PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS News

PUBG sees large Steam player count spike following free-to-play update

Earlier today, PUBG: Battlegrounds went fully free-to-play - and the effects are already being felt. While we can't see any data on how it's performing on consoles just yet, its Steam player count has increased significantly.

According to data from Steam Charts, PUBG's player count quickly surpassed the peaks of the days leading up to the free-to-play update and has climbed to a peak of 667,000 players today. This is the highest that PUBG's Steam player count has been for since May 2020.

PUBG's shift to a free-to-play model brings it in line with some of its main battle royale rivals, such as Call of Duty Warzone and Apex Legends. All players will now be able to get a Basic PUBG account for free, which grants you access to most of the game's content. Existing players that had previously bought the game have been automatically upgraded to a BATTLEGROUNDS Plus account, which has access to all content and the game's ranked mode. New players can pay a one-time fee of $12.99 to upgrade to a Battlegrounds Plus account if they want to try and climb the PUBG ranks.

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Playerunknown's Battlegrounds is now free-to-play

Seminal battle royale shooter Playerunknown's Battlegrounds is now free-to-play, inviting all stag and hen parties to parachute into holiday resorts for paintballing which accidentally uses real guns. Folks who previously paid for PUBG: Battlegrounds (the new-ish official name replacing Plunkbat) have been grandfathered into the new Battlegrounds Plus account tier and receive receive some edgy virtual clothes too. Everyone else, hey, in you come.

fter a lengthy 37 hours of maintenance, PUBG: Battlegrounds is live and newly free-to-play...
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PUBG's move to free-to-play is "in no way a response" to Apex Legends and Fortnite

PUBG's switch to free-to-play has arrived. Well, actually arrived - it technically went F2P two days ago but immediately went into maintenance. While the move brings PUBG in-line with other popular battle royale games like Apex Legends, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Fortnite, creative director Dave Curd tells GamesRadar that the decision to go free-to-play had nothing to do with the popularity of the trio.

"This is in no way a response to the other titles you've mentioned," Curd says, when these three games are mentioned. "They're all great games which specialise in their own unique strengths, just as we do. We develop our game independently of others and are excited to see what is to come."

So what's the real reason, then? Curd simply says that the team felt the moment was right. "Our game is in a great place with eight maps, an engaged community, and our deep gun mechanics, so this is the natural next step and a great way to introduce more players to our universe," he says. "I know there are a lot of people who are interested in PUBG: Battlegrounds but have never gotten around to playing it for various reasons - now is the perfect moment to get started."

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PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS Now Free-to-Play

Hello Survivors!

The day we’ve all been waiting for is finally here: we are now free-to-play!

We’re excited to welcome our new players, greet our returning players, and continue to provide the best service to our current players.

But before you dive right in, take a moment to remind yourself of important free-to-play details shown below that will be helpful for your best battle royale experience.

[h3]Free-to-Play Updates[/h3]

BATTLEGROUNDS Plus
- New players will start out with a free Basic account which will have access to most in-game content. However, you can upgrade to BATTLEGROUNDS Plus anytime to unlock features only for BATTLEGROUNDS Plus!
Perks for Current Players
- Returning and current players who already purchased the game before the free-to-play transition will not only have their accounts automatically upgraded to BATTLEGROUNDS Plus, but they will also receive a bundle of rewards, the PUBG – SPECIAL COMMEMORATIVE PACK.

For even more details on our transition to free-to-play, check out our official Free-to-Play Announcement.

We also have several Drops events prepared! Complete in-game missions, invite friends to PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS, and watch our Partners’ stream to earn rewards.

The event schedules for both PC and Console platforms are as follows:

Special Drops 1: F2P Grand Open Event
- PST: January 11, 7 AM – January 31, 11 PM
- CET: January 11, 4 PM – February 1, 8 AM
- KST: January 12, 0 AM – February 1, 4 PM
Special Drops 2: Friend Invitation and Referral Code Event
- PST: January 11, 7 AM – February 8, 4 PM
- CET: January 11, 4 PM – February 9, 1 AM
- KST: January 12, 0 AM – February 9, 9 AM
Partner Drops
- PST: January 11, 11 PM – January 25, 3:59 PM
- CET: January 12, 8 AM – January 26, 0:59 AM
- KST: January 12, 4 PM – January 26, 8:59 AM

Check out the Special & Partner Drops – January 2022 (link here) for more information on our events.

And last but definitely not least, we have a handful of new in-game features introduced in our latest 15.2 Update:

Tactical Gear: Drone
- Drones on the Battlegrounds! Hold the Drone Tablet, enter Drone View, and scout a far distance without facing the risk of direct combat.
Tactical Gear: EMT Gear
- Obtain various healing boosts for both yourself and your teammates with the new EMT Gear!
New Mode: Tutorials
- We’ve added two in-game tutorial modes – Basic Training Mode and AI Training Match – to further enrich the gameplay experience for our players.

For more information on the features above and on even more new features in both in-game and the lobby itself, read the full PC & Console Patch Notes – Update 15.2.

See you on the Battlegrounds.

PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS Team