The switch to free-to-play has not only made the globally popular Battle Royale title more accessible than ever, but also ensured growth rates similar to when the game was first released in 2017. In the week following the F2P switch, the game experienced an increase of 486 n new players, surpassing the growth rate compared to 2017, and in certain territories such as the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Southeast Asia, and South America, the numbers increased even more in percentage terms (537%). Additionally, the game saw a significant increase in average playtime compared to the week before the F2P launch. While these increased by 100% on PC and consoles compared to the previous week, PlayStation players` playtime increased by 400%.

Users are also drawn to the new tutorials, which include the basic training mode, AI training matches and lobby tutorials. According to internal data, these were the most played content during the transition period. The tutorials were designed to effectively integrate new players and welcome back experienced players who have been on hiatus for a while. The most played maps since January 12 are the recently released map Taego and the fan-favorite map Erangel.

To celebrate the recent milestone and transition to the F2P model, KRAFTON will also host a "Check-In Dinner Event." This event will reward the most active players. Any player who plays the game for at least one hour between 01:00 CET on January 28 and 00:59 on January 31 will receive a special reward. On each day of the event, players will receive another thank you for "checking in". In addition, players who check in for at least an hour three times by 00:59 CET on February 18 will earn an exclusive Orbital Vanguard skin. Each week there will be a unique color variant of the Orbital Vanguard skin (Cadet Green, Cadet Pink, Cadet Yellow and Cadet Blue). Those who collect all the variants will receive a bonus fifth color variant - Cadet Red. More details are available here.

When PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS went into Steam Early Access in 2017, it popularized the genre of battle royale games. To date, the game has sold more than 75 million copies on PC and consoles, making it one of the best-selling games of all time. In the nearly five years since its release, PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS has continued to build on its early success with constant in-game updates. Among them, new maps, game modes, and gameplay features.