The highly renowned and popular Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds is coming to phones soon. The mobile version of the game is already available in some countries, such as China and Canada. The first question that goes through many people’s mind is how a game like PUBG would work on a phone- the mobile version pulls it off pretty well.
PUBG is the type of game that will ensure you have a good time regardless of your skill level. The game became more popular than it already was when it was introduced to consoles via the Xbox One. Chinese company Tencent soon bought the rights to PUBG for phones and now the game’s mobile version is currently available in a limited amount of countries. The mobile version is currently undergoing its “test launch” phases to see how the game performs on a smartphone and what the general reaction is.
Although PUBG was great on PCs, it was a giant mess when it came on the Xbox One. There were problems everywhere with the console version of the game and given a large number of players, the game was bound to attract criticism. The problems arose due to lack of optimization for a game that was originally intended for PCs, to come on a console that had significantly less power than a typical PC. Although things have improved since launch, the console experience still isn’t as great as it should be.
Therefore, when one hears about a mobile version of the game, there’s greater concern due to the limited capability of phones. However, phones seem to hold up well with the game, they perform much better than what’s expected of them. The graphics have been downgraded significantly, but that was to be expected because it’s a mobile version.
However, performance is great and the graphics downgrade doesn’t feel that bad on a smaller, typical phone screen. The frame rates, resolution and other performance factors are actually better on the phone than on the Xbox One.
Another concern regarding the phone version of the game was regarding how the controls would work for a game like PUBG. There’s so much going on at the same time, the idea of the game on a phone was unfathomable. However, the game seems to have found the right formula as all the controls are smooth and easy to perform. You can even lock the direction of your running (as seen in the photo above) and there are also “shoot” buttons on both sides of the screen so you can fire from either side during an intense fight. Looting and certain other actions are surprisingly easier to perform on the phone compared to on PC or Xbox.
The game more or less gets the same stuff the Xbox One version of the game got in terms of maps etc. However, there are certain features inherited from the PC version such as the ability to vault over obstacles. There are other tweaks here and there such as the minimap indicating footsteps or sounds for sessions where you have to play the game while keeping the phone muted.
There is one key difference between the phone version and other variants of the game. The phone gaming audience mainly comprises of non-hardcore or “casual” players. Therefore, to help such players ease into the controls of the game, the developers have put in more bots for lower leveled people. Once you’re at a higher level, the number of bots starts to decrease. This is a good way to help new players get comfortable with PUBG and ensure they have a good experience that would want them to keep playing the game.
The mobile game is a triumph and definitely worth getting. PUBG mobile is likely to come out for app stores of other countries once it’s out of its “testing phase”. Their main competitor, Fortnite recently launched mobile versions of their game. Therefore, it’s highly likely for PUBG to go forward with this mobile version in order to attract more players.