PUBG: Battlegrounds (earlier known as PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds), credited with popularising the battle royale genre of video games, has made the transition from a paid to a free-to-play (F2P) title.

The F2P transition was announced by PUBG developers, South Korea’s Krafton, at The Game Awards (TGA) in December 2021, and the transition took place on Wednesday, January 12, making the game freely available on PC as well as consoles.

Along with the F2P transition, PUBG has also announced a Battlegrounds Plus optional premium account upgrade for a one-time price of $12.99, which will give premium account holders access to a bunch of cosmetic items, 1,300 G-Coin (the in-game currency), and an XP bonus.

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Notably, players who had purchased the game earlier, prior to its F2P transition, will also be upgraded to a Battlegrounds Plus account and will also receive a PUBG Special Commemorative Pack that will give them access to exclusive cosmetic items.

The F2P transition for PUBG is not only expected to attract a large number of new players, but will also mark a new era for the game, according to developers Krafton.

The company has already started rolling out the 15.2 update for PUBG, which will introduce new gameplay features by adding a new in-game item category, Tactical Gears. The update will also resolve existing bugs, make gameplay smoother, and add a bunch of other features including training modes featuring AI.

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Players will now be able to equip either a drone or emergency medical technician (EMT) gear in their tactical gear slots, allowing for new gameplay possibilities. While drone operators will be able to carry out reconnaissance operations from afar and pick up important items remotely, EMT gear users will gain improved healing and revive abilities.

The F2P game is available for free on Steam for PC users, while Xbox and PlayStation users can access the game for free on their respective console game stores. The game is also available on Stadia.