

The free PUBG Mobile is available on iOS and Android. PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is available on Xbox One and PC. With Fortnitealready using that model, it could help PUBG to make up some of the ground it has lost to Epic Games’ title over the last year.

With microtransactions already in place, we wouldn’t be surprised if Microsoft and publisher Bluehole ultimately decided to make the game free for good. It only has one map, however, while PUBG has added several since its initial launch. The latter game is a particularly big threat, as its basic gameplay loop is very similar to PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, but with a level of polish we’d expect from the Call of Duty series. The battle royale shooter has also had to deal with major competition in Fortnite, as well as Call of Duty: Black Ops 4‘s Blackout mode. The decision to temporarily make PUBG free on Xbox comes after news of the game potentially heading to PS4 later this year. When it came to the Preview program in 2017, the game had severe performance issues, particularly on the cheaper console, but updates have helped to make it a smoother experience. PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds supports 4K on the Xbox One X, as well as HDR on both the Xbox One X and the Xbox One S. Microsoft occasionally offers similar promotions for other games, particularly with Overwatch, but these almost always require having an Xbox Live Gold subscription as well. The trial period actually coincides with Xbox Live’s “Free Play Days For All” promotion, which gives those without an Xbox Live Gold subscription the ability to play online during that time. PUBG is free to play from now until November 11, as is Pro Evolution Soccer 2019.

Presumably, this is done so that Microsoft can deactivate the game once the promotion is up, but there don’t appear to be any limitations on the game during the trial period.

On the Microsoft store, a new listing has been posted for PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds‘ “free for a limited time” bundle, which is listed as free but contains the $30 standard release.
