PUBG Studios has officially lifted the veil on PUBG: Black Budget, a standalone extraction shooter crafted by the same team behind PUBG Battlegrounds. Instead of being an add on mode, this new title stands on its own as PUBG’s boldest evolution since the original battle royale boom, and it introduces a supernatural twist that instantly separates it from its rivals.
🌌 A Time Loop Island Wrapped in Mystery
In Black Budget, players operate as elite Contractors sent on a top secret recovery mission. The objective sounds straightforward at first, enter a deserted research zone and bring back undisclosed technology. The real complication is the island’s bizarre condition, a strange event known as The Anomaly has locked the environment inside a repeating loop, turning every incursion into a race against both time and danger.
🎮 How the Extraction Loop Works
Instead of simple drop in, fight, and escape routines, Black Budget places you inside a constantly shifting island. The longer you survive, the tougher the world becomes, and the more hostile players and NPC threats emerge. You gather artifacts, return to base, study your findings, and slowly uncover the shadowy project called SAPIENS. Between operations, you will enhance your hideout, expand equipment options, and strengthen skills to prepare for the next descent.
🌍 World Scale and Session Structure
Black Budget unfolds across a 2.5 km × 2.5 km open world that features multiple biomes, underground labs, research tunnels, abandoned structures, and dynamic points of interest. Sessions can last up to 30 minutes, and survival matters since only extracted items follow you back to your stash. Matches support up to 45 players with squads of three, and in a nod to classic PUBG, The Anomaly slowly squeezes the island which forces encounters naturally.
⚔️ PvPvE Combat With Constant Pressure
Every loop drops you into a space filled with unpredictable encounters. Hostile players, mutated entities, faction patrols, and environmental hazards all collide inside a shrinking zone. Combat leans heavily toward first person immersion, giving the game a tense and gritty identity closer to tactical shooters than arcade raids.
🔧 Progression, Research, and Customization
Your base acts as the heart of your long term growth. From here you can craft new gear, unlock research upgrades, enhance your stash, and invest points into various character proficiencies. Missions can also be accepted from three rival factions, each offering loyalty bonuses, contracts, and world altering objectives. Weapons, gear sets, and cosmetics can be personalized to fit your preferred approach.
🗓️ Closed Alpha Schedule
Krafton has confirmed two testing periods for PC players on Steam across North America, Europe, and Asia.
• December 12 to December 14
• December 19 to December 21
Registration is already available on the Steam page, and while the full release date is still unannounced, interest around the project is growing quickly thanks to its extraction focus mixed with PUBG’s signature tension.
