PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is having a free-to-play weekend soon

Microsoft has announced a free trial for PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds this month as part of its Xbox Live Gold Free Play Days. 

From April 19 to 22, Xbox Live Gold subscribers will be able download and play the full Xbox Game Preview version of PUBG completely free. This means they’ll have access to all the game modes including solo, duo and squads. If, after your short trial, you decide you’d like to purchase the game for good any battle points you earn during the trial will be carried over. 

When the game becomes free at at 12:01 AM PT/ 8 AM BST on April 19, finding it to download is as simple as going to the Gold Member area on the Xbox Live dashboard. As well as a free weekend, Microsoft has also announced brand new DLC for PUBG called PUBG5 pack (though this is definitely not free). 

Free entry to the battlegrounds

The DLC comes with new cosmetic items including a new hat, jeans, shirt and boots which won’t affect gameplay at all. If you decide to purchase this DLC while you’re playing the free weekend, it’ll also be carried over if you choose to buy the final game. 

Having a free-to-access weekend could be big for PUBG on console. The game’s main competitor, Fortnite, is free to play across all platforms while PUBG is a full-price game. 

That means that those not sure which game is for them are inclined to move towards Fortnite first rather than taking the risk of purchasing PUBG. Being free to access for a small window during the height of battle royale popularity could see PUBG bring in a larger audience on Xbox. 

Emma Boyle

Emma Boyle is TechRadar’s ex-Gaming Editor, and is now a content developer and freelance journalist. She has written for magazines and websites including T3, Stuff and The Independent. Emma currently works as a Content Developer in Edinburgh.