By: Max Cannon
With a surprise launch, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, often known by the acronym PUBG, is available to download worldwide on both iPhone and Android. The best part is that this mega-popular game is totally free to play on these new mobile platforms. Though the game clearly looks graphically inferior to the other versions, the performance is likely to surprise you.
Playing PUBG Anywhere
PUBG's presence in the mobile marketplace is due to a partnership with the Chinese publisher Tencent who has the exclusive rights to put the game onto a mobile platform. This is hot on the heels of last week's release of Fortnite on iOS, but unlike Fortnite's method of a slow release of codes to give people access, PUBG is available on both the App Store and Google Play Store right now! If you're reading this on your smart device you can click here for an Android download link and click here for an iOS download link. Just be aware that the game is rated T for Teen because of violence and does include microtransactions, though the T rating means that the violence is much less severe than a game with an M for Mature rating.
This screen from my iPhone 7 looked better than I'd expected.
Like I'd mentioned earlier, the game definitely looks less impressive graphically than both the PC version and the Xbox One version and I was enjoying the game on my iPhone 7. However, the performance on mobile felt on par, or often just better, than my personal experience with PUBG on the Xbox One X. You're not always going to be able to see your target so easily because draw distance is pretty compromised but an intense moment really doesn't feel that much lesser on the small screen, assuming you're using headphones.
Using the motion controls to fine tune your aiming is genuinely helpful.
Controlling Your Character
Controls are pretty straightforward if you've played any other touchscreen-based shooter before, the left side of your screen focuses on movement and the right side controls your camera. The on-screen buttons mostly feel well-placed and easy to access inventory and auto pickup is an even better system than both of the previous versions of the game. At this point, I'd be happy if they ported this version over to Xbox instead of the poorly performing version of the game we've been dealing with now. Luckily for those Xbox players, like myself, they've outlined a more detailed roadmap and clearly shifted their philosophy to make that version much more impressive. For a more detailed list of the differences, check out this video below from the awesome guys at Eurogamer!
14 Big Differences Between PUBG Mobile and PUBG PC
The one catch here is that in the earliest rounds you won't always be facing off with actual players instead you'll see simple to defeat bots and players mixed in together. As you level up, you'll find yourself against players more frequently. And taking advantage of my phone's gyroscope let me use motion controls in a way to aim more effectively, sort of like what you'll see in Splatoon 2. Though it's pretty early to call, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is a perfect fit for phones with this awesome port and when it's totally free it's hard to argue.
My first round felt like an awesome victory until I learned about the use of bots.
Have Your Say!
Are you going to download PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds Mobile? Or are you happy playing Fortnite on your smart device? Share your thoughts below!
