PUBG is set to walk Fortnite's path with destructible environment and more

PUBG: Battlegrounds' ambitious seventh-year roadmap, promising core gameplay refinements, destructible environments like Fortnite, and a bi-monthly update.

PUBG: Battlegrounds is set to revamp its gameplay experience as it steps into its seventh year.

PUBG developers are taking inspiration from Fortnite (PUBG Studios/Reddit/Epic Games)

The battle royale, which once stood at the forefront of the battle royale craze, now finds itself overshadowed by Fortnite’s soaring popularity and its continuous stream of collaborations and seasonal updates.

But, PUBG developers are not standing idly by. They’ve showcased a roadmap for 2024 that aims to refine the core gameplay loop, steering clear of introducing new game modes or similar diversions.

Central to these plans is introducing destructible environments, a feature directly coming from Fortnite’s dynamic battlegrounds. While players won’t be levelling entire structures, the developers have promised that some “sections” will be destructible.

A teaser visual depicted a player wielding a pickaxe to dig a hole, hinting at this new feature's possibilities when the environment destructible update launches in April, with further enhancements slated for subsequent releases.

In a bid to maintain a fresh competitive meta, PUBG’s arsenal will undergo bimonthly updates. These gun tweaks will debut in Arcade mode, gathering player feedback before transitioning to Normal and Ranked play. The upcoming Update 28.2 is set to introduce a significant SMG Rebalance to Arcade, with a broader game-wide implementation expected in June. The developers have also teased future adjustments for the SCAR-L, and AKM and nerfs targeting unspecified “powerful weapons.”

PUBG's evolution isn’t limited to combat

Developers are exploring new areas, focusing on adventure and loot, and expanding beyond traditional shooting. It’s worth considering portable ziplines, as we’ve seen in Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six siege after the recent addition of vehicle vaulting and co-op climbing, which expand the kinetic mechanics available to players.

While the upcoming updates won’t introduce brand-new game modes, they do introduce Team vs. Games. The Team settings will also be introduced. This feature will take you and your allies to a series of tournaments with a new team, where your activities and victories contribute to additional prizes.

Speciality modes continue to pop up in some areas, such as the PvE mode Survivors Left Behind from last Halloween, which is now scheduled to be updated every three months, alongside staples like Team Deathmatch and Intense Battle Royale

Expected areas of disruption and innovation will likely benefit from the planned transition to Unreal Engine 5. These significant changes are expected to pave the way for user-generated content, which they production will reflect a desire to create a “vibrant, creator-driven ecosystem”.

The roadmap also highlights that cheating was cracked down on significantly, with more than three million cheats blocked last year—up 33% from 2022. This increased ban is driven by PUBG’s enhanced cheat detection techniques, including deep learning examples featuring aimbots and other highlight devices. Developers assure players that cheating reports will be “very scrutinized” before any penalties are imposed, reiterating their commitment to fair play