PUBG: Black Budget Closed Alpha Announced: Dates and How to Sign Up
- Sagar Mankar
- 14 minutes ago
- 2 min read
After months of speculation, PUBG Studios has officially revealed PUBG: Black Budget, a new extraction shooter spin‑off from the PUBG franchise.
The studio confirmed that players will finally get a chance to try the game during a closed alpha test scheduled for December.
Unlike the traditional battle royale format that PUBG popularized back in 2017, Black Budget takes a different approach. The game is described as a "tactical extraction shooter" built around tension, survival, and exploration. According to its Steam page, you’ll step into the role of a Contractor sent to a mysterious island caught in a supernatural time loop. Your mission is to infiltrate, uncover artifacts, and survive against both real players and AI enemies.
The twist is that the island becomes more unpredictable with every loop, making survival harder the longer you stay. Between runs, you’ll be able to craft gear and upgrade your base using materials collected during missions.
Closed Alpha Test Dates
The alpha is split across two weekends in December 2025:
Weekend 1: December 12 (1 AM PT) – December 14 (11:59 PM PT).
Weekend 2: December 19 (1 AM PT) – December 21 (11:59 PM PT).
Available in North America, Europe, and Asia.
Supported languages: English, Korean, Chinese, and Russian.
How to Sign Up
Access is restricted to Steam users.
Steps to request access:
Go to the PUBG: Black Budget Steam page.
Sign in to your Steam account.
Click “Request Access” and confirm.
Wait for Steam’s confirmation email.
Additional keys will also be distributed through Twitch and Chzzk Drops during the test, but those are expected to run out quickly.
The extraction shooter genre has been booming in recent years, thanks to titles like Escape from Tarkov, Arc Raiders, and even parodies like Escape from Duckov. With Black Budget, PUBG Studios is clearly aiming to carve out its own space in this crowded field. As per Krafton’s earlier financial reports, the project was first teased back in 2023 as an “ever-changing PvPvE open-world experience,” and while its full release date remains unannounced, this alpha test feels like the first real step toward launch.