PUBG has dramatically transformed over the years, swapping grittiness for cartoon outfits, but it's still as ruthless and chaotic as ever

GamesBattle RoyalePlayerUnknown’s BattlegroundsPUBG has dramatically transformed over the years, swapping grittiness for cartoon outfits, but it’s still as ruthless and chaotic as everWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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(Image credit: Krafton)

PUBG pink skin

When PCG’s Joshua Wolens and I were looking for something to play recently, going back, we assumed, was going to be like slipping into an old pair of well-worn shoes. What a surprise it was, then, to find that the game is almost nothing like it was back in 2017-18.

(Image credit: Krafton)

PUBG gun

While the PUBG Guy, the game’s unofficial mascot, remains part of the cover art—complete with a button-up shirt and Spetznaz helmet—he is one of the few relics of an older era. Where once the servers were full of characters that looked like him, it’s now full of people wearing skins that wouldn’t look out of place in Fortnite. Take the Battle Bunny set, which, when previewed, blasts Kpop (I think, don’t come for me Kpop stans) through your headphones. If that’s not for you, how about a dog-themed onesie or a KFC set, complete with bucket hat, because of course.

I’m not one to complain about weird skins in games—I enthusiastically played Modern Warfare 2 as Snoop Dogg, and will likely end up buying theCheech and Chong packsat some point—but it’s quite the shock to the system. When you load into a match at the time of writing, you’re also encouraged to lob cupcakes at a huge present, which opens to reveal a music box that then plays Happy Birthday to celebrate PUBG’s seventh anniversary.

The big change in tone is down to two things: the game’s popularity in Asia and Fortniteification. If you didn’t know, PUBGismassivein Asia, particularly China, and has beensince at least 2018. Due to Chinese government regulations, PUBG has its own version there called Peacekeeper Elite, but enterprising Chinese players can (and do) still play PUBG with VPNs. This leads to the interesting situation where a game that once felt rooted in the grand tradition of Eastern European eurojank now bases its aesthetic around a more international feel, particularly with regard to Asian settings, which feel noticeably lacking in mainstream multiplayer shooters. A number of maps now feature biomes resembling countries in East and Southeast Asia—including the massive Rondo, there are three of them. The vibe has changed significantly since the era of PUBG being solely set in Eastern Europe or Central America.

(Image credit: Krafton)

PUBG menu

As well as trying to appeal to its substantial audience in Asia, it’s been taking cues from its main competition. PUBG might have been first, but Fortnite took the genre to new heights. Fortnite wasshut down in Chinaback in 2021 and has never managed to reach the levels of popularity in the rest of Asia as it has in the west, but it established a blueprint that elevated it beyond a game and into a phenomenon. Chasing the Fortnite dollar, then, makes a lot of sense. While it might be lacking the same wealth of licensed characters as Fortnite, PUBG’s wacky and strange skins (catch me in Erangel in sailor suit pants and a demon mask) still offer players a lot of silliness. It’s a world away from my experiences back in the day, where lootboxes netted me the overwhelming joy of a striped polo shirt and some black trousers.

Another advantage Fortnite had over PUBG was the lack of a price of entry. Back in 2022, however, PUBG made the shift to free to play, and as a result the modern game now really pushes its microtransactions and commercial tie-ins. Where once players had to be content driving around in jeeps and rust buckets, last year PUBG put players behind the wheel of an Aston Martin roadster and SUV—for a price.

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(Image credit: Krafton)

PUBG player aiming a gun

So, if you’ve been away from PUBG for a long time and are thinking of coming back, what should you expect? Visiting the lands of Erangel or Miramar will be like visiting home after decades away: many things have changed, but some things have remained the same. You’ll likely end up getting killed in more suspect ways than you used to, though, with some players able to wheel their rifle around to you in milliseconds and blast you with deadly accuracy. Maybe they’re just incredible players, but it seems somewhat unlikely. You’ll also see a wider range of guns than you used to, plus a much broader in-game store. Yet whatever you think of these changes, you’ll find PUBG to be as ruthless, chaotic and silly as ever. You’ll still have wild chases in a range of different cars or end up firing wildly out of upstairs windows like a spooked militiaman. It may have changed a whole lot and feel a little uncanny, but there’s still plenty of fun to be had in PUBG in 2024—just buckle up for a stranger ride.

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