PUBG Black Budget preview: An extraction shooter that can’t find its exit

PUBG Black Budget was one of those games in 2025 that surprised me, but not in a good way. It's an upcoming extraction shooter, and since it carries the PUBG name, I had nothing but high hopes. For those new to the extraction shooter genre or its gameplay loop, it's quite simple.

You spawn on an island in the middle of nowhere, and it happens to be stuck in a time loop. The goal is simple. Get to the island, loot, complete missions, contracts, and make it out alive. What is next? Well, you're awarded XP and coins for getting these tasks done.

You can then use this loot to upgrade your gear. In some cases, you can even sell your loot to make some quick cash and buy items required to upgrade your gear.

That's the basic gameplay loop. You should now have a basic idea of how the title works. But the question is, how does it play? Don't worry, we'll discuss that further below. For this article, I will keep things simple. We'll initially discuss my first impressions of it, then the things I liked, and finally, the aspects of the game that I didn't like. And do not worry, I'll keep it brief and try my best to avoid spoilers.

So, without any further ado, let's get started with this PUBG Black Budget preview.

---

PUBG Black Budget - My first impressions

The first time I launched PUBG Black Budget, the game crashed. To put it simply, it was a disappointing start. However, the title is still in its infancy, and the alpha build doesn't necessarily reflect the final product.

So, I gave it another go. This time, it booted up normally. I was introduced to a tiny cinematic explaining the game's premise. As promised earlier, I won't dive into the lore here, but let's say it's a solid start. Skipping the character customization part in the game, Black Budget was looking great so far!

Tutorial section in PUBG Black Budget (Image via KRAFTON)

Then, it was time for the tutorial. This section familiarizes you with the basics of the gameplay mechanics. These include looting, shooting, extracting, and, importantly, the basics of inventory management.

The game then transitions you to your base, where you set up your crafting tables and gain access to the terminal, which allows you to pick missions, craft items, and perform many other aspects of the game, such as buy/sell items.

This is followed up by my first missions and a hands-on PvPvE experience. We will discuss more on this later.

Speaking of the tutorial section, it does a fair job. You won't learn everything it has to offer, but you will get the hang of it. The real learning happens later when you're actually playing the game.

For me, it took me a while to understand the basics of the inventory. I sincerely believe this will be the case for most who have played casual extraction shooters like ARC Raiders or Call of Duty: DMZ.

Looting wildlife in PUBG Black Budget (Image via KRAFTON)

On the other hand, if you're coming from games like Escape from Tarkov, you will not find many issues with it. In fact, you might like the streamlined system of Black Budget even better.

Summing it up, the tutorial does its job pretty well. It taught me almost everything I needed to know to go on my first raid to Coli Island. That's great and welcoming for newcomers as well as veterans.

Now, let us dive a bit deeper into the game and explore what I enjoyed and what I didn't quite like about Black Budget.

---

Exploring the good and the bad of PUBG Black Budget

In this section, I will share my two cents on various aspects of the game that I liked as well as disliked. Let's kick it off with the things that were in favor of PUBG Black Budget.

Things that PUBG Black Budget gets right

There are a couple of things that the game gets right. First is the inventory system. It might take newcomers a while to comprehend and use it properly, but once they do, they will be managing their inventory obsessively. It is a decent start for players looking for something more realistic.

Coli Island in PUBG Black Budget (Image via KRAFTON)

The next thing that Black Budget gets right is creating a mysterious world. It is complicated to navigate Coli Island. Now, many readers might disagree with me here, but I truly believe that designing the map to be more confusing and difficult to navigate is a step in the right direction to make it more immersive, at least with the theme this game is pursuing.

There's danger around every corner. Remember, it is a PvPvE game. Hence, you'll be put in a situation where you'll be worrying not only about the mutated wildlife on the island, but also about the other players.

This adds a great deal of excitement. It keeps things grounded and immersive, but scary at the same time.

Exploring the world of PUBG Black Budget (Image via KRAFTON)

On top of that, the game can look really great when using the highest or maximum graphics settings. Fortunately, you can scale it down too if it does not run properly on your device, and it maintains the overall appearance. Sure, things might appear a bit muddy, or a few details might be missing, but the trade is worth the FPS gain.

It is always a good sign for online games to have graphics settings that scale well.

Also, it has free loadouts for players to carry, and you earn better ones depending on your score with different factions. This allows newcomers or casual fans to understand the game without risking their entire inventory. It is highly appreciated.

Unfortunately, that's all the good I have to say for now. Frankly, nothing else in the game at the moment sparked any joy.

---

Things that PUBG Black Budget doesn't get right

PUBG Black Budget gets more things wrong than right. The gameplay, at least in the last alpha test, felt clunky. The movement was jittery and not smooth at all. Traversing Coli Island became a chore rather than an adventure - not because the map was bad, but because of the movement mechanics.

But that is not all. Carrying the name "PUBG", I expected gunplay to shine. Unfortunately, it doesn't.

Discussing the gunplay of PUBG Black Budget (Image via KRAFTON)

Gunplay, somehow, feels even worse. Forget the smooth gunplay mechanics that the developers implemented in PUBG. In this game, it feels off, and, to be frank, it was one of the worst experiences I had.

In fact, even as someone who likes shooters, I avoided firing my gun at all costs as I played it more. It was inconsistent, and the hit registration was off for the most part.

I wouldn't know how the community shapes up later on, but in the alpha test, you must be the one to shoot first and ask later, or you'll die. It's that simple. Diplomacy does not get a chance.

Now let's talk about extraction. To be frank, extracting here is not exciting. You will be scared out of your mind if you have great loot, but honestly, that's it. Simply put, the experience is quite bland. That said, the game allows multiple ways to extract.

Extracting through a Wormhole (Image via KRAFTON)

One of these extraction methods requires you to step into a portal. My problem with this is that it takes a lot of time at the moment. I believe the developers could use a few tweaks to the timings of various in-game events to make it a comprehensive and streamlined experience.

Loot spawn and distribution are out of place. Many housing structures exist on the map, but aren't accessible. This is actually a step down from PUBG. Why are these structures built if we cannot even access them? And no, you don't need any special keys to access these houses or go through a secret route. They are simply inaccessible. They exist for the sake of existing.

---

PUBG Black Budget: Should you be excited about the game?

Simply put, no, at least not in its current state. With the extraction shooter genre blowing up, this one feels like a quick cash grab that was put together in the last minute.

It's an extremely rough experience, and the game lacks soul. The story and the map are well-made, but that's just about it. With games like ARC Raiders, Arena Infinite Breakout, Delta Force, Escape from Tarkov, and Hunt: Showdown already in the market, I don't see a point in Black Budget.

It doesn't deliver any new experiences to the player, nor does it respect your time. With so many experiences to explore, I think the developers need to hit the board and make plenty of changes to make it even remotely appealing.

You might say that it has mutated animals and zombies to take on. Sure, but does it make the game any better? Hunt: Showdown does a much better job at it. Even Call of Duty with MWZ delivered a better experience.

PUBG Black Budget doesn't seem to cater to the hardcore audience, nor is it truly casual-friendly. So, I don't see which segment of the market it's trying to capture or attract.

PUBG Black Budget needs to go back into the oven and needs a serious overhaul if it wants to remain as a live-service game today.

---

Played on: Windows PC

Platform(s): Microsoft Windows

Developer(s): PUBG Corporation

Publisher(s): KRAFTON

Release date: TBA

Are you stuck on today's Wordle? Our Wordle Solver will help you find the answer.

Edited by Adarsh J Kumar