Featured Image Credit: krafton/Microsoft/Sony Interactive Entertainment
Topics: Battle Royale, PlayStation, PlayStation 4, Xbox, Xbox One
Topics: Battle Royale, PlayStation, PlayStation 4, Xbox, Xbox One
Popular free-to-play shooter PUBG is officially closing down the servers for the last-gen consoles later this year.
Previously known as PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, before being rebranded as PUBG: Battlegrounds, this popular shooter was one of the titles that helped establish the battle royale genre as we know it today.
Perhaps without PUBG, the likes of Fortnite and Call of Duty: Warzone wouldn't have become as popular or successful as they are today.
Originally released in 2017, PUBG is still going strong, according to SteamDB. At the time of writing, the shooter hit an all-time concurrent player peak of more than 3.2 million over seven years ago.
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As of today, it has a 24-hour concurrent player peak of 725,587, which is mighty impressive for a game that’s approaching being a decade old.
While the exact numbers aren't publicly obtainable on consoles, I’d imagine PUBG is performing reasonably well on PlayStation and Xbox, too. However, at least on consoles, PUBG is going to take a massive hit by killing off support this year.
As spotted by TweakTown, PUBG publisher Krafton has announced that support will come to an end for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on 13 November 2025, in the hope of making the current-gen console performances more stable as well as improving visuals and framerates.
“It weighs heavily on us to deliver this news to our console players who have enjoyed PUBG on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One for so many years,” reads a statement by Krafton.
“We still vividly remember the epic battles, the heart-stopping moments, and the camaraderie that brought us together. We are deeply grateful for every moment you've spent with us over the past eight years.
“This was not a decision made lightly. It comes after long and careful consideration, in pursuit of the continued growth and long-term future of PUBG Console. We kindly ask for your understanding and invite players using PlayStation 4 or Xbox One to review the details below.”
Before January 2022, PUBG was not free-to-play, and for those who initially paid to play the battle royale shooter, refunds will be issued, including those who purchased Battlegrounds Plus.
PUBG: Battlegrounds is out now on PC, PlayStation, Xbox and compatible mobile devices.