Free-To-Play PUBG Lite Version Announced For PC

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds developer PUBG Corp. has announced a new version of the PC game. Titled PUBG Lite, the new product is a standalone free-to-play edition of the hit battle royale game that's now in beta in Thailand.

PUBG Corp. says PUBG Lite is designed for "players in areas where the core game's required specifications are more difficult to achieve due to the hardware available." This free-to-play version is therefore playable on lower-spec PCs.

The beta includes the first PUBG map, Erangel, though PUBG Corp. says the free-to-play title has "its own dedicated dev team that will create exclusive content and quality of life features while also adding maps and content familiar to PUBG players."

Thailand is the only confirmed territory for PUBG Lite's beta "for now." The beta will help PUBG Corp. "determine if this is a viable product for other regions," so it remains to be seen if the free-to-play edition makes its way to the west in the future.

PUBG's PS4 and Xbox One versions, meanwhile, recently added the new Vikendi map, the game's fourth map to date. Vikendi is a snow-covered mountainous region that includes a new vehicle, the snowmobile. Arriving alongside Vikendi is the Vikendi Survivor Pass. Much like Fortnite's Battle Pass, it gives players a variety of challenges to complete over 10 weeks. Doing these challenges will level the pass up, which in turn will unlock cosmetics and other rewards.