PUBG: Black Budget is a new extraction shooter spin-off within the PUBG world from Krafton and PUBG Studios, currently in development for PC. If you've been waiting for a chance to check out this upcoming PvPvE shooter, then your shot is coming, as the studio has announced it will host a closed alpha test in December that players can sign up for now.
As is the case with most closed alphas, signing up doesn't guarantee you a spot; it just puts you in the running for one. Still, it's worth putting your name in if you're looking for a new extraction shooter to spend some time with. The closed alpha will take place over two sessions, the first running from December 12-14, and the second from December 19-21. You can sign up by requesting access to the closed alpha on the game's Steam page.
PUBG: Black Budget is set on an island called Coli, an island that's stuck in a time loop and being consumed by a mysterious supernatural phenomenon called the Anomaly. You'll deal with other players and enemy threats while you try to scrounge as much top-secret tech from the island, looking for anything that can lead to the truth behind what's happening on Coli and a secret, black budget initiative codenamed SAPIENS.
It's all together an interesting premise, though no one plays extraction shooters for their storytelling capabilities. It'll be more interesting, of course, to see how it plays next month, and if it's the latest extraction shooter that can carve out a place for itself in this increasingly competitive genre.
Meanwhile, the major extraction shooter in the industry at the moment continues to be ARC Raiders, so Krafton and PUBG Studios will have to try making a comparable splash to get players' attention when a new extraction shooter just entered the space that fans of the genre are still enamoured with.
And while that's going on, Krafton continues to deal with its case against Unknown Worlds co-founders over the development of Subnautica 2, a case that just took another major and unexpected turn (though after the third unexpected turn, it was worth it to just expect unexpected turns).
About the author: David has been writing about videogames, technology, and culture since 2020, with a focus on reporting daily news across multiple publications, including GameDaily.Biz, GameSkinny, and PlayStation Universe before joining Wccftech in 2025. David started contributing as Canada/US reporter for Wccftech's gaming section in 2025. Besides being up-to-date on the industry's movements, he loves interviewing developers, reviewing games, and writing intricate essays about the symbolism and layered meanings to be found in rich narratives as he's done for publications like GamesIndustry.Biz, LostInCult, and others. Outside of games he loves movies, music, theatre, his hometown, and his family, though not necessarily in that order.
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