PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is a multiplayer online battle royale, shooter game. The game places up to 100 players onto a large, isolated battlefield where the sole objective is survival. Participants begin with no equipment and must scavenge the environment for weapons, armor, and supplies while eliminating opponents. Matches conclude when only one player or one team remains alive, establishing a winner-takes-all format.

Players are delivered onto the map by aircraft and must choose where to parachute, weighing the risks of early combat against the safety of remote landing zones. Once grounded, the character’s role is to locate gear, manage resources, and navigate the shrinking play area. A circular “safe zone” gradually closes during the match, forcing encounters by reducing the available territory and increasing damage outside its bounds.

Combat is conducted in real time from a third-person or first-person perspective. A wide range of firearms, explosives, and melee weapons can be found or looted from fallen opponents. Weapons support attachments such as scopes, grips, and extended magazines, altering accuracy and performance. Armor and helmets reduce incoming damage, while medical supplies restore health during downtime. Ballistics, bullet drop, and recoil are simulated, requiring careful aim and positioning.

Progression within a match is shaped by tactical decisions. Players may engage directly, set ambushes, or avoid confrontation in favor of stealth and survival. Vehicles scattered across the map allow rapid movement but create noise and visibility risks. Inventory management plays a central role, as carrying capacity is limited by backpacks of varying sizes, requiring choices about which weapons, ammunition, and healing items to prioritize.

Matches support both solo and squad play. In squad modes, teams of up to four cooperate to survive, share equipment, and revive downed allies before they are eliminated. Communication and coordination are essential for covering terrain, defending positions, and engaging enemies. The game concludes with the victorious player or team receiving the symbolic recognition of having survived the battleground. Leaderboards track performance across seasons, recording kills, wins, and rankings.