PUBG PC patch 22 adds rank system, brings back map select, more

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds PC players can now download the game's latest patch, which went live earlier today after nearly two weeks in testing.

PUBG's patch 22, which was released this morning, has added a couple of requested features to the PC game. The highlight is the new rank system, which borrows elements from PUBG Mobile.

The new system consists of eight ranks, which players can climb up or down based on their accumulated points each season. Similar to many other games with ranked modes, PUBG's system requires the player to finish ten matches, which then gets them rated and slotted into one of the eight ranks.

There's a clear icon for each rank, and the statistics pages have been updated to reflect that, as well as look nicer and more informative. It's worth noting that ranked doesn't have separate matchmaking, your performance will simply be tracked in regular matches.

Map selection, a feature which was once available but got removed with the arrival of Sanhok, has once again returned. You simply need to select the map(s) you want to play and matchmaking will take care of it.

There's also a quick join option that'll get you into a random game as soon as possible. Skin trading is another major feature part of patch 22, and it simply allows players to trade duplicates for higher-tier items. You'll need ten dupes, which you can then trade for a random, better item that can be as high as rare (blue). This process also costs BP.

The in-game UI has seen a few changes, too. There's a new radial menu available when selecting throwables and healing items. Finally, today's other big addition is a sort of region-locking system. Players will no longer be able to select which region to play on, the game will automatically pick the closest server location.

Since the patch's release on test servers, PUBG Corp. has updated it with even more fixes. It also now has the first implementation of a new anti-cheat tech developed internally at the studio. The tech has been in previous test patches, but that's the first time it'll be available on live servers.

For now, players will be able to disable it should they run into compatibility problems, but this ability will be removed in the future.

Check out the full change log below.

Ranks, progression, regions

• Server/region will now be decided automatically depending on the player’s local region
• If you group with a player from another region, matchmaking will automatically decide the best region to play on
• New rank system has eight total ranks
• Rank will be assigned based on Rank Points earned
• To earn your first rank, you will need to play 10 provisional matches
• Rank promotion / demotion will be decided by total rank points
• Improved the UI of the Career and Leaderboard screens
• Improved UI to show rank, KDA, Avg. damage, etc. more clearly.
• Leaderboard will display up to 100 ranks

Map select

• You can select Quick Join or select maps individually
• Quick join function puts you in the first available game, regardless of map

Skin trading

• You can now trade in items for those of a higher tier
• You can trade up multiple same-tier items and BP into one next-tier skin item
• Trade up requires ten items, and the maximum tier you can get is up to rare(blue) while the system is in testing. We’ll look to open up the system further once we’re satisfied with the balance of the system but please note that any BP costs associated with this system may change.
• The required BP amount is different depending on the tier of items being traded up. You will not be able to initiate the trade without all required items

UI/UX

• Added a wheel menu for quick access to healing and throwable items
• Emote activation hotkey was changed from ` to F4
• You can cancel the wheel by clicking the right mouse button
• Added an option to hide the nicknames of players in the killfeed who downed/killed you or your teammates
• Added alert icons to the network statistics function
• Three new icons represent High latency, Latency variation, Packet loss
• High latency: Alerts you if your ping/latency is getting too high
• Latency variation: Alerts you if your latency variation changes are too high
• Packet loss: Alerts you if your ratio of packet loss is too high
• Added an icon to check teammate’s log out / disconnected status
• Player order between the lobby and in-game is now consistent so that players will have fixed numbers and colors based on lobby order when they enter a game.
• Added an option to manage the maximum ratio of minimap zooming
• Added auto-reload option
• When enabled, you will reload weapons automatically when you try to fire while your magazine is empty
• By default, this is set to “Off” but can be changed in the Gameplay menu

Performance

• Improved the client performance by optimising the creation of character materials

Custom match

• Improved the calculation of participants in the session waiting room
• Players in Observer or Unassigned status will not be calculated in playable participants

Bug fixes

• Fixed the issue where players could sometimes climb stairs much faster while moving diagonally next to the wall.
• Fixed the issue where a downed players' character model would sometimes penetrate walls.
• Fixed the issue where players could hold weapons while moving close to rocks while underwater.
• Fixed the issue where characters would look like they were sliding while standing up if they took out a weapon and stood up at the same time.
• Fixed the issue where a player appeared to slide when standing up or moving while going prone before landing from a certain height.
• Fixed the issue where Flashbang and Molotov stun and on fire animations could be cancelled when repeatedly crouching/standing up/prone/or equipping a weapon.
• Fixed an issue where the player UI sometimes disappeared in the observer's view.
• Fixed the issue where ADS worked unreliably when ADSing right after equipping a weapon.
• Fixed the issue where a player sometimes received collision damage from a motorcycle when another player picked up the motorcycle.
• Fixed an issue where a character would sometimes rotate even though its feet are fixed when the screen is rotated more than 180 degrees left or right.
• Fixed the issue where a player's motion was sometimes shown as scoping when taking steps next to a wall.
• Fixed the issue where characters could vault over other characters when positioned at certain heights.
• Fixed the issue where a player would sometimes clip through the floor of a building when disembarking a motorcycle.
• Fixed the issue where a player could be reported multiple times by playing the replay over and over.
• Fixed the issue where a character's HP bar was sometimes shown in the lobby after exiting the server replay.
• Fixed the issue where a character's animation would pop upward when getting close to the wheels of a buggy.
• Fixed the issue of where a character's animation would pop upward when crouching and standing up near a vehicle.