Developers Plan to Update SMGs in PUBG

PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS developers have released a new blog discussing the impact of the DMR update introduced in Patch 37.1 and shared upcoming plans to adjust the balance of SMGs.

Hello players,

Since the implementation of the DMR Rebalance with Update 37.1, PUBG’s gunplay ecosystem has undergone various changes. As this update brought significant adjustments to DMRs, many of you may be curious about how PUBG’s gunplay has evolved since then.

In this Dev Letter, we’d like to take a closer look at the changes that followed the DMR Rebalance and share our thoughts on them.

After the DMR Rebalance

※ The metrics shown in the first DMR Rebalance Dev Letter were based on data from July 2025. In this Dev Letter, to take a closer look at the changes before and after Update 37.1, we will compare metrics from August 2025, right before the update, and those collected some time after it.

Weapon Usage Rates

Following the DMR Rebalance, the usage rate of DMRs dropped significantly—from 16.3% to 10.5% in Normal Match and from 20.6% to 13.0% in Ranked—marking notable decreases of 5.8% and 7.6%, respectively.

In contrast, SR usage increased from 13.1% to 16.4% in Normal Match and from 10.6% to 13.8% in Ranked, surpassing DMRs in Normal Match and reaching a similar level in Ranked.

Additionally, while SMGs were previously more common in Normal Match, their usage has risen sharply in Ranked as well due to recent meta changes.

In short, we observed that as the dominance of DMRs declined, the share of other weapon categories expanded.

Weapon Power Graphs

Next, let’s revisit the Power Graphs, key metrics we discussed in the previous Dev Letter that illustrate how each weapon’s impact changes over the course of a match. Mid-range engagements are most frequent around the 22-minute mark. The kill ratios at that point show that DMR and SR values changed as follows, resulting in similar figures:

DMRs: 26.9% → 18.6%

SRs: 12.7% → 17.6%

Before the DMR Rebalance, DMRs recorded more than twice the kill ratio of SRs. After the rebalance, the two weapons now show similar values.

The damage ratio per minute graphs show a similar trend. Before the DMR Rebalance, the mid-to-late phase damage ratios for ARs, DMRs, and SRs were 31.6%, 39.8%, and 19.8%, respectively, meaning that DMRs dealt more than twice the damage of SRs. After the update, however, the ratios became AR 30.3%, DMR 29.3%, SR 27.6%, indicating a much more even distribution. This means that DMRs are no longer overwhelmingly dominant in mid-to-late-game damage output.

Previously, we were concerned that DMRs had greater influence than ARs, which serve as the main weapons in most engagements, especially after the 10-minute mark as matches entered their mid-game phase. However, DMRs and ARs are now showing almost identical levels of influence, while SRs have also increased in impact. Excluding early-phase weapons like Shotguns and SMGs, we believe the current weapon ecosystem is in a healthy equilibrium.

Engagement Patterns and TTK

In addition to the key changes mentioned above, we also observed several other shifts, one of them being engagement distance. After the DMR Rebalance, we observed that the average engagement distance, which had been steadily increasing since 2023, dropped significantly from 59.4 m to 55.7 m. The average engagement distance for DMRs, however, decreased only slightly. This overall reduction in engagement range suggests that the meta has shifted from long-range standoffs toward closer, more aggressive engagements.

Another notable change is in TTK (Time to Kill). Until Update 37.1, the overall TTK had been gradually increasing, but it began to decrease following the DMR Rebalance. The TTK for DMRs, however, increased sharply. This can be considered a natural result of the weapon’s reduced effectiveness. Since one of the main goals of the DMR Rebalance was to lessen its dominance and make quick two-tap kills much less feasible, the increase in DMR TTK aligns with our intended design direction.

DMR Rebalance Results

The key outcomes of the DMR Rebalance introduced in Update 37.1 can be summarized as follows:

DMR usage rates have significantly decreased in both Normal Match and Ranked.

The influence of DMRs and SRs in the mid to late stages of a match has become similar, resulting in a healthy equilibrium across ARs, DMRs, and SRs, as reflected in the Damage Power Graphs.

Average engagement distance has dropped noticeably, indicating a shift in the meta from long-range standoffs to closer, more aggressive engagements.

Overall, we’ve observed a clear shift in the gunplay meta, with weapon categories now showing a more balanced distribution of influence and greater diversity in engagement styles. Most metrics, including weapon usage rates, the balance between 5.56mm and 7.62mm weapons, and the Power Graphs, are also displaying signs of stability. This suggests that the changes have gone beyond simple balance adjustments and align with our original goal of reducing DMR dominance and revitalizing PUBG’s gunplay meta.

While DMR usage has dropped considerably for now, we expect it to gradually recover over time. Should its usage remain consistently low, we will consider follow-up adjustments.

For the time being, our focus is on allowing players enough time to adapt to the new environment and carefully monitoring the meta as it stabilizes before reviewing individual weapon performance if necessary.

Future Gunplay Updates

Naturally, as major changes take place within PUBG’s gunplay ecosystem, new areas for adjustment have also emerged. As SMGs have become even more prominent following the DMR Rebalance, we are currently planning adjustments to their overall performance. For detailed information and developer comments, please refer to the upcoming Patch Notes - Update 38.1.

We also plan to take another look at the Gunplay Labs, which has already been held several times, reviewing its operation methods and duration based on player feedback.

Gunplay lies at the very core of PUBG, and we understand how closely our players follow its evolution. We will continue to carefully observe the gunplay meta and how players engage in combat, constantly seeking ways to further improve the experience.

We'll see you in the next Dev Letter.

PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS Team