PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) gets 'G-Coin' microtransactions at launch

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) is a battle royale game focused on scavenging weapons and using stealth or other tactics to be the last person alive. The title has see unprecedented popularity on Steam and other platforms like the Xbox One over the past several months.

As PUBG approaches its September 4, 2018 launch date on the console, there are new features that players need to be aware of. One of those is the "G-Coin" microtransaction system. This is the new way to purchase cosmetic items with real currency. According to developer Bluehole, "G-Coin is the hard currency that will coexist with BP, which is the soft currency that's currently in the game. G-Coin is purchased with real money, while BP can be earned by playing the game."

Luckily, you can only buy randomized loot crates with earned in-game currency, and known items — like the a particular parachute skin — with G-Coin. You won't have to guess what you're buying with real currency in PUBG, because you can directly choose what item to purchase.

Players who are using the Public Test Server (PTS) can test out G-Coin before everyone else. You can't purchase any G-Coin yet, and anything you unlock on the PTS doesn't carry over to the actual game. In order to see if everything is working as intended, Bluehole is giving testers 13,000 G-Coin and 100,000 BP. This should allow them to buy numerous loot crates and unlock all cosmetic items.

While microtransactions aren't a welcome addition, at least in PUBG they're only for cosmetic items and there's no chance involved. Hopefully other aspects of the game will resonate well with players when PUBG launches next month.

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Asher Madan

Asher Madan handles gaming news for Windows Central. Before joining Windows Central in 2017, Asher worked for a number of different gaming outlets. He has a background in medical science and is passionate about all forms of entertainment, cooking, and antiquing.