PUBG Lite open beta now available in over 50 countries

PUBG Lite (the free-to-play version of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds) has been in limited open beta for months, but it's finally going global, with access granted to 52 countries as of October 10. The beta, which is releasing in stages, was initially only available in Thailand back in January. That's all changing. 

The complete list of countries that can now test out the beta can be found here. It includes the United Kingdom, Ireland, and France, as well as the Vatican and Liechtenstein (and here I thought that was just the fictional name of Heath Ledger's character claims in A Knight's Tale). No word yet on when (or if) PUBG Lite will come across the pond and release in the Americas, but stay tuned. The list of countries drives home the goal of the game, which is to provide the PUBG experience to people who may not have the means to enjoy the original game.

The initial announcement for PUBG Lite outlines this mentality, stating that the goal is simply to "deliver the Playerunknown's Battlegrounds experience to players in areas where the core game's required specifications are more difficult to achieve due to the hardware available." That means that the game has lower hardware requirements (it can run on WIndows 7, for example, and only requires 4GB of memory). 

Beta participants will notice that the regular game's maps are not in PUBG Lite, but developers Lightspeed and Quantum will reportedly add more maps over time. The game will also include a 4v4 mode, a new season pass, and different in-game currency. PUBG Lite is not to be confused with the free-to-play version of PUBG Mobile, which has entirely different controls and a redesigned HUD. Consider PUBG Lite a more traditional take on the original game, with minor adjustments to the business model. 

If you're a fan of the original, PUBG crossplay went live at the beginning of October, which means PS4 and Xbox One players can face off.