PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, more commonly known as PUBG, is now free-to-play across PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC. It’s a major relaunch for the game which has been a premium title ever since it debuted in Steam Early Access back in 2017.
New PUBG players will start off with a free Basic account that grants access to most in-game content. This allows the main game to be playable by anyone, but players will be lured to upgrade to Battlegrounds Plus to unlock a number of perks and in-game cosmetics as well as access to Ranked play. Priced at £9.99 / $12.99, the Battlegrounds Plus update includes:
- Survival Mastery XP +100% boost
- Career – Medal tab
- Ranked Mode
- Creating Custom Matches
- BATTLEGROUNDS Plus includes the following items:
- Captain’s Camo Hat
- Captain’s Camo Mask
- Captain’s Camo Gloves
- Bonus 1300 G-COIN
Anyone that previously purchased PUBG before the free-to-play transition will automatically be upgraded to Battlegrounds Plus as well as receive the PUBG Special Commemorative Pack DLC to show that they were there in the first five years of the game’s life.
To celebrate, as the developers surely hope to see a huge influx of new players, they will be hosting several Special Drops events. These will task you with completing in-game missions, inviting friends and watching streams in order to earn rewards and are taking place today.
We’ve got some handy link for you to download PUBG for free on the three main platforms:
If you are a returning player on PlayStation, beware that you need to get the PUBG – Special Free To Play Transition Pack from the PS Store in order to get the upgrade rewards.
PUBG launched into Steam Early Access at the start of 2017 and really kicked the Battle Royale craze into high gear. It saw staggering success even as it was stuck in Early Access, but as a paid game and one that took quite some time to make its way to Xbox and PlayStation, it lost the Battle Royale crown to Fortnite’s free-to-play mode. Now, five years after its original debut, PUBG is joining the free-to-play market, though arguably it had already lifted ideas like seasons and battle passes from F2P gaming while being a premium title.
Back November, PUBG: New State was released for mobile. The new game is set in 2051 and includes weapon customization, the drone store and a player recruitment system. It is playable in seventeen languages and includes three game modes. Battle Royale will find players fighting across Troi and PUBG franchise staple Erangel, a 4v4 Deathmatch will offer a more focused experience while the Training Ground lets you test your skills before joining a big battle. There is a monthly Survivor Passes that allow players to unlock a variety of in-game rewards and Ranked Seasons that allow players to compete against other Survivors, increase their “tier” and earn high-end in-game rewards. Ranked Seasons will run for two months at a time.
Source: PUBG
