End of an Era: PUBG Confirms Shutdown on PS4 and Xbox One

In a move that marks a definitive end for a generation of gaming, PUBG Studios, the developers behind the global phenomenon PUBG: Battlegrounds, have announced the official discontinuation of support for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of the game. The service for these consoles will be shut down on November 13, 2025. This decision, while not entirely unexpected given the industry’s shift to current-generation consoles, comes as a major blow to the millions of players who have spent countless hours dropping onto Erangel, Miramar, and other iconic battlegrounds. While the game’s PC and mobile versions continue to thrive, this announcement signals a significant turning point, not just for the game, but for the console battle royale genre it helped to popularize.

When PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds first arrived on consoles in 2017, it was a groundbreaking title that brought the tense, high-stakes battle royale experience to a whole new audience. It was a console pioneer in a genre that was, at the time, dominated by PC. The game’s success on Xbox One and later on PlayStation 4 was a crucial step in its journey to becoming a global cultural phenomenon. It paved the way for other massive titles like Fortnite and Apex Legends to find a home on consoles, and it helped to cement the battle royale as a dominant force in modern gaming. The decision to end support for these platforms is a clear signal that the development team is ready to fully embrace the current-gen hardware and move on from the technical limitations of the past.

The Technical Imperative: Pushing to Current-Gen Consoles

In an official statement, PUBG Studios confirmed that the move is a “necessary step toward aligning PUBG Console with current-gen consoles.” The developers noted that by transitioning their focus entirely to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, they can provide a “more stable gameplay environment” with “improved visuals and more stable frame rates.” This transition is intended to not only reduce ongoing crash issues but also to ensure a smoother, more seamless experience with future updates. The performance gap between the old and new consoles has become too wide to ignore, and for a live-service game that relies on frequent updates and a high level of performance, it seems the developers felt they had no choice but to cut ties with the older hardware.

For console players who still play on a PS4 or Xbox One, this announcement presents a difficult choice. On the one hand, their gaming experience is set to end in just a few months. On the other hand, the developers have been very clear that a player’s data and all purchased items, including cosmetics and other in-game goods, will carry over to the current-gen versions. This means that while players will be forced to upgrade their hardware, they will not lose their years of progress or their hard-earned items. This is a small consolation, but it’s an important one, as it shows that the developers are at least making an effort to preserve the time and money their players have invested in the game. For players who have already made the jump to a new console, the game will automatically update to the current-gen version, giving them the enhanced visual and performance upgrades.

The Future of PUBG and the End of an Era

The shutdown of PUBG: Battlegrounds on PS4 and Xbox One is the latest in a growing trend of developers moving on from the now decade-old consoles. Games like Battlefield 6 and Madden NFL 26 have already announced that they will be skipping last-gen hardware, and more titles are expected to follow suit. The industry is now in its fifth year of the current console generation, and it’s clear that the time has come to let go of the past and fully embrace the future. For PUBG, this transition is a crucial step towards ensuring the long-term health and stability of its console player base. By focusing on the powerful hardware of the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, the developers are ensuring that the game can continue to evolve and compete with the next generation of battle royale titles.

While the news is undoubtedly a disappointment for many, it also marks the start of a new chapter for PUBG: Battlegrounds. The game’s legacy on PS4 and Xbox One will forever be remembered as a formative period for the battle royale genre, and its new chapter on current-gen hardware promises to be a faster, more stable, and more visually impressive experience. As the sun sets on the console versions that started it all, we can only look forward to the future, and to the new battles that await on the next generation of consoles. The game might be ending on PS4 and Xbox One, but for millions of players, the fight for the chicken dinner is far from over.