PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is Going Free to Play on January 12, 2022

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, better known as PUBG, will be going free to play on January 12, 2022. The game that kickstarted the battle royale mania will finally embrace the business model that helped propel Fortnite and Apex Legends surpass PUBG's own popularity. This announcement shouldn't be surprising as PUBG has slowly been losing players since its launch in 2017. After all, why pay for PUBG when Fortnite and Apex are free to play?

While the base game for PUBG will be free to play, players who never purchased the game can buy a one time $12.99 account upgrade called 'Battleground Plus' that gives players access to ranked and custom games as well as special in-game items. I suspect limiting ranked modes to paying players is one way they're trying to stop cheaters from ruining the experience for everyone. The one time upgrade is similar to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive's prime matchmaking, which can purchased, but unlike CSGO, it looks like there's no free way to get this account upgrade.