PUBG Arena Mode could reinvent the Battle Royale genre
By Ty Brody
PUBG’s new Arena Mode is a twist to the standard Battle Royale genre, featuring an economy system and three chances to avoid elimination.
PUBG may be reinventing the Battle Royale genre with its latest game mode. Available now on live servers until October 8, “Arena Mode” is a 64 player squad-based match that shares resembling similarities to titles such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, VALORANT, and Teamfight Tactics. Featuring an economy system, round-based format against alternating opponents, and a limited number of chances to succeed; Arena Mode plays like an intriguing combination that borrows from popular titles yet remains honest to PUBG‘s iconic Battle Royale experience.
Arena mode drops sixteen squads into sectioned-off combat zones around the map where they’ll play up to two other teams. Prior to dropping into the combat zone, players can purchase weapons, armor, and throwables to use in the upcoming round. The currency in Arena Mode is obtained by winning rounds and getting kills, which is important because most of the decent gear is hard to come by.
Upon landing at the start of a round, players can immediately fire the weapons they brought into the round. So try to avoid landing anywhere in the open, because you’ll immediately become the target of eight other players. Once the round is finished, and if your team is the last standing in that zone, you’ll have the opportunity to collect loot from the world spawn and any defeated enemy players – just be quick because you’ll have roughly 20 seconds before the next round begins. This is by far the best method to upgrade your armory, practically for free, without spending your hard-earned cash.
In Arena Mode, each team is given three chances to avoid elimination. As the match continues, more and more teams lose rounds and therefore have fewer chances. Once thirteen of the original sixteen teams are eliminated, the match ends in a sudden death round between the surviving three squads. Any spare chances are discarded and the final three teams enter a sudden death round to determine the match-winner.
More from App and Gaming News
- Cyberpunk 2077 Update 2.1: Last major update released
- GTA 6: Who is Lucia and what is her role?
- Sonic Dream Team review: A welcome surprise to Apple Arcade
- Is GTA 6 coming to PC at launch in 2025?
- GTA 6 trailer arrives early, confirming 2025 release: Watch it here!
While the three-chance system and shopping for loot contradicts the fundamentals of Battle Royale, Arena Mode offers something new to all players. Plus, the decisive winner-takes-all round provides an intense late-game scenario like a traditional PUBG match. I’ve been extremely impressed with how entertaining the matches are from one to another, but it’s self-evident that Arena Mode is still in early development.
Perhaps PUBG isn’t trying to compete with the leading tactical FPS titles on the market, but if they want to draw in a new wave of players, there is already a growing list of features that players would like to see introduced. Leaderboards, dedicated Survivor Pass, and a Game History tab for Arena Mode matches alone would be a solid start. Players want to have something to play for, Arena Mode will not be an exception to that.
Based on the overwhelmingly positive feedback from the initial days of testing, it seems fair to say that Arena Mode has had one of the most positive overall responses to a new feature introduced by PUBG. They’ve already extended the time on live servers until October 8, now let’s hope the team truly gets behind this mode to capitalize on the enthusiasm surrounding it.