PUBG, yes, the title of old and one of the first Battle Royales to really transform what the multiplayer field is now. Many great games have adopted the use of a Battle Royale mode, and even the big boys are at it now with Call of Duty and Battlefield getting in on the action. But is PUBG focusing on moving to a more modern standpoint to keep up with is namesake? Yes! And it’s a delight to see the OG still getting visitors in the modern era of what it started.
If you didn’t know, PUBG or Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds was brought to us in 2017 when it started as an early access title on Steam. The team originally at Blue Hole (now Krafton), which was led by Brandon Greene, AKA Player Unknown, designed a unique concept and rolled it out to test the field, but what they didn’t expect was the game to shape future games to come and overall, mold the Battle Royale scene into what it is today.
The studio behind the original BR title has released a 2025 roadmap and issued a statement regarding the support for PUBG Console. Within the statement, the big thing to take note of was that they are on the 13th of November, ceasing support for last generation consoles such as the Xbox One and PS4, and are opting for an all-out next generation strategy, which I think is a good step in a better direction for the popular title, as they will only support Xbox Series X|S and PS5 from that date onwards.
The main stomping point coming from the plane in the sky here is that they are doing this for a bigger reason. Rather than just throwing away old gen, it is to make future updates seamless and more streamlined, so that the console version of the game can perform at a high standard to where the team at Krafton want it to be. In the statement, it was said that the team still “vividly remember the epic battles, the heart-stopping moments and the camaraderie that brought us together”, as they look to remember where they came from.
The transition to next gen will only come, as previously said, on the 13th of November, and that period of transition starts on the live server maintenance on that date. This being said, it could be subject to chance courtesy of a review on each console to see how it handles the transitional period. However, after this has taken place, once the servers are back up and running, well, that spells the end for the older generation of consoles, and it will only be playable and downloadable on current generations such as the Xbox Series X|S and PS5.
Fear not, however, as you will not have to create a new account for PUBG or even lose your gear as this will all be transferred over effectively as it is being stored separately, phew. This being said, it was also said to reaffirm the player that you can “log in on a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S at any time after the transition and continue playing with your existing account – no separate transfer process required”, and with that, fears are put to bed. Goodnight.
HOWEVER, catch time. If you do have a PlayStation 5, you will be required to download the current version of PUBG: Battlegrounds, which is now essentially the only version (the PlayStation 5 version). But Xbox users who have the title already will have the current version on their consoles; no drama needed thanks to smart delivery. Thank you virtual postman!
Side note – if you need refunds for purchasing a Battlegrounds subscription, or for the full game of PUBG on your old generation consoles, the PS4 and Xbox One, then refunds will be made in accordance with the platform’s discretion. Now this is a fair move considering they don’t necessarily need a refund.
As someone who was an original player of the blockbuster Battle Royale when it first released, it’s exciting to see that it is still getting that much-needed love and attention from Krafton, even after people may have moved on to the other more fleshed-out BRs that are on offer right now in the online player space!
Oh yeah… they added a Bugatti today too… so that’s cool!
