PUBG: Battlegrounds is going free to play to begin 2022
PUBG is officially making the free-to-play switch to kick off 2022.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is already one of the most popular games on PC. Steam Charts lists PUBG as the third most-popular game with daily peaks of over 360,000 concurrent players. That makes it the most popular paid game on Steam, but that solid player count is about to explode even higher. The original battle royale is switching to free to play on January 12, 2022.
The change was originally announced at the 2021 Game Awards. Players who previously purchased PUBG for its full price will receive several in-game rewards as a token of appreciation. To prepare for the free-to-play switch, PUBG servers will go down several times between now and January 12 for maintenance and gameplay updates.
In addition to the current model of cosmetic monetization, PUBG players will have access to a new program called BATTLEGROUNDS Plus.
PUBG introduces new BATTLEGROUNDS Plus features
BATTLEGROUNDS Plus grants a variety of features including a 100% survival experience boost, access to custom matches, the career statistics tab, and access to ranked matchmaking. Players can also claim 1,300 G-Coins and a custom set of camo captain’s gear. BATTLEGROUNDS Plus is a one-time $12.99 USD purchase that can be made through the in-game client. PUBG fans who owned the game before the free-to-play switch will automatically receive BATTLEGROUNDS Plus.
Thanks to the announcement, the game is already experiencing a massive spike in active players.
Steam Charts
lists an 8.78% increase in PUBG players for the month of December. Gains are staying strong in January 2022, with a +1.26% increase for the first week. Due to the guaranteed massive influx of free-to-play users, there’s never been a better time to hop back into the action.
What do paid PUBG players get when it goes free to play?
PUBG Corporation has pledged to distribute tons of rewards to players who purchase the game for full price.
Whenever a popular game switches to free to play, there’s always the risk of upsetting its existing player base. PUBG’s current price of $29.99 is nothing to scoff at. As compensation, legacy players will receive a massive bundle of skins as well as BATTLEGROUNDS Plus at no cost.
The PUBG Special Commemorative pack includes free access to the BATTLEGROUNDS Plus program and a full set of battle-hardened Legacy armor. The set includes a corset, jacket, pants, gloves, and boots. The bundle comes with a matching name plate and a unique pan skin modeled after a rotating saw.
Read Also
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
PUBG getting destructible maps, new weapons
Olivia Richman
A look at PUBG's 2024 road map looks like a lot of exciting changes are in store for the classic battle royale. Compared to the colorful chaos of games like Fortnite and Apex Legends, PUBG has consistently remained a more serious take on the battle royale genre with a focus on realism. Six years later, however, developers want to make a few changes that will keep gameplay fresh. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfulbWCag_o An ...
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
Yes, PUBG Mobile is actually sponsoring an NCAA football game
Steven Rondina
PUBG Mobile is looking to expand its presence in North America, and part of its plans to do so is the PUBG Mobile New Mexico Bowl. On December 18, Fresno State will take on the University of Texas at El Paso in the annual New Mexico Bowl. And this year, the wildly popular battle royale title is set to be the title sponsor of the event. https://twitter.com/NMBowl/status/1467583314433384455 The move to ...
League of Legends
Arcane set to have crossover event with PUBG Mobile, Fortnite
Steven Rondina
League of Legends’ upcoming animated series Arcane was already set to take over one battle royale title, but it seems like it’s going to be taking over even more than that. PUBG Mobile released a tease for an upcoming collaboration. It shows four silhouettes on the ground with the tease that someone is set to invade the world of PUBG Mobile. Though it wasn’t made explicit who these individuals are, ...
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
Former PUBG pro TaylorJay dead after alleged murder attempt
Olivia Richman
A former PlayerUnknown Battlegrounds pro shot himself after after an alleged failed murder attempt and an ensuing hunt by law enforcement. Taylor "TaylorJay" Jeffrey Jonnson shot himself after he learned that the Pennsylvania State Police were closing in on his location. The 24-year-old had fled from police, resulting in a five-hour manhunt. When police arrived at the scene, TaylorJay required medical treatment. But he couldn't be saved from his self-inflicted ...
News
PUBG Labs new Zombie Survival mode pits players against AI undead
William Davis
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is giving Call of Duty Zombies a run for its money. Zombie Survival is the newest free game mode from PUBG Labs. Players team up to fend off hordes of undead while earning money to upgrade their zombie-killing loadout. The bonus minigame was released as part of the PUBG 13.1 update. The mode takes several queues from Call of Duty’s long-standing zombies mode and creates a similar experience ...
News
shroud explains why he quit PUBG, and how to save the game
Fariha Bhatti
Michael "shroud" Grzesiek's PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds streams were all the rage during the game's boom. Now long removed from playing the game regularly, the streamer has revealed what could bring him back to PUBG. shroud gave the battle royale another shot on a recent stream, but he wasn't impressed with it. Dying right after multiple spawns, he explained why he doesn't enjoy playing PUBG anymore. "This is how my PUBG experience ...
News
Tencent just banned over 3.8 million hackers in PUBG Mobile
Olivia Richman
Even though PUBG Mobile isn't on PC, it still faces the same the same major issue other free battle royales continue to deal with: cheaters and hacking. From June 18 to June 24, PUBG Mobile developer Tencent banned millions of players for cheating. This is shockingly something Tencent does each and every week. This time around it was a little short of four million cheaters. According to PUBG Mobile's official ...
