Gemopedia
Esports🇰🇷South Korea21st century

PUBG Mobile

Officially PUBG Mobile (PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds Mobile)

MOBILE BATTLE-ROYALE derived from PUBG PC/console — launched 2018 by TENCENT + KRAFTON. 100-PLAYER MATCHES on shrinking map, LAST-PLAYER/SQUAD standing wins. Dominant in ASIA (esp. INDIA, INDONESIA, PAKISTAN, MIDDLE EAST, LATIN AMERICA) — often OUTPERFORMS PC PUBG in player count. 1B+ downloads globally (2024). PMGC (PUBG Mobile Global Championship) with $3M+ prize pool 2023. INDIA VERSION 'BGMI' (Battlegrounds Mobile India) after 2020-2022 government ban.

⏱~25 min🌤indoor

Quick facts

Category

Esports

Type

Team sport

Players

2–100

Duration

~25 min

Where played

indoor

Country of origin

🇰🇷 South Korea

Estimated origin

Launched March 2018 by Tencent Games (in collaboration with KRAFTON/Bluehole Korea); rapid global growth 2018-2020; INDIA BAN 2020 (over Chinese-app concerns), returned as BGMI 2021-2022 (region-locked to India, published by KRAFTON directly); 1B+ downloads globally; PMGC 2023 $3M+ prize pool; NEW STATE MOBILE (spinoff, 2021).

Olympic

No

Popularity

regional

How it works

Objective

Be LAST SQUAD/PLAYER STANDING in 100-player match on shrinking map + loot to power up.

Rules

Basic rules

  • 100 PLAYERS parachute onto map (Erangel, Miramar, Sanhok, Vikendi, Livik, Rondo — as of 2024)

    Signature 100-player format.

  • SHRINKING PLAY-ZONE ('BLUE ZONE'): forces players into ever-smaller circle over match duration

    Signature shrinking blue-zone.

  • LOOT: pick up WEAPONS + ARMOR + HEALS + ATTACHMENTS from buildings; airdrops offer high-tier weapons (AWM, M249)

    Signature loot progression.

  • SQUAD: 4-PLAYER SQUAD is dominant mode; team communication + rotation coordination essential

    Signature 4-player squad.

  • VEHICLES: cars, boats, motorcycles, glider (Livik) — critical for rotations in shrinking zone

    Signature vehicle rotations.

  • RANKED SYSTEM: 8 tiers (Bronze → Conqueror) with seasonal resets

    Signature 8-tier ranked ladder.

  • PMGC: PUBG Mobile Global Championship (annual, $3M+ prize pool 2023) with regional PMPL (Pro League) qualifiers

    Signature PMGC + PMPL competitive circuit.

  • BGMI (Battlegrounds Mobile India): India-region-locked version, published directly by KRAFTON after 2020 ban

    Signature Indian BGMI variant.

Scoring

Placement (100→1) + kill points; team scores summed for squad; competitive multi-match tournaments sum-total.

Win condition · Last squad/player alive (or highest score at match end).

Equipment

  • SMARTPHONE (iOS 8+ or Android 5.1+; 4 GB+ RAM recommended)

    Standard mobile hardware.

  • TOUCH SCREEN + optional GAMEPAD (Razer Kishi, Backbone; some tournaments require touch-only)

    Signature touch + gamepad support.

  • HEADPHONES for stereo audio (footstep positioning)

    Standard audio setup.

  • TOP PROS use TABLETS for larger touch area + more fingers (4-6 finger claw grip)

    Signature pro tablet + claw-grip setup.

Terminology

Blue zone
Shrinking safe zone; outside deals damage over time.
Airdrop
Care package with rare weapons/gear.
IGL
In-Game Leader — squad's tactical caller.
Rotation
Squad movement to stay in zone + gain positional advantage.
Chicken Dinner
Signature victory-message phrase ('Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!').
AWM
Signature airdrop-only sniper rifle (highest damage).
PMGC
PUBG Mobile Global Championship — flagship annual tournament.
BGMI
Battlegrounds Mobile India — India-region version.

Major competitions

  • PMGC — PUBG Mobile Global Championship

    annual · Global (rotating hosts — Dubai, Malaysia, Riyadh) · since 2020

  • PMPL — PUBG Mobile Pro League (regional pro leagues)

    seasonal · 10 regions (SEA, SA, MENA, EMEA, Americas) · since 2019

  • BMPS — BGMI Pro Series (India)

    seasonal · India · since 2022

  • PMWL — PUBG Mobile World League

    annual · Global · since 2020

  • PUBG Mobile Nations Cup

    annual · Global (country-based teams) · since 2019

Where it is played

Governing bodies

  • KRAFTON (developer/IP owner)

    Founded 2007 · Seoul, South Korea

  • Tencent Games (global publisher outside China + India)

    Founded 2003 · Shenzhen, China

  • KRAFTON India (BGMI direct publisher)

    Founded 2021 · Bengaluru, India

Famous names & records

Famous athletes

  • Jonathan Amaral (BR/IN, top BGMI + PMGC player)
  • Scout (Tanmay Singh, IN, Team Vitality)
  • Ryzen (IN, BGMI ace)
  • Paraboy (CN, Tianba, multi-PMGC champion)
  • Xing (CN, Nova Esports)

Sources & provenance

Last verified 2026-08-28.verified