PUBG 15.2 update makes the game free for all

PUBG has followed the path of its mobile variant on consoles and PCs starting January 12. Developers Krafton and PUBG Corporation will hope that their new decision will bore fruit and be successful among the players.

PUBG has been one of the main reasons the battle royale genre has become so popular. The game was the first mainstream adaptation of the concept. Since its worldwide release in 2017. the title has achieved unanticipated fame.

An extension of the success was with the release of the mobile version, which extended the experience on handheld devices. However, there was a key difference at the price points since the mobile version has been entirely free-to-play. This wasn't the case until earlier today when PUBG: Battlegrounds became free-to-play for PC and consoles.

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PUBG becomes free-to-play as developers hope to revitalize the game

There are many aspects of the game that are truly amazing and enjoyable. Despite more recent releases with additional elements, it still offers the raw enjoyment of pure battle royale. The battleground has grown bigger with patch 15.2, which makes the game completely free-to-play.

All modes and features of the game are now available to both new and existing players without the need to spend a dime. There are still microtransactions ranging between $1-$500, but they are for purely cosmetic purposes only.

It was already revealed earlier at The Game Awards in 2021 that the game will become free-to-play on January 12. With patch 15.2, PUBG Corporation and Krafton are on a schedule that must have delighted all fans.

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Becoming free-to-play might be the right move

The game had concurrent players of around 180,000 before patch 15.2 dropped. That is undoubtedly a great number for any game, but not PUBG since the title enjoyed higher numbers. With newer games on the market and the constant issues of the game, many players have left the game.

At the time of writing, there has already been an increase in concurrent players based on Steam. It's quite likely that the same has happened with the consoles as well. With newer games giving much more in return at a previously cheaper price point, this decision was required.

It remains to be seen how sustainable this additional number of players will be. But it's for certain that the decision to become available for free could be a major game-changer for the game and the genre as a whole in the days to come.