Amsterdam, The Netherlands – MARCH 11, 2026 – KRAFTON, Inc. Today announced a major 9th anniversary celebration for PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS, featuring a new in-game update, anniversary-themed events, and a special music collaboration with global artist ALLDAY PROJECT.
Originally launched in Steam Early Access on March 23, 2017, PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS helped define the battle royale genre and reached a peak of 3.25 million concurrent players on Steam. Nine years later, the game continues to evolve with new content and events for its global community.
Anniversary Events Arrive Across the Battlegrounds
To mark the milestone, the battlegrounds have transformed into a festival celebrating the game and its community. A special 9th Anniversary statue appears on the starting island, where players can interact with it before matches begin. By landing nine successful throws with Holographic Stun Grenades, the statue transforms into the player’s character appearance.
Players logging in during the event can also receive the Event Pass: All Day Party, offering missions and rewards including themed cosmetics, emotes, G-Coin, and BP.
The celebration continues across the Rondo map, where anniversary-themed pop-up stores, billboards, and other surprises appear throughout the environment. Players may encounter Chicken Man, a special event character who rewards players with Lucky Eggs containing potential items such as weapons, Level 3 gear, or a special 9th Anniversary Ghillie Suit.
Additional anniversary-themed care packages and environmental elements—including celebratory drone shows—have also been added across the battlegrounds.
Update 40.2 Brings Map and Mode Improvements
The anniversary celebration arrives alongside Update 40.2, which introduces improvements across several areas of the game.
On the Vikendi map, item pools in Secret Rooms have been expanded to include additional tactical equipment, while certain locked doors have been replaced with standard doors to improve accessibility during matches.
Arcade modes have also been refined. Team Deathmatch now features adjusted map selection probabilities based on player preferences, while Intense Battle Royale includes updated crate contents designed to improve combat pacing.
On PC, the UGC Alpha has been expanded with a new Creator Information feature, allowing creators to define mode details such as the mode name and creator attribution, alongside the addition of new Subzero items.
Music Collaboration Celebrates Nine Years of PUBG
As part of the anniversary celebration, KRAFTON also released a special collaboration track and music video featuring global artist ALLDAY PROJECT.
The track, titled “I DON’T BARGAIN,” captures the competitive spirit and survival mindset that have defined PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS for nearly a decade. The music video blends dynamic performances from ALLDAY PROJECT with cinematic battleground combat sequences.
The video concludes with one of PUBG’s most recognizable symbols—the Level 3 Helmet—filled with anniversary messages from fans around the world, celebrating the global community that has grown around the game over the past nine years.
Players can learn more about the 9th Anniversary celebration and Update 40.2 by visiting the official PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS website at https://pubg.com or checking out the Update 40.2 Patch Report video.
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About KRAFTON, Inc.
Headquartered in Korea, KRAFTON, Inc. is a global game developer and publisher dedicated to pioneering unforgettable worlds for players everywhere. Founded in 2007, KRAFTON brings together a diverse portfolio of studios including PUBG STUDIOS, Striking Distance Studios, Unknown Worlds, Neon Giant, KRAFTON Montréal Studio, Bluehole Studio, RisingWings, 5minlab, Dreamotion, ReLU Games, Flyway Games, Tango Gameworks, inZOI Studio, JOFSOFT, Eleventh Hour Games, OmniCraft Labs, Olivetree Games, Loonshot Games, and 9B STUDIO. Each is united by a commitment to bold imagination and breakthrough game-making.
KRAFTON's franchises and titles include PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS, PUBG MOBILE, PUBG: BLINDSPOT, inZOI, Subnautica, MIMESIS, Hi-Fi Rush, Dinkum, TERA, My Little Puppy, and more. Guided by its vision to pioneer the path to players' dreams, KRAFTON is focused on building franchises that last and delivering experiences that resonate with players around the world.
For more information, visit www.KRAFTON.com.