21 Tips For Success in PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds

This page contains strategies, tips and tricks for both newcomers and advanced players of PlayerUnknown’s Battleground.

Here are some tips that you’ll want to keep in mind when joining the battle for the first time.

It may seem like an obvious step, but people often forget to reset their keyboard commands to whatever suits them best.

For instance, if you’ve got a shorter-than-average reach or, like me, have horrendously inflexible hands, consider swapping the ‘use/collect’ key (default: F) with the “lean R” key (default: E). Similarly, if you spend more time walking than running, swap LCtrl and LShift.

Before you even load into the arena, take a moment in the pre-deployment zone and test out your marksmanship skills. There are dozens of weapons scattered around the ruined airstrip where you first join the other players, and each one handles differently.

Once you do enter the deployment phase, where all the players are aboard the transport plane, try to avoid jumping out with a massive group of players.

For your first run, aim for a lightly-developed area; maybe one with just a few buildings that not many other players are disembarking above. This will reduce the likelihood that you’ll meet an untimely death as soon as your boots hit dirt.

As soon as you leave the aircraft over your desired landing zone, aim downwards as fast and as far as you can. The second you leave the plane, the name of the game is “beat everyone else to the ground.”

Unfortunately your parachute opens automatically at ~500 feet up, but you can still expedite your descent by pressing the FWD key to aim your character towards the ground. Be sure to keep an eye out for other players landing nearby, and keep a mental note of their position relative to yours.

Once you do touch down on terra firma, make a beeline for the nearest building. Not only are there probably valuable items inside, but it will also give you cover from enemy fire and offer a chance to get the drop on anyone who may be pursuing you.

It’s important to experiment with both the third and first person camera modes. Some players will find third person a bit cumbersome to play in, so swapping to FPS mode, at least for a bit, is a good idea. The default key binding for this is the ‘V’ key.

Spend your first few rounds getting comfortable with the pace of the game and navigating the playfield.

A high kill count is nice, but you’ll be infinitely better off if you focus on keeping yourself alive and learning the mechanics and feel of the game before hunting the deadliest game of all.

While not an immediate death sentence, vehicles should be used cautiously in PUBG – they’re loud, and will draw a lot of unwanted attention from nearby players.

Perhaps because it’s in Early Access, or maybe because it’s designed to let you figure these things out on your own, here’s some important tips that Battlegrounds doesn’t tell you.

Incoming sound direction is determined by the direction your camera is facing, not your character.

Vehicles – boats and cars alike – have a boost function. Press and hold the Sprint key (default: LShift) to activate the vehicle’s boosters.

EditArmor Expands Inventory

In addition to giving you extra protection against incoming fire, armor also boosts your inventory. The bonus increases with the armor’s level – for example, a Lv 1 helmet adds 40 points to your inventory, while a Lv 2 helmet adds 50..

If you are aiming and notice a red circle appear near or around your aiming reticule, this is indicating that there is an object blocking your weapon, such as a door, tree, crate or other piece of cover you may be using.

If you’re playing as part of a team, or have merely forged a fragile alliance with another player, and are in a vehicle, whoever is in the passenger seat(s) can shoot from the window by using the aim button (default: Hold RMB)

Here are some things to avoid that can make the difference between life and death…

In the frenzied search for weapons and equipment it can be easy to forget to cover your tracks, so you should quickly get into the habit of closing doors behind you when you enter or exit a building.

Every door starts in a closed state by default, so an open door is a clear indicator of player tampering. Open doors often mean either that building is currently occupied, or the best items have already been scavenged.

While boosting in a vehicle to get around faster might seem like a good idea, it also wastes a lot more gas than if you just drive at the vehicle’s normal speed. Avoid using the boost unless absolutely necessary – like escaping a Red Zone or group of enemies.

EditKeep Your Arms and Legs Inside the Vehicle

If you find yourself riding in or behind the wheel of a moving vehicle, don’t treat this like GTA and expect to stand up and walk away if you jump out before it stops.

At best, you’ll receive some damage from your jump, but most of the time you’ll end up running yourself over with your own car – and nobody deserves to go that way.

The map for PUB is huge – meaning that unless you’re in the final few players, danger can come from anywhere. Try to avoid running through large open fields or climbing hills without any cover available.

As you’d probably figure out on your own, the large red areas that appear on your map occasionally are not places you want to be.

This rotating location is blanketed with explosions until the area changes, so if you find yourself in a red zone, get out as quick as you can.

Here are some additional tips for more experienced players.

While beautiful rolling hills covered with lush grass may look great on your TurboGraffixMegaCard™, they’re not doing any favors playing against the kid who’s across the field from you running on a glorified toaster.

Setting your foliage quality to low may make the game a bit less beautiful, but it will give you an edge against other players who think they can hide from you by going prone in tall grass.

If you’re undetected in a town populated with other players, you can set traps using by leaving doors strategically open or closed.

An open door will indicate either an abandoned building or one occupied by an inexperienced player, meaning an “easy” kill – spring your trap to prove them wrong.

Closing a door to a room indicates that it has yet to be entered – leave other supplies in nearby rooms then post up behind a door to surprise your prey.

Unless you want to steal an enemy’s vehicle for yourself, a great way to stop them from escaping – or, worse, running you down – is to shoot their tires out. One popped tire will slow the vehicle down considerably, while hitting two or more will render it practically useless as a means of transportation.