PUBG x aespa: K-pop Group to Debut ‘Dark Arts’ at Nations Cup 2025

Aespa x PUBG Collab (Image Credit: Krafton/PUBG BATTLEGROUND)

PUBG Esports has announced that K-pop sensation aespa will light up the stage during the final day of the PUBG Nations Cup 2025.

The event is set for July 23rd to 27th at the Olympic Handball Gymnasium in Seoul, South Korea.

aespa is going to perform their new promotional single “Dark Arts” live for the very first time on the final stage of the tournament.

aespa shared their excitement on social media, saying, “On the final day of the PNC Final Stage, we’ll be performing Dark Arts live for the first time ever — only on the PNC stage.”

Exclusive in-game items inspired by aespa—such as skins resembling the group members—Karina, Winter, Giselle, and Ningning—already live for PC players as of July 9, and it’s dropping for console players on July 17. Miramar now includes aespa concert venues, emote stages, and mysterious crop field symbols. And you can get a glimpse of Dark Arts by aespa, in lobby music. The collab runs until August 6 (PC) and August 14 (Console), so you’ve got time to dive in and collect everything.

This isn’t PUBG’s first K-pop crossover, either. Back in 2021, the game teamed up with BLACKPINK for a similar in-game event, featuring limited-time map changes and unlockable cosmetics. Clearly, PUBG knows how to blend pop culture with esports to keep things fresh.

aespa, meanwhile, is continuing to make waves in the gaming world. Earlier this month, they kicked off a Street Fighter 6 collaboration with Capcom, which officially launched on July 4th.

As for the PUBG Nations Cup, this year’s tournament features 24 national teams battling it out for a piece of the $500,000 (~£370,000) prize pool. It’s not part of the main road to the Global Championship, but it’s still one of the biggest international events of the year—sort of an All-Star showcase for PUBG’s top players.

The event is split into two parts:

• Survival Stage (July 23–24): 16 teams compete for 8 slots.

• Final Stage (July 25–27): The 8 survivors join the top 8 teams from PNC 2024.

India will also be part of the event, with a roster featuring Kharku_47, Ryzn07, XiaoYannQvQ, and Rupesh, who earned their place through national qualifiers.

So what makes PNC stand out? It’s more than just a tournament. It’s where national pride meets esports hype, with rotating maps for added strategy, fan-driven cosmetics and rewards, and players chosen by their peers to represent their countries.

All eyes will be on Seoul later this month—not just for the intense PUBG action, but also for aespa’s big stage debut of “Dark Arts.”