If you own an Xbox One and haven’t had a chance to try PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds yet, Microsoft has the perfect deal for you. For a limited time, the game is free on the Microsoft store, so you can try your hand at battle royale and realize how much better all the other players are.
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. 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.
PUBG is free to play from now until November 11, as is Pro Evolution Soccer 2019. 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. Microsoft occasionally offers similar promotions for other games, particularly with Overwatch, but these almost always require having an Xbox Live Gold subscription as well.
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. 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.
The decision to temporarily make PUBG free on Xbox comes after news of the game potentially heading to PS4 later this year. 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 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. It only has one map, however, while PUBG has added several since its initial launch.
With microtransactions already in place, we wouldn’t be surprised if Microsoft and publisher Bluehole ultimately decided to make the game free for good. With Fortnite already 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.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is available on Xbox One and PC. The free PUBG Mobile is available on iOS and Android.
Updated on November 8, 2018 by Gabe Gurwin: Added length of trial as well as information on Free Play Days For All.
