The mega-popular PUBG: Battlegrounds has just become free-to-play across all platforms. A trailer announcing the new update for the online battle royale game was released by developer Krafton today. PUBG is now free-to-play across all consoles and PC. Check out the launch trailer below.
With the new free-to-play system, new PUBG players will begin with a free, basic account. This first step into the player versus player shooter game grants access to most of the in-game content. However, fans will need to upgrade to Battlegrounds Plus to experience everything the game offers.
If you’ve previously purchased the game, PUBG has not forgotten you. Before this new update, players who bought the game will automatically be placed in the superior Battlegrounds Plus tier. Additionally, these current and returning players will receive several rewards in the form of a PUBG – Special Commemorative Pack.
Several events will be held with PUBG: Battlegrounds to commemorate the free-to-play transition. The game will host quite a few drop events that are meant to encourage engagement. These events will allow players to earn rewards by completing missions, inviting friends to the game, and watching some PUBG streams. Update 15.2 also gives players access to a drone, EMT healing boosts, and two new tutorial modes, being called basic training mode and AI training mode.
It might seem odd for a company to forgo charging new players for a game, but Krafton has a plan. Making PUBG free-to-play will encourage a flood of new players, and the added tutorial modes will get them comfortably playing in no time. This will, of course, lead to an increase in players purchasing in-game items.
PUBG: Battlegrounds first released December 20, 2017, and helped push the battle royale genre into the stratosphere. Four years on, and the game is still incredibly popular, with 370,000 players on Steam as of today. This new free-to-play version is sure to create even more fans of the game.