Here’s Why Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds Is So Good

Bluehole’s Playerunknown’s Battleground has become quite the sensation on Steam over the past few months – and it hasn’t even left Early Access yet.

The Battle Royale styled multiplayer game has managed to gross well over $60 million upon its release, and its popularity has gotten so incredible that people went nuts when an Xbox One version was officially announced during its E3 press conference a couple of months ago.

But what is it about the game that makes it such an addiction? There are a few factors to consider, honestly, instead of “well, it’s just too damn good to pass up.” Let’s break down these factors that make Battlegrounds the not-so-usual multiplayer fare.

It’s Literally a Fight For Survival

Most first and third-person shooter games these days are quite forgiving. You can get hit with a few bullets, look for cover, and then “magically” heal up and get back into the fight without breaking a sweat. Some games, however, are moving away from this, and Battlegrounds is leading the charge.

You’ve literally got one life over the course of each battle, and once you’re done, all you’ve got left to do is watch other players as they whittle down the number of players down to a lone survivor. And what’s more, there are a number of ways in which you can die, whether it’s being hit with a frying pan, being pecked off from a distance by a sniper, or simply crashing your car into a tree and watching it explode. Hell, we’ve even see people die from glitch jumps of just a few feet.

It’s the logic of thinking “I better get this right or I’m dead meat” that adds a level of intensity to Battlegrounds that’s missing from other games. And players dig that.

It’s Wonderfully Set Up

Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds takes place on an immensely sized island, and you can actually choose where you need to drop in, whether it’s a military base rife with hiding places, or somewhere out in the wilderness where you can form a strategy. But the way the game is set up, you simply can’t sit still for too long. Glowing barries begin forming, and you’re left out in the cold, you might as well pack up shop. And even then, they’re closed in enough that you have no choice but to face off against adversaries. See, you can’t go hiding out for too long, even though we’ve seen some players go a while in terms of “camping” in a spot. But, soon enough, you’ll have to face the music, and we like how the game keeps things moving.

There Are Plenty of Goodies To Go Around

While Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds doesn’t exactly have an entire arsenal of guns laying around – you’ll need to do some digging – there are some goods that are worth looking around for. Here’s an example – some houses will actually be hiding a great deal of hardware, while others may have something like, say, that frying pan. But it helps to have something to fight with, so you’ll keep digging.

On top of that, you can unlock new goods within the game, including this recently released Battle Royale inspired pack, as well as other shirts, pants and other stuff so you’re not running around buck naked. But, hey, we’ve seen people nuts enough to run around with very little gear on, so do your own thing. Customization is wide open here, and you can create anyone from an executive gone rogue to a full-blown survival master, depending on how much you invest.

It’s A Perfect Game For Streamers

What’s about as much fun as playing a round of Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds? Watching others play it. Sure, some people get a kick out of doing things themselves, but we’ve spent many a night watching Battlegrounds-oriented streams with a number of talents, finding all sorts of hilarious highlights and learning a few strategies here and there about how to be the top dog that walks away with the “chicken dinner”. In fact, some of them have even managed to create highlight reels from it, like Chris Grant, aka @BIGHONKINBURGER, who decided to do some digging underground in a car and found all sorts of trouble. You can watch that clip below, it’s worth it.

Its Unpredictability Makes It Superb

The best thing about Battlegrounds is that it doesn’t really settle into a rut when it comes to gameplay. There are a number of approaches that you can learn that help you along, whether it’s mastering shooting from a distance with a sniper rifle, getting the hang of close-range firearms, or becoming a ninja at sneaking up on someone and taking them out with melee attacks. (It’s seldom, but we’ve seen people do it on more than one occasion.) On top of that, the vehicles are fun in their own right, as you can cruise along the countryside and even run over a few folks before they have the chance to pick you off. Don’t go too nuts, though – you don’t want to hit something at ramming speed and find yourself in an inferno. Ouch.

Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds is available now in Early Access on Steam, and will release soon for PC and Xbox One.