On what date did PUBG: Battlegrounds become free-to-play?

PUBG: Battlegrounds became free-to-play on January 12, 2022. The change applied across its supported platforms and replaced the game’s former paid-entry model with optional premium benefits.

Players who had bought the game before the switch were upgraded to Battlegrounds Plus at no additional cost. That tier included features such as ranked-mode access, custom-server access, experience boosts, and additional customization items, while the core game became free to download and play.

The date is easy to confuse with PUBG’s earlier milestones. The Windows version entered Steam Early Access on March 23, 2017, and the full PC release followed on December 20, 2017. Those dates mark the game’s early-access launch and commercial release, not its free-to-play transition.

The move reflected the industry’s growing emphasis on free-to-play live services. PUBG had already built a large audience through its paid version, but the new model lowered the barrier for new players while preserving optional revenue through upgrades and cosmetics.