PUBG online: where to play it free, and a quick iPhone royale
PUBG: Battlegrounds is a free battle royale for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, and its phone version, PUBG Mobile, is a separate free game on iPhone. If you want a smaller, faster royale to play with friends, Roam has two free top-down ones, and you can make your own.
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Where to play PUBG
PUBG: Battlegrounds is made by PUBG Studios and published by Krafton. It came out on PC in 2017 and went free to play on PC and consoles on January 12, 2022. Today it runs on Steam, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Support for PS4 and Xbox One ended in November 2025. BATTLEGROUNDS Plus is an optional paid upgrade that unlocks ranked play and custom matches.
A classic match drops up to 100 players onto maps like Erangel or Miramar. You land, loot guns and armor, and stay inside a shrinking circle until one player or squad is left. You can queue solo, as a duo, or as a squad of four.
PUBG Mobile came to iPhone in March 2018. It plays the same way, but it is a separate game with its own accounts and progress.
Free battle royales like PUBG on Roam
These two keep the loop: drop, loot, fight, last one standing. They play from a top-down view with smaller lobbies, so a round asks for less time. They are not PUBG, not ports, and not connected to Krafton.
- Block Royale. A top-down battle royale: 24 drop in, one walks out. The quickest way to get the PUBG feeling on a phone.
- Last Squad Standing. A top-down squad battle royale: your squad against theirs on one field. Pick this one if you play with a group.
Make your own PUBG-style game
Describe the map and the rules in one sentence, and Roam comes back with a playable game. If a round feels too long, say "make the circle shrink faster". Friends can be in the game, not just watching. Keep these and it will feel like a real royale.
- A drop. Everyone picks where to land. Hot zones mean early fights and better loot.
- Loot on the ground. Start with nothing, find a gun, upgrade as you go.
- A shrinking circle. The zone pushes everyone together so the end is always a fight.
- Squads. Two to four friends per team makes revives and callouts part of the game.
Play it on Roam
More on Roam
Make your own battle royale with Roam
Say where you drop, how big the squads are and how fast the circle closes. Play it with your squad or solo. Roam is rated 13+ on the App Store.
Try: "battle royale on a frozen island, drop from a plane, loot crates, circle shrinks every minute, my friends are my squad of four"Roam ("Roam - Make Games" on the App Store) is an iPhone app where you play games and make your own by describing them or from a photo. It is free to download and play, and making games works without a subscription; optional Spark and Reality plans and credit packs add more creation. Android: pre-register on Google Play.
Questions people ask
Is PUBG free?
Yes. PUBG: Battlegrounds has been free on PC and consoles since January 2022, and PUBG Mobile is free on phones. Ranked on PC and console needs the paid BATTLEGROUNDS Plus upgrade.
Can you play PUBG on iPhone?
Yes, as PUBG Mobile, a separate free game on the App Store. It does not share progress with the PC and console version.
Can I play PUBG with friends?
Yes. Both versions let you queue as a duo or a squad of four, and you can invite friends to your team before a match.
Sources, checked November 3, 2026
- PUBG Studios developer, Krafton publisher, free-to-play since January 12, 2022: en.wikipedia.org
- PS4 and Xbox One support ends November 13, 2025; native PS5 and Xbox Series versions: en.wikipedia.org
- BATTLEGROUNDS Plus unlocks ranked mode and custom servers; up to 100 players; solo, duo, squads of four: en.wikipedia.org