PUBG to Improve Free Rewards in Patch 36.1

The developers of PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS have published a new blog post detailing improvements to free rewards, which will be introduced with the release of Patch 36.1.

Hello players!

Back in March, we shared our 2025 roadmap and talked a bit about PUBG’s premium content. Today, we’d like to revisit that topic by taking a closer look at free rewards including BP.

What is Premium Content in PUBG?

In PUBG, there are all kinds of items and currencies: skins, G-Coin, Passes, Contraband Crates, Loot Caches, Archivist’s Chests, Keys, Credits, and more.
We use the term premium content to refer to this broader category of in-game goods and currencies that are created and consumed within the PUBG ecosystem.

Alongside our core gameplay updates, we’ve consistently introduced a variety of premium content that we hope players find appealing. Of course, we’ve always done so in a way that doesn't impact core gameplay balance.

Premium content is generally something players purchase, but we’ve also offered chances to earn it through gameplay or events. PUBG’s economic structure is designed with both paid purchases and free rewards in mind, and we’ve been building the system so that both can hold meaningful value for players.

The Role of Free Rewards

Unlike real-world economic activity, gaming isn’t something we do to make money. Most people play games simply because they’re fun. So why are free rewards important in a game? There are two key reasons.

1. To Reinforce the Value of Core Gameplay

If you’ve been playing PUBG for a while, you probably know that we’ve always stood firmly against Pay to Win. We believe that what matters most is your skill and strategy, not whether you’ve spent money. Our core principle has always been to ensure that paid advantages do not affect core combat.

That’s why we’ve been building our premium content around the core gameplay experience, making sure it remains unaffected. In recent years, we’ve also been exploring ways to strengthen the value of gameplay itself by connecting it more directly with premium content. As part of that effort, we’ve been gradually expanding the system so that players can earn premium content through gameplay rewards.

Free rewards are meant for players who enjoy the game, and that’s exactly why we believe enhancing them adds value to the core gameplay itself.

2. To Make Premium Content More Accessible

Unlike core gameplay content, premium content often involves paid items, which means not every player can access it easily. Still, this kind of barrier plays an important role in preserving the value of premium content.

That’s why expanding free rewards by connecting gameplay and premium content needs to be approached carefully. You might wonder why we’re trying to expand free rewards at all, if it's such a delicate balance to maintain.

The reason is simple: we want the premium content we work so hard to create to be enjoyed by as many players as possible. If something we’ve spent months developing is only experienced by a small portion of the player base, it would be a real shame. After all, when content doesn’t reach enough players, it becomes difficult for it to have a lasting impact or value. So, we’re working to gradually create more opportunities for players to access premium content through gameplay, without compromising its value.

This approach allows more players to experience premium content through free rewards, and in turn, helps extend the life and value of the content itself.

Now, let’s take a look at what’s changing in Update 36.1.

Free Reward Improvements

We’re making several improvements, including the addition of new missions to the Event Center and major updates to Ranked and Arcade rewards.

New Rewards

Weekly Supply

Complete various Weekly Supply missions each week to earn points that can be exchanged for BP.

  • You can earn up to a total of 23,000 BP every week.
  • Missions and rewards reset every Wednesday at UTC 02:00.
  • Each mission can be completed and each reward received only once per week.

Enhanced Rewards

Ranked Play Point Rewards

To better reflect the value of Ranked, we’re significantly upgrading the rewards you can earn through Ranked play. Less appealing rewards have been removed, and instead, we’ve added more valuable rewards that are directly tied to premium content.

  • 50,000 BP and 100 Contraband Coupons added
  • Artisan Token (x5) → (x50)
  • Archivist’s Chest (x1) → (x3)

Arcade Point Rewards

Arcade Point rewards have also been improved.

  • 300 Arcade Points
    • Contraband Coupon (x2) → (x10)
  • 600 Arcade Points
    • Contraband Coupon (x3) → (x10)
  • 1,500 Arcade Points
    • Contraband Coupon (x5) → (x10)

Free Currencies: BP and Contraband Coupons

If you’ve ever played PUBG, you’ve probably come across BP and Contraband Coupons. BP, in particular, is something anyone can earn just by playing the game. While G-Coin is a paid currency, BP is a free reward you accumulate through regular gameplay. That’s why increasing the usefulness of BP also helps reinforce the value of PUBG’s core gameplay experience.

Of course, simply increasing the supply of a currency doesn’t always make it more valuable — we’ve all heard of inflation. For value to hold or grow, there also need to be more ways to spend that currency.

So far, we’ve talked about the supply side of rewards. Now, let’s take a look at what’s changing on the spending side. Specifically, how and where you’ll be able to use your BP moving forward.

New Feature: Currency Selection

Starting with Update 36.1, we’re introducing a new feature that allows you to choose between G-Coin and BP when purchasing select items in the Store.

This change is about more than just making items purchasable with BP. It's part of our effort to make high-value premium content more accessible through BP. This includes paid skins, appearance items, Special Vehicle skins, and Progressive weapon skins.

We’ve been working to better connect premium content with free rewards, but there have still been areas with little to no overlap. Examples include G-Coin-only Store items and seasonal content such as collaborations with artists or premium vehicle brands. To address this, we’re applying the Currency Selection feature to outfit and appearance items and seasonal Loot Caches, which were previously available only through G-Coin.

For Loot Caches tied to seasonal content such as collaborations, the Spring Fest, and the Black Market, purchases will be limited to 50 per event. Please note that this limit is in place to support a more sustainable reward system moving forward.

Contraband Coupon Update

From Update 36.1, when you use Contraband Coupons to purchase Contraband Crates, you'll receive 10 Scrap per purchase — the same amount you get when purchasing with G-Coin.

This means players who don't spend money or only spend a little can now slowly work their way toward the items they want by saving up Scrap. It's a small but meaningful change that opens up access to rare items that were previously limited to a smaller group of players.

But this isn’t just about making Contraband Coupons more useful. As their value increases, so does the value of BP, which is used to earn those coupons. Ultimately, we believe this will also make the act of playing the game to earn BP feel even more rewarding.

A Win-Win Model and Long-Term Sustainability

What we’re ultimately aiming for is a positive cycle where the core values of the game, player trust in our service, and revenue generation don’t compete with each other, but instead support each other in a win-win structure.

To make that happen, it's important not only to deliver compelling premium content but also to build an economic system that connects that content to the core values of the game. We believe this kind of balance is possible, and with that in mind, we’ll continue working to tie premium content to free rewards in ways that strengthen the value of both.

Wrapping Up

Today, we took our first deep dive into the topic of free rewards within PUBG’s premium content. Until now, conversations around premium content have mostly focused on things like flashy outfits, unique character looks, Special Vehicle skins, and Progressive weapon skins. Compared to that, today’s Dev Letter may have felt a bit less exciting or even a little technical.

That said, we believe this topic is actually more exciting and relevant to a wider group of players than most product updates. After all, free rewards are for everyone.

And the core idea is simple: we want more players to feel a sense of fulfillment while enjoying PUBG, and we want them to enjoy the exciting content we continue to release through a carefully designed reward system.

We’ll continue working to improve the reward structure and direction to better connect achievement and reward, all while staying true to the value of core gameplay. And as always, we’ll continue listening to your feedback and using it to help shape where we go next.

We'll see you in the next Dev Letter.

PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS Team

This follows an earlier update from the team outlining changes to the map rotation system in matchmaking, also set to take effect in the upcoming patch.

Origin: pubg.com