PUBG Battlegrounds Adds Xeno Point, a Co-op PvE Mode That Breaks from Battle Royale
Krafton is adding a co-op PvE mode called Xeno Point to PUBG Battlegrounds — a meaningful departure from the 100-player battle royale format the game has run on since its full launch in December 2017.
The mode gives squads a shared objective against AI enemies rather than other players. For a game that peaked at over 3 million concurrent Steam players in January 2018 and has since settled into a much smaller but loyal PC community, it is the most structurally ambitious thing Krafton has added in years.
What Xeno Point Is — and What It’s Changing
Xeno Point is a co-op PvE mode inside PUBG Battlegrounds where players fight alongside teammates against AI-controlled enemies rather than competing against other squads. Krafton has described it as offering “a strange vision of a post-battle royale future” — the studio’s own framing, which signals this is not just a limited-time event bolted on for engagement.
The mode represents Krafton pushing PUBG Battlegrounds into territory that live-service shooters like Warzone and Apex Legends have explored with PvE events and co-op spin-offs. PUBG is a released game — it launched in full in December 2017 after a 12-month Steam Early Access period — and has continued to evolve well past its battle royale peak. It follows a pattern of live-service shooters expanding beyond their core format, similar to how Warframe has committed to supporting its game for as long as a single player remains. Xeno Point is the most structurally different thing the game has tried in years.
Co-op PvE in a Battle Royale: Why This Is a Big Deal
The original PUBG Battlegrounds formula is ruthless by design. Every player is an enemy. Trust nobody. Xeno Point inverts that completely — it asks players to coordinate, share resources, and work through AI opposition as a unit.
That design shift opens the game to players who find the high-stakes 1-vs-99 format punishing, and it brings a mode structure much closer to what MLBB, Valorant, and similar titles have done with PvE branches. PUBG currently sits at roughly 150,000–200,000 daily active Steam players globally in 2026, down significantly from its 2018 peak — a co-op mode is a deliberate attempt to broaden that audience. Whether Krafton commits to developing Xeno Point into a permanent, content-rich pillar or lets it quietly fade after launch will matter a lot.
What This Means for SEA Players
Southeast Asia is one of PUBG Battlegrounds’ strongest remaining markets. Mobile-forward players in the region have largely migrated to PUBG Mobile (a separate Tencent-published title, available on iOS and Android), but the PC version still has an active community in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam — particularly in competitive circles.
Xeno Point gives that PC community something new to organise around. Squad-based PvE content is exactly the kind of mode that keeps friend groups logging in when ranked queues start feeling stale. For Discord servers and community groups that run regular sessions, a co-op mode removes the barrier of needing to compete — you just need to show up and clear objectives together.
PUBG Battlegrounds is available on PC via Steam. In-app purchases are available in the game — pricing varies by region.
What Happens Next
Krafton has not confirmed whether Xeno Point will be a permanent mode or a time-limited event. The studio’s language around it — “a strange vision of a post-battle royale future” — reads more like a deliberate creative statement than throwaway patch-note copy, which is encouraging.
Watch for full mode details, confirmed availability windows, and whether Krafton links Xeno Point to seasonal rewards or progression. Updates will appear on the official PUBG Battlegrounds site and the game’s Steam page.
