As PUBG for PS4 looms, Xbox unofficially responds: have the game for free

Enlarge / It's not as solid as the PC version, but at least today, it's free-er.
Xbox/PUBG Corp.

Performance issues have plagued the Xbox One version of Playerunknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) long enough to make us wary of recommending the game at its $30 retail price point. But at the low, low price of totally free? Now we're talkin'.

PUBG, the game that kicked off an international "battle royale" gaming sensation, is currently free for all Xbox One owners. Even if you do not have a paid Xbox Live Gold subscription, you can head to this link and claim what appears to be a permanent copy of the game for your Microsoft Account. Timed trials of Xbox One games tend to be exclusive treats for XBLG subscribers.

Bizarrely, the Konami soccer game PES 2019, which launched at a standard $60 retail price point in August, is also free to claim as of today. (Here's that link.)

Of course, there is the caveat that these games' giveaways could be yanked from accounts by Microsoft at any moment. In the meantime, we suggest clicking first, asking questions later.

Perhaps this freebie could be chalked up to someone hitting a switch a few days early. Microsoft had hinted at "big PUBG news" coming down the pipe at this week's first-ever X018 conference (that will be hosted by Microsoft in Mexico City on November 10 as a fan festival and announcement-filled news event). One other interesting Xbox-related leak has bubbled up ahead of X018: official filings for a Windows 10 and Steam version of the 2014 Xbox-exclusive gem Sunset Overdrive.

There's also the possibility that Xbox knew its "console exclusivity" period with PUBG would soon run out, as evidence of a PS4 version of PUBG has begun to mount. This may have prompted a decision to celebrate with a time-limited online-code giveaway. We'll likely have to wait for X018 for more information on exactly how this giveaway works, and whether the Xbox that giveth will eventually taketh PUBG away.

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