| PUBG: Blindspot | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Release Date | Gameplay & Story | Pre-Order & DLC | Early Access Review |
PUBG: Blindspot is a new isometric tactical shooter that aims to offer a fresh team-shooter experience. Learn more about the game’s plot, gameplay, release date, our review of the demo, and more.
Everything We Know About PUBG: Blindspot
PUBG: Blindspot Plot
PUBG: BLINDSPOT shifts away from the traditional battle royale survival lore to focus on a high-stakes world of corporate espionage and tactical warfare. The narrative centers on specialized squads of elite Operators—such as Buddy and Collision—who are hired as professional contractors rather than desperate survivors.
These mercenaries are tasked with either defending or breaching the "Crypt," a secure digital vault holding classified information, using specialized tools like the Decrypter to secure their objectives. Set in a near-future urban environment, the story emphasizes the value of information over mere survival.
The conflict unfolds across strategic locations such as high-tech hospitals and warehouses, where the use of advanced technologies, including scanning drones and toxic gas, is the industry standard. This shift in tone highlights a more organized, military-tactical era within the PUBG timeline, where surgical precision and team coordination are the keys to winning a war fought over digital assets.
PUBG: Blindspot Gameplay
PUBG: BLINDSPOT is a 5v5 top-down tactical shooter that moves the realistic gunplay of the PUBG universe into a close-quarters, round-based format. Unlike the original battle royale, this game focuses on intense skirmishes where players choose from unique "Operators"—each equipped with distinct loadouts like the AWM, Mk14, or specialized gadgets like Blue Zone grenades and recon drones.
It features destructible environments where players can use sledgehammers or explosives to breach walls and create new flanking routes. While the top-down perspective usually gives players a "god's eye view," BLINDSPOT limits vision to character's actual line of sight, but allows players to automatically view whatever their teammates see in real-time.
This creates a "fog of war" effect where enemies can hide behind any corner or door unless a teammate has eyes on them. This system encourages non-verbal cooperation and turns every match into a high-stakes game of information control and positioning.
There are two main game modes: Demolition and Team Deathmatch. In Demolition, an attacking team tries to hack a central "Crypt" by installing a Decrypter, while defenders fortify the building with barricades and traps.
Meanwhile, Team Deathmatch is a faster-paced mode focused on pure combat and mastering twin-stick-style shooting controls, where the first team to reach the kill limit wins.
PUBG: Blindspot Release Date
PUBG: BLINDSPOT released in Early Access on February 5, 2026, on PC via Steam.
PUBG: Blindspot Review (Early Access)
Pretty Decent Ambush
When someone talks about tactical FPS games, my mind immediately goes to Rainbow Six Siege (R6). While I’m a fan of Counter-Strike and Valorant, R6 is such a different monster to learn and play compared to both of them.
The amount of angles, utility, and planning that you have to consider is mind-blowing. There’s character-exclusive utility, drones, cameras, team-specific utility, and that’s not even covering the decision-making during games. It’s one of the hardest tactical shooters I’ve ever tried to learn and play, even on a casual level, because there are too many things to consider.
So what if I told you there’s a new tactical shooter that’s not only easier than R6 but also isn’t an FPS? Enter PUBG: Blindspot, a new tactical shooter developed by PUBG Corporation that uses an isometric angle to breathe new life into the scene. As someone who’s played PUBG and R6, I was keen to try it out. After all, who says no to a free game that’s willing to experiment on an again genre?
Looks Pretty Good, Sounds Subpar
First off, the visuals are surprisingly good. The character and environment designs are distinct and recognizable, plus the coloring of both also works very well against each other. The aesthetic and art direction of PUBG aren’t the greatest, but it does a good job of creating a distinct visual flair compared to other games. The animations also have that PUBG-clunkiness, but they honestly look pretty decent from the isometric angle.
The sound design is actually decent overall; it’s just that the voice acting and sound effects aren’t up to snuff. The voice acting is a little problematic because it’s a "hero-shooter." This means you can’t actually tell who’s saying what until you either see them or they shout an exclusive voice line that some agents have. Lastly, the sound effects aren’t amazing, as some can feel similar to others, and some important ones like footsteps and gunshots, are a little too soft.
Easier Top-Down Siege
Moving on to gameplay, it's a top-down version of R6. It’s also because of how matches are played: there’s a mini-prep phase for defenders to set up their bomb sites, while attackers move in to breach their defenses. While that’s definitely an oversimplification given that it’s a completely different perspective, a person who’s played a lot of hours of R6 won’t be able to shake that off.
However, the new perspective makes a big difference in the game's learning curve and overall mechanics.
First off, it’s not like R6 where 70% of the walls are breakable or damageable, which means that not every wall is a potential angle that you have to be worried about. Second, there isn’t a lot of utility in the game yet, since each character only holds a throwable and their exclusive gadget for them to use.
Third, the camera movement and aiming in the game differ significantly from those in a typical shooter. Hip-firing is nonexistent, and you have to press a different key to aim downwards against a crouching enemy. Fourth, the gunplay and movement is unique; in the sense that it doesn't have recoil control or crazy movement mechanics, but instead focuses on "crosshair placement." Lastly, vision is shared between allies, meaning that you can actually see a lot more than what you just see by tilting your mouse upward to see more of the map.
It’s honestly a very unique take on the genre, albeit a little simple one, but I found it surprisingly fun, interesting, and full of potential.
Not-So Fun Surprises
There are things that aren’t great, however, like character-locked weapon loadouts. This means characters have only a specific primary and secondary weapon, with no option to change them. I hope this changes to something similar to R6’s system, where certain characters share weapons, but I do understand that this can lead to balance issues.
Additionally, weapons can also feel very similar to each other, as each gun of the similar class function the same way. For instance, using an AKM doesn't feel all too different from a Famas or an M4A1.
Speaking of balancing, certain character utilities might feel a little too strong compared to the rest. In general, Recon utility feels oppressive, and there isn’t much counterplay to them other than shooting them first. For instance, Whistle’s Blue Chip Tracker covers a wide area and automatically pings and detects enemy movement when caught in it, setting up easy peeks or wallbangs.
Another issue is how long a round takes, as every round feels way too short. It’s counterintuitive and very conflicting because of the game’s large maps. It feels restrictive, as attackers will mostly just choose a near spawn point to attack bomb sites.
Potentially a Banger
All in all, PUBG: Blindspot really blindsided me, in a good way. It’s been a while since I’ve genuinely enjoyed a tactical shooter, since my mechanics and aim aren’t really up to par. But the way the game looks, positioning, movement, and map knowledge seem superior to having godlike flicks and aim.
There’s still a lot to work on, as the game feels a little too simple at the moment, and not much else to do other than Team Deathmatch and Unranked. But the game has actual potential, and I am looking forward to how they add new agents, weapons, and maps to the table.
It’s still going to take a while for the game to take off, as the age of tactical shooters is definitely past its prime, but who knows? Maybe PUBG: Blindspot might just surprise you, especially since it’s great for those who are looking for a tac-shooter who’s looking for something new.
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PUBG: Blindspot Product Information
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| Title | PUBG: BLINDSPOT |
|---|---|
| Release Date | February 5, 2026 (Early Access) |
| Developer | dev_here |
| Publisher | ARC Team, PUBG Corporation |
| Supported Platforms | KRAFTON, Inc. |
| Genre | Shooter |
| Number of Players | 5v5 (Online Lobby) |
| ESRB Rating | RP |
| Official Website | PUBG: Blindspot Official Website |
