PUBG is such a pure and fun experience that it overcomes its many flaws. There are glitches, there are crashes, there is jank. The game will probably never be fully done. But parachuting down onto that island feels new and exciting every time. A number of simple ideas comes together to make a great game and establish a great genre.

PUBG was once a fantastic game. If you had asked me seven years ago what I thought about it, I would have told you it was one of the best battle royale games especially if you had a good group of friends to play with. However, the current state of the game is absolutely terrible. First and foremost, the optimization is still awful. The game runs poorly even on high end systems, which is unacceptable at this point. On top of that, the matchmaking is completely unfair. If you're a new player trying PUBG for the first time, you'll be thrown into lobbies filled with veterans who have been playing for years. As a result, you stand no chance. The moment you land, you're eliminated almost instantly, making it nearly impossible to enjoy or learn the game. I'm not saying PUBG was ever a perfect game, but at least it used to be fun and offered an enjoyable experience. You could have great laughs with friends, and the game felt rewarding. What bothers me the most about modern PUBG is that the developers seem desperate to turn it into something similar to Fortnite. This is most evident in the excessive focus on cosmetic items skins, outfits, and weapon designs that feel completely out of place in a game that originally prided itself on a more realistic battle royale experience. Another frustrating change is the lack of map selection. In the past, players could choose which map they wanted to play on, but now the game forces you into a random one. This removes a level of control and strategy that was once part of the experience. Had I written this review several years ago, I would have wholeheartedly recommended PUBG. Unfortunately, in its current state, I simply cannot. The game has lost what made it special, and unless major improvements are made, it's not worth your time.

PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS is a game I have been holding out on for ages, ever since it came out, as I never really saw the charm in it. Whilst I can appreciate the way it paved for the BR "genre" - if you will - in its early days, I can not help but feel like the game did not at all age well and going F2P was a last ditch attempt from the developers to keep their dying game alive. With that said, I have sunk some hours into the game and I have had fun with my friends. But I am glad I never spent money on this game nor would I. So, in short, this game is good for a few games with friends, but stay away from the aggressive and exploitative micro-transactions.