PUBG 2.0 will have Unreal Engine 5, new modes and content created by players

During the presentation of the first quarter of 2025, Krafton unveiled its new vision for the future of the PUBG franchise, officially confirming the PUBG 2.0 initiative. With revenue of over US$ 610 million in the quarter — a growth of 31.3% compared to the same period in 2024 — the South Korean publisher plans to turn its flagship title into a long-term sustainable and evolving gaming platform.

At the core of this plan are three main technical pillars: graphic engine update, expansion of game modes, and encouragement of user-generated content.

"In the long term, PUBG's main services will evolve into a gameplay platform," stated TS Jang, franchise director of PUBG.
(Free translation.)

The PUBG 2.0 project includes:

Update to Unreal Engine 5, currently in pre-production phase;

Gameplay diversification, with the development of a new "well-crafted mode" in collaboration with external studios, expanding the experience beyond the traditional battle royale format;

User-generated content (UGC) integration, focusing on community creator tools and resources.

The expectation is that the latter two points will begin to be implemented in the second half of 2025, with sequential updates.

This new approach aligns Krafton with strategies already seen in other industry giants, such as Epic Games, which turned Fortnite into a multi-experience platform based on various modes and UGC. Additionally, the roadmap includes cultural partnerships, collaborations between intellectual properties, and closer integration between PUBG, BGMI, and PUBG Mobile.

PUBG 2.0 is not the first sign of a revamp: previous mentions from the company already indicated an interest in keeping the franchise relevant "for generations and regions," now with a more concrete and technical plan for the ecosystem's evolution.