PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is finally leaving early access this week
Battle Royale megahit PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is set to leave early access development later this week, developer Bluehole has confirmed.
Having launched as an early access title exclusively for PC in March 2017, the title has since amassed over 26 million players, becoming the most popular game on Steam as a result.
PlayerUnknown himself confirmed on social media earlier today that version 1.0 of Battlegrounds will be launching on PC at 11PM PST on December 20 and 7am GMT on December 21 in the UK.
Players, we will be leaving Early Access and launching PC 1.0 on Dec 20 11PM PST. The maintenance on live servers for 1.0 will start Dec 20 6PM PST / Dec 21 3AM CET and last for 5 hours. 1.0 release patch notes and our plans beyond the release will be shared with you soon.
— PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS (@PUBG) December 20, 2017
Related: Best PC Games
The Xbox One version launched last week via the preview program, although has unfortunately been subject to a range of technical issues such as texture pop-in and inconsistent performance.
However, Bluehole has already begun pushing updates to improve things. The 1.0 version on PC also aims to add some major improvements to the overall experience.
Leaderboards on PC will be reset alongside the launch of 1.0 so all players jumping into the new version will presumably be on a level playing field when it comes to online ranking.
In terms of new features, 1.0 will add climbing, vaulting and Miramar, the new desert map currently playable on the PUBG test servers. It also makes subtle changes to a range of UI elements.
Related: Upcoming Xbox One Games
While we’re yet to throw a score on PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds due to its status as an early access title, here’s what we thought of the Xbox One release:
‘We’re not going to dish out any final scores until the full release next year, but Bluehole and Microsoft have some serious work to do if they want to bring the Xbox One PUBG up to scratch. I hope they do it, because at its best this is still one of the most thrilling and tactical multiplayer games around – and it deserves to be as big on console as it is on PC.’
Will you be picking up PUBG now it’s out of early access? Let us know on Facebook and Twitter @trustedreviews.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
