'PUBG Lite' beta test begins.....

A stripped down, free-to-play version of PlayerUnkown's Battlegrounds is now in beta. PUBG Corp. announced that it has started testing PUBG Lite, a version of the popular battle royale-style game designed to run on lower-end computers. The early beta is taking place in Thailand and, if successful, may make its way to other regions in the future.

As one might expect, PUBG Litedoesn't have much for frills. The game features just one map, Erangel, an is limited in game modes to solo, duo and squad play options. PUBG Lite has its own dedicated development team and will operate as a standalone version of the game separate from the classic PUBG. The developers are promising the free version of the game will get its own exclusive content, including maps.

The decision to launch PUBG Litecan be viewed as an attempt to make up ground on Fortnite. While PUBGstaked out ground as the first wildly popular battle royale game, Fortnitequickly surpassed it with lighter gameplay and no upfront cost. Fortnite also quickly spread to just about every device imaginable, from PC to console to mobile devices. PUBG meanwhile has been plagued with issues as it has raced to keep up.