PUBG Ally Revealed: Krafton’s AI Co‑Playable Character Arrives in 2026

Krafton has officially unveiled ‘PUBG Ally,’ an AI-driven companion designed to act as a true teammate inside PUBG: Battlegrounds.

Revealed at Nvidia’s GeForce Gamer Festival in Seoul, PUBG Ally is being described as a “Co-Playable Character” (CPC) rather than a simple NPC. Built on NVIDIA’s ACE technology and powered by an on-device Small Language Model (SLM), this AI companion is designed to interact with players in ways that go far beyond scripted bot behavior.

PUBG Ally Uses NVIDIA ACE to Act Like a Real Player in Your Squad

According to Kangwook Lee, Head of Krafton AI, PUBG Ally is capable of discussing strategies, adapting its playstyle, and making independent decisions during matches. That means it can revive you, fetch items, or even adjust its tactics mid-combat depending on how the situation unfolds.

One of the standout features is voice-based communication. PUBG Ally supports English, Korean, and Chinese, and it’s been trained specifically on PUBG terminology, everything from map callouts to item names. This should make conversations with the AI feel natural, almost like chatting with a real squadmate.

Testing for PUBG Ally will begin in early 2026 through PUBG Arcade, giving players a chance to see how it performs in live matches.

NVIDIA describes ACE as a system that allows AI characters to listen, speak, understand, and react in real time. In practice, that means PUBG Ally can spot enemies, share loot, drive vehicles, and fight alongside you without constant micromanagement. It’s meant to support solo players, newcomers, or anyone who just wants a reliable partner in battle.

PUBG isn’t the only title adopting ACE either. Games like inZOI, Naraka, MIR5, ZooPunk, and Dead Meat are also integrating AI companions in different ways. For example, MIR5 will feature adaptive boss fights that learn from your tactics, while Naraka will introduce AI squadmates similar to PUBG Ally.

Of course, there are questions about how this shift might affect multiplayer culture. Will players start relying more on AI teammates than real ones? It’s a fair concern, but for now, PUBG Ally is being positioned as a supportive option rather than a replacement.

Krafton has also made it clear that this is part of a bigger vision. The company recently declared itself an “AI-first” developer, aiming to use AI tools to streamline development and enhance gameplay.