"As PUBG: Battlegrounds jogs towards its ninth anniversary, we take a look at the game that made “battle royale” a household name, before Fortnite Battle Royale was even whispered about."
As we approach PUBG: Battlegrounds 9th anniversary, I felt it was important to revisit a title we have covered several times before to see how it is doing in an era where even titles such as Call of Duty are struggling to retain their former numbers, in light of stiff competition from new rivals (Arc Raiders) and revitalised former foes (Battlefield 6).
As we have covered PUBG: Battlegrounds previously ↪, and many core aspects of the game have not changed, we will not be rehashing them here. Instead, we will focus on how PUBG: Battlegrounds has changed since our last review in 2023, and see how it weighs up against some of the largest and most popular live service games of 2026.
When we last reviewed PUBG: Battlegrounds in 2023, it was going through one of the worst periods of its history, suffering from a lack of focus caused in part by stagnation and a string of baffling development choices that left the community reeling, and many journalists scratching our heads.
It seemed as if the developers were not listening to anything or anyone, and with each step forward, PUBG: Battlegrounds also took a few steps back.
At that time, we predicted that unless massive change happened, such as rolling back unpopular changes and focusing on what made PUBG: Battlegrounds popular to begin with, PUBG: Battlegrounds would no longer be a viable contender for “best battle royale”.
Thankfully, those changes were made, or rather enough changes were made that PUBG: Battlegrounds is once again competitive with the very best titles the genre has to offer.
While PUBG: Battlegrounds is doing very well in the player department, regularly seeing over one million players online across all platforms, both visually and mechanically it feels dated and archaic compared to titles such as Fortnite and Call of Duty Warzone, which both innovate and iterate upon their formula in meaningful ways each season.
PUBG: Battlegrounds has, for all intents and purposes, remained the same game visually and mechanically at its core since its inception.
While I suspect we will see major improvements in due time now that 8th generation consoles are no longer supported as of early 2026, with the exception of performance improvements, PUBG: Battlegrounds feels like (for better or worse) the same game I played in 2017.
I must admit, seeing a game sell what are essentially loot boxes with more steps in 2026 is jarring.
It is a dated and almost universally hated mechanic that, while profitable for the publisher, is one of the least player-friendly monetisation systems a free-to-play game could have.
Unlike most other titles, in which players purchase the cosmetic items they want, many (but not all) of PUBG: Battlegrounds cosmetic items are crafted using materials and blueprints which are predominantly found in loot boxes purchased with G-Coins, the name of PUBG: Battlegrounds’ premium currency.
While there are skin packs to purchase directly with G-Coins, and even a few with real-world currency, for the most part players will be forced to engage with PUBG: Battlegrounds’ bizarre crafting and loot box system to unlock many cosmetics, which in the long run has the potential to cost players far more money to achieve the looks they want than simply purchasing the items directly with G-Coins or real-world currency.
2025, and by extension 2026, have been a wild and exciting time for gamers, with even the largest titles in gaming losing some ground to newcomers such as Arc Raiders.
Even Fortnite, one of the most successful live service games of all time has reportedly lost around 14% of its total playtime, while titles such as Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 struggle to retain their place in the top three in light of immense pressure from Arc Raiders and Battlefield 6.
However, despite this pressure, PUBG: Battlegrounds has managed to maintain much of its community, largely due to how its core gameplay loop is structured, with players being able to engage in slower, more tactical combat reminiscent of DayZ and Arma 2, unlike the vast majority of battle royale titles which focus on faster-paced, short matches which provide players with an instant hit of dopamine.
While I can appreciate both playstyles, I must admit PUBG: Battlegrounds is better played with friends. While I can hop into Fortnite: Blitz and engage in multiple firefights over the span of five to ten minutes, that is rarely the case in PUBG: Battlegrounds, in which even aggressive players like myself will often spend vast quantities of time exploring the massive map without encountering another player, only to be sniped by a random hiding in a window halfway across the city due to the way that PUBG: Battlegrounds’ slower, more tactical playstyle favours camping over mobility until the final rounds of each match.
PUBG: Battlegrounds is a free-to-play first & third person shooter game developed by PUBG Studios and published by KRAFTON, it released on 20 December 2017, and is available on PC, Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
PUBG: Battlegrounds supports:
PUBG: Battlegrounds offers the following matchmaking options:
The PUBG: Battlegrounds in-game store sells:
PUBG: Battlegrounds supports the following peripherals:
PUBG: Battlegrounds is rated PEGI 16+ and contains:
PUBG: Battlegrounds is a very solid game that has managed to rebound from its earlier lows to become one of the most played battle royale games in the world. This is in spite of having to do so in the face of increasingly stiff competition from titles such as Arc Raiders, Helldivers II, Marvel Rivals, and more.
While PUBG: Battlegrounds is showing its age both visually and mechanically, there really is not another battle royale like it on the market. With most other titles focusing on fast-paced, frequent engagements, instead of the slower paced, more methodical gameplay loop that PUBG: Battlegrounds is known for.
While PUBG: Battlegrounds is not for everyone, there will always be players who prefer a slower, more tactical approach to the genre, and for that group, I heartily recommend it.
We found PUBG: Battlegrounds to be a good game, meaning it is likely to be enjoyable for most players, despite having a few areas that could be improved upon.
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