Players have been waiting a long time for news about PUBG: New State, a follow-up to PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, or PUBG for short. The game seemingly came out of nowhere to completely dominate the gaming and streaming zeitgeist, but its mobile version, PUBG Mobile, is by far the most popular way to play.
After four years, mobile gamers will have a new playground to run around in with PUBG: New Stage, which is set to launch on Nov. 11th on iOS and Android.
Set in the year 2051, this new game will be a shake-up of the old PUBG formula. The original game first launched on PC in 2017, with the mobile version coming to Android and iOS a year later. PUBG Mobile quickly became a smash hit, surpassing one billion downloads and grossing more than $6 billion as of August 2021, so it’s no surprise that the sequel is coming straight to mobile.
While Tencent handled the development of the original PUBG Mobile game, PUBG: New State will be coming directly from PUBG Studios, the developers of PUBG on PC. Mobile games are new territory for PUBG Studios, so we’re interested to see how the new installment in the series will shape up.
PUBG New State: Release date
KRAFTON, Inc. has confirmed that PUBG: New State will release on iOS and Android on Nov. 11th, 2021. The game will launch in 200 countries, and be playable in 17 languages. A final technical test will be performed on Oct. 29-30 in 28 countries to make sure everything is ready.
PUBG New State: Trailer
The trailer for PUBG: New State gives us a peek at what the new game will look like. It’s clear that the battle royal style that made PUBG so popular is definitely making a comeback, and we get a peek at the new features that will be available — specifically note the drones flying overhead that will deliver supplies and perform recon. We also see a defeated player being recruited by the opposing team, showing off the possibility that your matches might not be over right away if you’re felled by other players.
PUBG New State: Setting
PUBG was set in the present, and it’s clear that there has been a leap forward in time between it and the events of PUBG: New State. The new game is set 30 years in the future in 2051, and while it retains the post-apocalyptic vibe of the original, the landscapes seem more vibrant and lush (although maybe that’s just the graphical upgrade.) Additionally, the technology in the world seems to have advanced, as we see characters in the trailer sporting accessories like a one-armed computer eyeglass. There’s also footage of new futuristic transportation systems and billboards that project holograms in the Fall of Troi music video.
PUBG New State: Weapons & Customisation
The gunplay in PUBG: New State seems to have gotten an upgrade, with the developers showing off the performance of some different guns on the game's official YouTube channel. The recoil and spray of each weapon will be different depending on your position when you fire it — whether you’re crouching, standing, or shouldering the gun. Another new addition to the game is weapon customization — you’ll be able to tweak your weapons to your own preferences, changing the way your guns look and behave.
PUBG New State: Gameplay & Game Modes
At launch, PUBG: New State will include four maps. Erangel will be making a return from the original PUBG, and of course Troi will also appear as a map in the game. The devs promise that the game will be regularly updated with new content, hopefully giving New State as long of a life as the original had. The team also said that the game would bring the “full, uncompromised experience of PUBG: Battlegrounds to iOS and Android,” which should hopefully mean that New State will include the game modes that were lacking in PUBG Mobile.
Ultimately, we'll need to get some hands on before we can get a deeper understanding of all the new modes and features included in the game.
