‘PlayerUnknown’s BattleGrounds’ On Xbox One Still Runs Poorly, Developer Acknowledges

Since its launch on console in December, via the Xbox Game Preview program, PlayerUnknown’s BattleGrounds has been the subject of much criticism. While running on the “world’s most powerful console,” according to Microsoft, PUBG has constantly suffered performance issues. Many explain this away as a game that is still a work in progress and that there will be issues. However, the idea would be that over time that performance would improve, especially on the more powerful Xbox One X. However, in a recent post on the PUBG website, the developer has acknowledged that the performance of PUBG on Xbox One is not up to par.

“To put it bluntly, we are simply not satisfied with the game’s current console performance,” the statement reads. “Especially so during tense moments of onscreen action.”

PUBG on Xbox targets a 30-frames-per-second refresh, and more often than not, the game struggles to maintain that framerate target even on the Xbox One X. The game has been rife with performance issues, specifically when the action heats up and you need the framerate to remain rock solid the most, making for a subpar showing for the game on console. Eurogamer’s Digital Foundry recently posted a performance analysis video detailing the issues and gains they’ve found after capturing and analyzing 90-minutes worth of footage across base and enhanced console.

While the game still suffers through moments of framerate dips into the low teens, there have been improvements, according to Digital Foundry. PUBG players needn’t worry about dealing with the rubber-banding or micro-teleporting that used to happen, especially if another player was nearby. At the outset, jumping from the plane causes the issues to bare their teeth, with Digital Foundry recording a low framerate of 9 fps. It also still takes PlayerUnknown’s BattleGrounds a minute or two after landing to play catch up with itself, the refresh sticking below 30 fps at the outset.

As the match progresses, things do get better. The main gameplay actions you take, such as getting into the playzone, do have a constant framerate. However, once a fight begins, or if you go into a building to find a weapon, you’re met with infuriating performance drops. This is compounded by the input lag with the controller (which is made worse at a lower framerate), as well as any lag introduced by the player’s television. Digital Foundry reports that in every single firefight they recorded over the 90 minute gameplay session, not a single time did they record a constant 30 fps performance readout.

Meanwhile, the game’s closest competitor on console, Epic’s Fortnite, is enjoying some stellar success. The recently released invite-only beta on iOS of the game has become the most-downloaded game on the App Store. Additionally, the game enjoys great performance on console, reaching 60 frames-per-second on the console and providing a stellar user experience.

PUBG Corp, in their post, did not detail exactly when the performance on console will be brought up to a satisfactory level. They do state that performance optimizations will remain a high-priority issue at the studio, so there’s hope that these issues can be ironed out soon. However, it’s clear that PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, on console at least, has a way to go to prove to console players why it took the PC gaming world by storm in 2017.