PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS for PC: Free Download, Maps & System Requirements

PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS is a battle royale shooter (a last-player-standing game where the play area keeps shrinking) for PC from KRAFTON’s PUBG Studios, free to play on Steam.

You drop onto an island with 99 other players, scavenge weapons and gear, and fight to be the last player or squad standing. There is no respawn. One life per match is what makes every fight tense.

The shrinking blue zone is what forces the action instead of letting players hide all game. Anyone caught outside the safe zone takes steady damage until they die. That pressure is why matches rarely stretch past 30 minutes even with 100 players sharing the map.

Originally released into Early Access in March 2017 and launched in full on December 20, 2017, as PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS. The game went free to play in January 2022 and was rebranded PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS. Runs on Windows 10 and 11, played with mouse and keyboard on PC.

Already playing? Tell us your favorite landing spot in the comments. Got questions before installing? Reach out to us directly.

What You Need to Know

• The base game is completely free on Steam and Epic Games. You only pay if you want the optional BATTLEGROUNDS Plus upgrade.
• Plus is a one-time $12.99 purchase that unlocks Ranked mode and custom games, not a subscription.
• Anti-cheat is strict here. Tools like ReShade (a visual filter some players install to tweak in-game graphics) are blocked outright, so there is no traditional mod scene like you get in single-player games.

PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS is free on both Steam and the Epic Games Store for Windows 10 and 11. Either store works the same way once installed. Set aside 40 to 50GB of free space before you start.

Install via Steam or Epic Games

1. Step 1. Go to the PUBG Steam page or the Epic Games Store page and click Play or Get.
2. Step 2. Sign in to your Steam or Epic account, or create one for free.
3. Step 3. Let the 40 to 50GB download finish, then launch the game from your library.
4. Step 4. Create or link a free KRAFTON ID when prompted. This carries your progress with you if you ever play on Xbox or PlayStation too.
5. Step 5. Pick a region, run through the training area if you are new, then queue for your first match.

Plus is a one-time purchase, not a subscription. You pay once and keep the unlock permanently. It is tied to your account only, so friends without it can still squad up with you in normal matches.

PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS is the game that popularized the battle royale genre on PC. Up to 100 players parachute onto one of several maps with nothing but a backpack, then loot weapons, armor, and vehicles while the safe zone closes in around them.

Compared to faster arcade shooters, PUBG plays slower and more tactical. Bullets have real drop and travel time, footsteps and vehicle engines carry across the map, and a single well-placed shot can end your run. That grounded, high-stakes pace is still what separates it from most battle royale games that followed it.

🎮 Our Take

PUBG is still the most grounded battle royale on the market, and that is exactly why it has held onto a real player base almost a decade after launch. The gunplay has more weight than most of what came after it, and going free-to-play in 2022 removed the one real reason to skip it. Cheating has been a long-running complaint, but KRAFTON’s ongoing crackdown on cheat hardware and repeat offenders shows they are still actively fighting the problem rather than ignoring it.

If you want a slower, more tactical battle royale than Fortnite or Apex Legends, install it and play free matches first. If you end up hooked and want a real ranked ladder or the ability to host custom lobbies, the one-time $12.99 for Plus is cheap for a permanent unlock.

• Higher Framerates: PC hardware can push well past the frame rate caps console versions are locked to, which matters in a game built on split-second reaction time.
• Full Graphics Control: You can tune render distance, foliage, and effects individually, something console presets do not let you do.
• Mouse Aim: Precise, fast aim adjustment gives PC players an edge in long-range fights, which is why PC and console matchmaking pools stay separate.
• Lean and Peek Controls: The Q and E lean keys let you check corners without exposing your whole body, a mechanic that feels far more natural with a keyboard.

Worth knowing before you go looking: PUBG does not have a traditional mod scene like single-player games. KRAFTON’s anti-cheat blocks tools that inject into the game or read its memory, including ReShade, which used to be common and is now outright banned. What players actually use instead are companion apps that pull your stats from PUBG’s own public data, without ever touching the game while it runs. These are the most established ones, all officially listed on KRAFTON’s own developer portal.

Chasing a high refresh rate monitor? KRAFTON also publishes a competitive tier built around an Intel Core i9-9900K or Ryzen 7 3800X, 32GB RAM, and an RTX 2060 Super or RX 5700, aimed at players trying to hit consistently high frame rates rather than just running the game.

PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS FAQ

Support and Community

• 👥 r/PUBATTLEGROUNDS on Reddit
• 💬 Official PUBG Discord
• 📋 Patch notes and updates on Steam