September 18 Arena Mode has been temporarily disabled during the first PC trial due to "a critical issue impacting game stability".
You'd be forgiven for not having heard of PUBG Labs. It's a section of the menu that occasionally pops up to feature more experimental game modes or things that PUBG Corp just wants to try out. You'll find Labs in the main game, not the test server, with its own UI just above the play button.
This time around PUBG Labs is trialing a 64-player tactical arena shooter imaginatively called Arena Mode, starting from September 17, 00:00 PDT (03:00 EDT/08:00 BST) for PC players. You and your team will be dropped into small sections of Erangel, Miramar, and Sanhok to fight it out in first-person perspective with just two opposing teams. Win, and you'll gain an advantage in your next fight. Lose, and you've got two more tries or you're out.
When just three teams remain, you'll battle it out in sudden death with one life and one winner. However, the biggest difference is that loot won't be spawning on the ground. You'll earn currency in your matches, which you can spend equipping yourself and your team with the best loadout for the terrain you're in. It definitely sounds different to PUBG ranked, so it could be a welcome change of pace.
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