Is PUBG dead? That question is a loaded one, and it's haunted PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS for a long time now. Answering it is a two step process. First, what does it mean for a game to be dead? And second, does that definition apply to PUBG? Let's find out.

Is ​PUBG Dead?: What Is a Dead Game?

​Generally speaking, when people refer to a game as dead, they mean its online community has seen a massive drop in size. The markers for this are can be varied. Interminable matchmaking times, quiet forums, an inactive Twitter hashtag — each can, in some ways, measure activity in a game.

The population threshold at which a game dies is up for debate, but players tend to know it when they see it.

One generally agreed upon example of a truly dead game is the battle royale H1Z1. According to Steam Charts, that game peaked in popularity in July 2017 with more than 150,000 players logging in. Since then, its player count has fallen steeply month over month. As of the last 30 days, only about 4,000 players have booted up the game.

That kind of drop indicates a well and truly dead game.

So is PUBG Dead?

​By all accounts, PUBG is far from dead. While its player count has dropped significantly (from a staggering 3 million concurrent players in January 2019), it's still far above H1Z1's low water mark. Over the last 30 days, more than 1 million people have played PUBG, indicating a still-robust community of players.

PUBG has even begun to grow again in the wake of the Vikendi launch, posting a player count increase in December ​for the first time since February 2018. Whether that growth will stick is an open question, but regardless, it remains too early to call PUBG's time of death.

In short: PUBG is not dead. It's alive and (relatively) well.

Photo courtesy of PUBG Corp