PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds the early access game has now released proper (still in its early access state) on Xbox One and Xbox One X as a console exclusive but it’s a bit of a mixed bag and not for everyone. Take a look at our gameplay videos to get an idea. For starters, the gameplay might not appeal to those coming from a fast paced and 60 fps locked Call of Duty background, and although there are moments where you can get your shooting game on with like-minded players (by dropping out of the plane early into hot zones), the main survival point of the game is to sneak around gathering resources before heading into the ever shrinking zone. This means there is potential to spend quite a bit of time foraging before being shot at and killed. The overall aim here is to survive as long as possible and be the last man standing.
In part PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is frustrating, and in others it’s a neat concept that has worked well for PC gamers and translates reasonably well to console. However, the main beef here aside from some dated looking visuals is the overall performance on Xbox One/X. There are dips in the frame-rate below a steady and expected 30 fps and it clearly shows at times. However, it doesn’t have such a massive impact when playing given the sneaky nature of the beast when it’s a solitary experience (mostly). The game does offer HDR support and 4K on Xbox One X but it’s not a game filled with luscious eye candy visuals.
It’s a pretty tough sell right now, but given Microsoft’s hype for the console exclusivity there are plenty of players and getting into games is relatively quick – especially once you have been killed. There is a fun game here if you like games such as ARMA or the older Ghost Recon games but it’s certainly an acquired taste that needs a fair bit of optimization before it can be fully recommended as a solid purchase.