trains that chug around the map – and yes, you can ride them to one of the 12 stations.
Further changes include tweaks and redesigns to certain locations, such as Abbey and Mount Kreznik, and you’ll notice there’s a lot less snow on the ground now, too. For that reason, the snow bikes and snowmobiles have been removed in favor of the standard motorcycle, and motorcycle with sidecar.
It wouldn’t be a big new update without a fresh weapon being added to the mix, although the Mosin-Nagant isn’t entirely new. It’s essentially a re-skin of the popular Kar98k, but it does sport its own unique look and sound effects. Hey, we’re all for variety, so it’s not a deal breaker by any means.
Finally, there’s a brand-new Survivor Pass to grind through, called ‘Cold Front’. It consists of 100 levels full of unlockable skins, experience bonuses, challenges to complete and emotes to collect.
What's the latest PUBG update for Xbox One and PS4?
Season 7 is out now
Since Season 6, developer PUBG Corporation has tried to align its PC and console updates more closely. Usually it takes about two weeks before consoles catch up with the PC version of the game, but that gap has closed recently, particularly with the release of Season 7 which arrived April 28. It brings all the goodies from the PC version, including new Vikendi and the Survivor Pass: Cold Front.
One of the biggest changes to PUBG on consoles is the addition of bots, which have been added to each map. While it’s an update that is bound to cause controversy among the purists, bots have been included to help new players get familiar with the game. In a recent blog post, PUBG Corporation outlined how bots will work in the game, with the intention that they act like your average human player, but are obviously easier to kill.
Console players will finally get to leave bots behind as the long-awaited Ranked Mode is now available as part of update 7.2. Frustratingly, it's only open to squads (four-man or one-man), so you'll need to partner up with some like-minded teammates to get the most out of it.
[Console] Maintenance is complete and Update 7.2 is now live! Drop in to experience the new content, including Ranked Mode, AR & Shotgun balance changes, Armoured vest changes, bug fixes, and more.Patch notes: https://t.co/K70rOYuqWCMay 26, 2020
Can I play PUBG on mobile?
Yes! With PUBG mobile, you can win chicken dinners directly from your phone. The game is more arcade-like and accessible than the PC and console versions of the game, but it shares all the maps and features that players have come to enjoy. You can expect things like auto pick-up, aim assist and touchscreen controls and other mobile optimizations.
To play PUBG on your mobile, you’ll need to be using at least iOS 9 (that’s an iPhone 5S or newer) and Android owners must be using 5.1.1. Lollipop or later. You’ll also need 2GB or RAM to play the game, and 900 MB of free space.
In the latest patch, PUBG mobile has received a ‘Death Replay’ option, letting you see who the hell shot you in the back, and ‘Arctic Mode’, a brand new survival experience that will be available soon.
What is PUBG Lite?
PUBG Lite is a stripped-down version of PUBG that’s designed for lower-spec hardware. PUBG is notoriously taxing on GPUs and CPUs, so PUBG Lite was created so that more people could get in on the battle royale craze. It’s a great alternative if you don’t own a powerful gaming PC or console to play on, plus it’s free-to-play.
Can I play PUBG on Stadia?
You sure can! The game is free to Stadia Pro members, and supports cross-play with Xbox One and PS4. It's the most up-to-date version of the game, too, which means it includes all the maps and the latest features from the recent 7.1 update. There's no download or patches, either, so you can start playing instantly.
What's coming to PUBG on PC?
Although new content is always in the pipeline along with regular performance updates, the developers of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds are taking the fight to cheaters in 2020. In a dev letter to players, Taeseok Jang, executive producer of PUBG PC, outlined the company’s plans.
“The fight against cheat programs is never-ending and something we’ve been trying very hard to find a solution for. Last year, we spent time working on various measures to block cheat programs. Most of these actions focused on blocking cheat program developers to make it more difficult for them to create these highly lucrative cheats,” Jang explains.
“As these cheat developers excel at adapting to our measures, we chose to keep these efforts secret to increase the time it takes for them to react, as much as possible. The unfortunate side effect of this is that it makes us look like we’re doing nothing against a high-priority issue. This year, we will be making improvements to ensure players can feel the impact of our efforts."
PUBG Corporation is also turning its efforts to address PUBG’s performance issues, which continue to be a source of frustration for many players. The game has often been prone to game-breaking bugs, such as hard crashes and fluctuating frame rates, which can mean the difference between life or death in a fire fight.
Jang admitted that the developer has struggled to get the balance right between adding new content and dealing with performance. “First of all, we know it hasn’t been the best year for this category so far, with persistent network, server, and game client issues. Although providing a high level of service is always one of our top priorities, specific issues have endured for far too long and overshadow any good improvements we make. Hitching and game crashes especially have increased and remained persistent in the recent months. Your feedback has been heard loud and clear and is completely justified.”
What's coming to PUBG on Xbox One and PS4?
Along with reducing the content gap between the PC and console versions of PUBG, the developers want to continue to improve the game’s performance on console, bring further console-specific adjustments, and strengthen anti-cheat detection.
PUBG Corporation has also released a blog post that says they are investigating the possibility of bringing a 60fps performance mode to Xbox One X and PS4 Pro, which would be a huge boon for console players. Currently, PUBG is locked to 30fps on consoles, while other competitive battle royale games, such as Call of Duty: Warzone and Apex Legends, treat players to a silky-smooth 60fps experience.
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