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The game has been free-to-play for all platforms since January 12, 2022. A version for the Stadia streaming platform was released in April 2020, with Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 versions being released in November 2020. PUBG Mobile, a free-to-play mobile game version for Android and iOS, was released in 2018, in addition to a port for the PlayStation 4. The game was also released by Microsoft Studios for the Xbox One via its Xbox Game Preview program that same month, and officially released in September 2018. It was first released for Windows via Steam's early access beta program in March 2017, with a full release in December 2017. The last surviving player (or team) wins the round. The available safe area of the game's map decreases in size over time, directing surviving players into an ever tightening space to force encounters. In the game, up to one hundred players parachute onto an island where they scavenge for weapons and equipment to kill other players while avoiding getting killed themselves. The game is played from either a third-person or first-person perspective.
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It is the first game in the PUBG Universe series. The game, which was inspired by the Japanese film Battle Royale (2000), is based on previous mods created by Brendan "PlayerUnknown" Greene for other games, and expanded into a standalone game under Greene's creative direction. PUBG: Battlegrounds (previously known as PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds) is a battle royale game developed by PUBG Studios and published by Krafton.
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