PUBG going free-to-play for a week alongside name change

PUBG Taego map
(Image credit: PUBG Corporation)

Playerunknown's Battlegrounds is going free-to-play for a week, and receiving a name change.

As first reported by PCGamesN earlier today on August 6, PUBG is temporarily going free-to-play later this month. The free-to-play week will be commencing next week, starting on August 10 and is going to run until August 16, which will also coincide with Kpop mega-group Blackpink's crossover content launching in the game, with decals on the airship and buildings.

Elsewhere for the battle royale shooter is a name change, as we previously highlighted. The new name for Playerunknown's Battlegrounds going forward is "PUBG: Battlegrounds," which means the full name of the game is now officially Playerunknown's Battlegrounds: Battlegrounds. We can pretty easily see the game still being fondly referred to as "PUBG," by its dedicated player base, though.

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.