Summary
- PUBG was a pioneer in battle royales, but faces competition from newer games.
- In 2024, Fortnite dominates Twitch views, pushing PUBG into the background of the battle royale genre.
- Despite its legacy, PUBG's aging mechanics are overshadowed by newer titles, losing its competitive edge.
Here in early August 2024, the gaming sector is certainly not hurting for anticipated releases. Games of every major genre and platform have been making strides in generating hype and popularity, as well as more frequently meeting the standard of quality content advertised to gamers during marketing. Huge titles have graced the scene from RPGs to shooters to puzzle games to rogue-likes, such as Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, Dragon's Dogma 2, Hades 2, Helldivers 2, Stellar Blade, Tekken 8, and many more. With the state of the gaming world being what it is, the attention of the audiences of these games is in constant flux. Among them, PUBG: Battlegrounds has long stood the test of time.
Released in March 2017, PUBG: Battlegrounds - alongside its menacingly threatening competitor, Fortnite - has been the premiere multiplayer online battle royale title for at least half a decade. The open fields and rolling hills that have become instantly recognizable, the exhaustive list of customizable avatar options and vanity items, and the library of weaponry have served as an outline for many online battle royale titles to walk in the game's footsteps. It has dogeared itself as a staple of the genre and will forever be denoted as having grandfathered a massive rise in popularity of the battle royale gaming genre as a whole, but that doesn't necessarily make it worth keeping in a 2024 gaming rotation.
PUBG Battlegrounds: 5 Tips For Beginners Trying The Free-To-Play Version
The free-to-play version is a great place to start for those interested in PUBG. Here are a few essential tips for beginners.
PUBG Has Entered Grandfatherhood
The boom in popularity for PUBG can attributed in part to the global pandemic of COVID-19 that saw everyone confined to their homes for the better part of 2020 and some of 2021. It was during this time that a massive uptick in streaming views as well as people spending more time playing online games funneled people toward multiplayer games, fundamentally simple, and free (or inexpensive) to play to pass the time with friends either across town or the world.
This saw games like PUBG, Fortnite, Among Us, Overwatch, and others that fostered a sense of healthily competitive community rise to prominence, and even then. Fortnite ran away with the show through its zaniness, celebrity sponsorships and endorsements (though PUBG has had more than a few of its own crossovers), and broader appeal to audiences of both younger and older age groups.
|
Fortnite - Twitch Watched Hours (30d) |
PUBG - Twitch Watched Hours (30d) |
|---|---|
|
41,503,975 |
8,393,561 |
Statistics sourced from Activeplayer.io on 08/13/2024
Even back then, there was a valid argument that Fortnite was a superior battle royale to PUBG, and, even if that weren't the case, it isn't 2020 anymore, and there have been scores and scores of great games released that have taken center stage. As of August 6, Fortnite is sitting as the fourth most watched game being streamed on Twitch while PUBG is 59th, and between them are more games released within the past year alone than would be appropriate to list.
This statistic does not diminish the game's accomplishments or invalidate the experience PUBG has in store for those wishing to delve back into its familiar gameplay loop. But it is now dated, that much is undeniable, and there are far newer games with more to offer by way of modernized mechanics and features that simply function and exemplify the genre better taking up the space that PUBG can no longer fill.
PUBG: Battlegrounds is slowly fading into the background, but only in the sense that its time in the sun has passed like all things eventually do. It has become as worth playing as any retro game should someone have a craving to go back to something familiar. It hasn't yet fallen into the category of 'nostalgic' or 'retro', per se, but it isn't getting any younger, nor is it competing on the same playing field as any of the multiplayer shooter games released recently (or Fortnite, to be frank). In the end, what matters is player preference and having a good time, as is the goal for all games.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 77 /100 Critics Rec: 57%
- Released
- March 23, 2017
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Blood, Violence
- Developer(s)
- PUBG Corporation
- Publisher(s)
- PUBG Corporation
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
WHERE TO PLAY
Fight to be the last player standing in an action-packed battle royale. Parachute into a treacherous battleground with only your wits for protection, as you loot gear and outsmart your enemies in a fierce battle royale. Build the ultimate soldier from scratch and test your mettle against up to 99 other players across three unique maps. Only one life. Only one shot at victory per match. Wreak havoc on your own or take on the challenge in a squad of up to four players to increase your chances of survival - and glory. Squad up and join the Battlegrounds for free and experience the original battle royale.
- Platform(s)
- PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC, Stadia, Android, iOS
- Genre(s)
- Battle Royale
