It appears that PUBG may be back in operation. Battlegrounds, the squad-based shooter largely responsible for catapulting battle royale games into the stratosphere of popularity, has recently had to contend with fierce competition from the likes of Fortnite and Call of Duty Warzone. However, with Krafton’s flagship multiplayer game presently soaring on Steam and placing just below top dog CSGO, the new PUBG patch 23.2 may signal a return to form.
It all comes down to the new revival system. See, PUBG can be a punishing experience, particularly for less-experienced or casual players who just want to have a blast with some pals. Shooting is tricky, opponents are grizzled, and death is swift.
It’s very possible to play a whole session of PUBG without even scoring a kill, let alone earning a match win and the coveted chicken dinner. Up against the faster-paced and more forgiving battle royale rivals like Fortnite and Call of Duty, PUBG has always been the most acquired taste.
But now PUBG is going a little lighter on everyone. Thanks to the recent 23.2 update, if you or your teammates get killed, there’s the possibility of being brought back into the game. All you need to do is recover a chip from their loot crate and either take it to a special revival point, or use a mobile one, which you can find by scavenging. This gives you or your deceased buddy the chance to drop back into the battle during the next phase.
It only works in normal and custom play, not ranked, and it’s exclusive to the Erangel, Miramar, and Deston maps. But combined with another big overhaul, that lets you transport knocked-down comrades to safety inside vehicles, the 23.2 revival system makes PUBG a much more inviting prospect for players of all calibers.
And it’s working. On the weekly Steam sale chart for May 16 to May 23, PUBG is ranked second, just beneath the monolithic top-spot mainstay Counter-Strike Global Offensive.
The previous week, before the update had fully settled in, it was down at number 13. PUBG’s concurrent players are still down a little, most recently peaking at 385,299, compared to various highs earlier in the year that saw the shooter slip over the 450,000 mark. But with 23.2 now in place, these could also jump in the near future.
Alternatively, you might want to check out some of the other best multiplayer games, or maybe the best FPS games on PC.
