Multiplayer survival shooter PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) is out of Steam Early Access shortly. While the PUBG 1.0 release date was revealed as December 20 at The Game Awards 2017, developer PUBG Corp never quite revealed an exact PUBG 1.0 start time or gameplay changes. That's not the case anymore.
The official PUBG Twitter account has confirmed PUBG 1.0 start time and release date. You can play PUBG 1.0 from 11pm PST on December 20. The India PUBG 1.0 start time is 12:30pm IST on December 21.
PUBG 1.0 PC specifications
Developer PUBG Corp hasn't given a recommended specification, instead sticking to a minimum requirement that hasn't changed since the game hit Steam earlier in the year.
Don't let the modest requirements fool you. In our experience (as well as others) it's not the easiest game to get a stable 60 frames per second in for smooth gameplay.
PUBG 1.0 map selection
Despite the official announcement of the PUBG Miramar map, PUBG Corp won't let you choose maps right after the PUBG PC 1.0 release. The reasons are aplenty, ranging from long matchmaking times to the number of modes and perspectives being a hindrance. All of this has resulted in the developer stating that map selection isn't going to be a day one feature for PUBG 1.0 adding that "we will do our best to add the feature and required systems as soon as we can".
PUBG 1.0 modes
Solo first-person perspective mode (FPP) will be added to PUBG 1.0 in South America (SA) and Oceanic (OCE) servers. Though PUBG Corp warns that it could be tough to find FPP matches after it adds map selection (which has no concrete date yet). And keep in mind that FPP could be removed if it doesn't have many takers in these regions.
"Off-peak times could last anywhere from 11 to 17 hours. But since this is a widely requested game mode in OCE and SA, we still decided to add it and will be monitoring the situation. If there is less than one session per two hours on average after we add the map selection feature, less popular FPP mode may be closed. We have made a similar decision regarding FPP mode in another region in the past to remove negative experience for our players. We will keep you posted on the schedule for the update," the developer said.
PUBG 1.0 server lag and stability issues
Development on PUBG doesn't end with PUBG 1.0. Server stability and lag is also of importance. PUBG Corp has stated its looking at "implementing ping lock to help with server lock and other stability issues." Much like its efforts with map selection, no concrete date for a fix has been given. Though it has outlined that its still developing this feature and it will be tested in one region first.
In our PUBG PC review, we stated that it’s an interesting addition to the shooter landscape bogged down by poor frame rate and a myriad of other technical issues. While PUBG 1.0 brings a slew of much needed bug fixes and replay improvements, it will be interesting to see how much effort is put into the PC version after PUBG 1.0. After all, PUBG Corp also has the popular Xbox One version to support too.
If you don't have a decent PC or an Xbox One and want to see what all the fuss is about, check out three PUBG clones you can play on your smartphone.
Do you see more games implementing PUBG's battle royale stylings or do you think the fad is over and done with? Let us know in the comments.
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