Hello, players!

In today's Dev Letter, we'd like to introduce Meta Rotation, a new initiative that will bring a fresh direction to PUBG's gunplay experience.

Back in March, we first announced Meta Rotation through the 2026 Roadmap. This August, we're excited to kick off its very first rotation.

Meta Rotation is a long-term approach to gunplay updates that moves away from a structure where certain weapons dominate the meta for extended periods. Instead, approximately every four months, different weapon classes and playstyles will take center stage, bringing meaningful changes to the way PUBG is played.

Background and Vision

PUBG's gunplay has continued to evolve through player preferences and ongoing balance updates. However, over time, certain weapons remained dominant for long periods, and balance changes were often designed to preserve the existing meta. As a result, opportunities to move beyond familiar choices and experience a wider variety of weapons and playstyles gradually became less common.

To address this, we wanted to move beyond simply adjusting individual weapon statistics and introduce a system capable of intentionally reshaping the flow of combat itself. Meta Rotation is a long-term approach that can focus on a single weapon or weapon class, while also allowing us to reshape overall gameplay balance and combat experiences whenever necessary.

What we aim to achieve with Meta Rotation goes beyond simple balance changes. Our goal is to create a distinct gunplay experience for each meta, allowing every rotation to develop its own identity and leave lasting memories that players will naturally look back on long after it has ended.

In this Dev Letter, we'll explain why LMGs were chosen to lead the first Meta Rotation, and how we envision PUBG's gunplay evolving through this new approach.

Why LMG?

The first Meta Rotation needed to make one thing clear: when the meta changes, the way you play should change with it. Rather than simply buffing another weapon, we wanted to introduce a weapon class capable of reshaping the flow of combat itself.

That's why we chose LMGs as the first featured weapon class.

LMGs have always had a distinct identity, offering large magazine capacities and exceptional sustained firepower. However, their long reload times and difficult recoil patterns kept them from becoming a true staple of the meta. At the same time, those very characteristics also gave them the greatest potential to deliver a meaningful shift in gameplay through a focused rebalance.

LMGs also create combat scenarios that feel fundamentally different from the traditional AR-focused meta. From loadouts that take advantage of shared ammunition with DMRs and SRs, to sustained suppressive fire and effective counterplay against vehicles, LMGs open up a wide range of strategic possibilities.

To support this vision, we've applied bold balance adjustments to ensure LMGs can take center stage throughout this Meta Rotation. We hope you'll embrace the LMG meta and experience the unique combat it brings while this rotation is active.

LMG Rebalance

Faster Reloads

The average reload time for automatic weapons such as ARs and SMGs is approximately 3.4 seconds, while LMGs previously required around 8 seconds, taking more than twice as long to reload. We identified this significant gap as one of the main reasons players hesitated to choose LMGs.

To address this, we've reduced reload times for all LMGs by approximately 25%, bringing their base reload times down to around 5 seconds.

Our goal was to preserve the identity of LMGs as weapons with longer reload times while reducing the burden that made players hesitate to use them.

More Predictable Recoil

We've also adjusted LMG recoil to improve usability while preserving each weapon's unique handling characteristics.

Previously, LMGs featured a distinctive recoil pattern where vertical recoil spiked sharply before settling back down, while strong horizontal recoil made sustained automatic fire difficult to control.

With this update, we've refined these recoil patterns to make them more manageable without sacrificing the identity of the weapon class.

For vertical recoil, we've reduced the peak recoil during sustained fire by approximately 10%, while increasing the recoil after the recovery point by 10%. This preserves the characteristic feel of LMG recoil while reducing the sensation of sudden upward jumps.

Horizontal recoil has also been reduced by up to 30%, minimizing unpredictable side-to-side movement and making sustained fire feel more consistent and controllable.

New Weapon: RPD

With the first Meta Rotation, RPD, the first new LMG in nearly two years, is arriving in PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS.

RPD represents this Meta Rotation and will take its place alongside the M249 as one of the key weapons leading the LMG meta.

Chambered in 7.62mm, RPD delivers high per-shot damage along with stable handling, making it a powerful choice in firefights. It also comes equipped with a 50-round magazine by default, which can be expanded to 110 rounds, allowing players to fully utilize the sustained firepower unique to LMGs.

In contrast, the M249 excels at sustained fire thanks to its higher rate of fire and faster muzzle velocity.

During this Meta Rotation, all LMGs, including the M249, MG3, and the new RPD, have been strengthened into powerful options. Each weapon offers its own unique strengths, so rather than having a single definitive choice, we encourage you to find the LMG that best suits your playstyle.

Future Meta Rotation Updates

Going forward, Meta Rotation will operate in cycles of approximately four months. With each new rotation, a featured weapon will take center stage on the battlegrounds, bringing new strategies and changing the flow of combat.

During each rotation, the featured meta weapon will receive more significant balance adjustments to ensure it becomes a defining part of the battlefield. Once that meta comes to an end, the weapon will no longer occupy the spotlight, and its balance adjustments will return to a standard level. A new featured meta weapon will then take center stage in the next rotation, bringing with it a fresh gunplay experience.

The development team has put considerable thought and careful evaluation into ensuring that Meta Rotation delivers meaningful changes while maintaining a healthy weapon ecosystem and balanced gameplay. As each Meta Rotation unfolds, we will continue monitoring gameplay data and make adjustments where necessary to preserve a healthy combat environment while ensuring that each rotation fulfills its intended purpose.

The second Meta Rotation is scheduled to begin with Update 44.2 this December. We hope you'll look forward to discovering which featured weapon will take center stage next.

Meta Rotation marks a new beginning for PUBG's gunplay. We hope you'll experience the changing battlefield alongside the first featured weapon, LMGs, and look forward to the Meta Rotations still to come.

Thank you.

PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS Team