Calling All Survivors: PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS Is Now Free-To-Play

PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS is now free-to-play on PC and consoles. 

The online multiplayer battle royale game now offers a basic free version, which includes most modes – if you want ranked or custom matches though, you’ll have to upgrade for a fee. 

If you had an account with BATTLEGROUNDS before it went free though, Krafton will automatically upgrade it (allowing you to play ranked or custom matches), and throw in a commemorative pack as well. 

The Battlegrounds are open for everyone, do you have what it takes to become a survivor? pic.twitter.com/m95ybbWNi4

— PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS (@PUBG) January 12, 2022

In anticipation of a stream of new players, Krafton has also unveiled a series of training modes, including revamped tutorials, training mode and an AI training match. 

Krafton Inc made the announcement to F2P at The Game Awards last month, shedding its US$29.99 price tag for a format closer to other battle royale games like Fortnite.  

But the studio insisted the move had nothing to do with similar battle royale titles on the market. In an interview with GamesRadar, studio creative director Dave Curd said the move to make PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS free-to-play is because they felt “it was the right time”.

PUBG was first released in 2017, selling over 20 million copies by the end of the year. It’s so popular, it’s considered by some to be the defining game of the genre. 

PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS is currently one of the top five games on Steam, with an average of over 150,000 players in the last 30 days. 

*Featured image from Krafton Inc

By Samantha Chan \ 09:30am, 14 January 2022