Is PUBG Mobile India launching today? Here are 10 battle royale games to explore

India has been eagerly awaiting the launch of PUBG Mobile India, ever since PUBG Mobile was banned by the central government. Despite widespread speculation that the battle royale game is expected to relaunch in India by January 19, PUBG is still not out in India.

On January 15, the action game's trailer was launched, leaving millions of gamers awaiting the relaunch of the popular game. Earlier, reports claimed that PUBG Mobile India would be relaunched in January itself. However, some reports said that PUBG Mobile India would not be out before March 2021.

PUBG Mobile was banned in India in September 2020 by the Government of India in its crackdown against Chinese apps. Following the move, its parent company, China’s Tencent, lost $14 billion in market value in a single day.

Tencent’s wildly popular battle royale game counts hundreds of millions of users globally. India, in fact, accounted for 24 percent, or 175 million, of PUBG’s lifetime downloads until June 2020, according to Sensor Tower. Thus, a ban in one of its most important markets came as a jolt for Tencent. In October 2020, PUBG Corporation, the subsidiary of Bluehole Studios which is responsible for the management of their title PlayerUnknown’s BattleGrounds, announced that it is merging with Krafton Inc, a South Korean video game holding company. This corporate merger took PUBG Corporation under the umbrella of Krafton.

In November 2020, PUBG Corporation announced that it was preparing to launch PUBG Mobile India, a new game created specifically for the Indian market. The company also revealed plans to provide a secure and healthy gameplay environment alongside investments to cultivate local video games, esports, entertainment, and IT industries. 

PUBG Corporation also announced plans to create an Indian subsidiary to enhance communications and services with players. The Indian company will reportedly hire over 100 employees specialising in business, esports, and game development. In addition to establishing a local office, the company will look to actively collaborate and leverage local businesses to strengthen its gaming service.

10 popular PUBG alternatives

Well, while the fans still wait for their favourite action game to make a comeback, we bring you 10 alternatives to satiate your hunger for battle royale games such as PUBG.

Fortnite

Fortnite’s popularity in India surged after it launched on Android in April last year. The app crossed five million downloads on Google Play Store in just three months. Overall, Fortnite has 350 million registered users across platforms, and is one of the top free-to-play battle royale games. In Fortnite, players collaborate to fight off zombie-like creatures and build their own battlefield cover. The game offers three modes: single-player, co-operative mode (played with friends), and a free-to-play multiplayer format known as Fortnite Battle Royale. This allows 100 players to enter the game at a time, and compete either individually or as four-people squads.  

COD Mobile

Call of Duty (COD), a multiplayer action game, was launched as a mobile app in September 2019 after its PC version gained immense popularity. Google Play Store recognised it as the Best Gaming App of 2019, which “pushed the boundaries of what we expect on mobile,” and the app went viral soon after. Call of Duty: Mobile brings console-quality HD gaming on the smartphone with customisable controls, voice and text chat, and thrilling 3D graphics and sound across complexity levels. In just 10 months, the app has crossed 100 million downloads, 15 percent of which were from India, as per Sensor Tower.  

Garena Free Fire

Garena Free Fire (also known as Free Fire Battlegrounds) was the world’s most downloaded mobile game in 2019. It also won Google Play Store’s ‘Best Popular Game Award’ last year. The game is estimated to have over 80 million daily active users, and has grossed upwards of $1 billion in revenue. The action-adventure game consists of up to 50 players falling from a parachute on an abandoned island and scavenging for weapons, heals, and other equipment needed for survival until they are the last player standing. They can hide in trenches, run through empty buildings, or sneak up on enemies. In-app purchases let players add weapon supplies and extend battle life.

Battelands Royale

Battlelands Royale is a 32-player real-time multiplayer game built for mobile. The app has crossed 10 million downloads on Google Play Store. The game includes three-to-five minute battles, where players can dominate the arena in ‘Solo’ mode or join forces with fellow battlers in the ‘Duos’ mode. They get to choose their landing spot, drop in, and loot weapons and armour. A variety of guns are available — including snipers, shotguns, rifles, and pistols — to sharpen their shooting skills. Players also get to collect new characters, supplies, and parachutes as they level up. 

ScarFall: The Royale Combat

This homegrown battle royale game emerged as one of the winners in the Aatmanirbhar Bharat App Innovation Challenge. Launched less than a year ago, the online and offline action survival game has crossed a million downloads on Google Play Store. ScarFall: The Royale Combat involves players parachuting from helicopters into unknown battlegrounds, where they get three chances to win a war. The game offers two modes: TPS (Third Person Shooter) and FPS (First Person Shooter). High-quality 3D graphics, animations, and real-life sounds of gunshots are the USPs of the game.

Rules of Survival

This is a free-to-play, multiplayer online battle royale game developed and published by NetEase Games. Up to 300 players can play a deathmatch at once on a wide variety of terrains. The game now played by over 280 million people worldwide. It also lets you run or fight, has HD graphics, and offers a wide variety of firearms and accessories.

Knives Out

Another game by NetEase Games is Knives out, which was launched in 2017. The game, in terms of graphics, is inspired by PUBG, and can be played in groups of five to 100 players. This battle royale game is a deathmatch without rules, with a lot of gunshots, enemy confrontations, and a match of 50 players vs 50 players. The game has been downloaded more than 10 million times on Google Play Store.

Black Survival

The Black Survival is a point-and-click real-time survival game. Available for free on Android and iOS, Black Survival can be played with 10 players who can explore 22 areas on the battlefield. The game has strategy, craft, battle, and action. Black Survival offers more than 600 weapon options and allows users to craft a better weapon, hunt wild animals, run away from ever-expanding restricted areas, and take players down.

Hopeless Land: Fight for Survival

Hopeless Land can be played against 121 players and the last player standing wins the game. The game lets you drive a helicopter, land in new places and face the fatal battleground to win the deathmatch. Featuring an Asian environment, the strategy game boasts of weapons and action. With over 50 million downloads on Play Store alone, Hopeless Land is an apt replacement for PUBG Mobile, both on Android and iOS.

Danger Close

Similar to PUBG, Danger Close is an intense multiplayer battle royale game. The game keeps unlocking innovative weapons for the players, and also has one of the largest maps for a strategy game. In the game, the last person standing wins the match using recoil, looting, weapons, skins, and grenades. Danger Close is an online multiplayer FPS game (First-Person Shooter) for mobile with FPP (First-Person Perspective), tactical gunplay, proper map design, and a fun progression system.