PUBG’s new extraction shooter traps you in a time loop—alpha access is surprisingly open

This PUBG spin-off finally does something bold-and you can try it soon

Extraction shooters live and die by their loop, not their lore. That’s why PUBG: Black Budget instantly caught my eye: it’s PUBG Studios stepping away from pure battle royale into a first-person, exploration-forward extraction game set on Coli, an island stuck in a repeating time loop and warped by a supernatural Anomaly. The hook is strong, but the bigger deal is how open the upcoming closed alpha is-PC-only via Steam, two three-day sessions (Dec 12-14 and Dec 19-21), and you can even earn access through Twitch Drops while streaming is explicitly allowed. For an alpha, that’s unusually public.

Key takeaways

• Two closed alpha sessions on PC via Steam: Dec 12-14 and Dec 19–21, with sign-ups live now and Twitch Drops handing out extra invites.
• FPP-only extraction with 3-player squads, 45 players per match, and 30-minute sessions leaning into exploration over nonstop PvP.
• Coli is a 2.5 x 2.5 km island shaped by an Anomaly-think dynamic hazards that push you to move and make decisions under pressure.
• Big swings: base building, factions with loyalty tracks, and a meta economy—all great if tuned well, disastrous if not.

Breaking down what Krafton’s actually pitching

Black Budget is FPP-only, which already changes the vibe from PUBG: Battlegrounds’ third-person-friendly gunfights. You drop into Coli in a 3-stack, pick your route through POIs like research labs and bunkers, and decide how greedy to get before extracting. If you’ve suffered (and loved) through Escape from Tarkov or Hunt: Showdown, you know the drill: only what you extract survives, and greed is the best loot filter.

The twist is the Anomaly—a supernatural force that contracts the playable space and spawns unpredictable hazards and enemies as the loop progresses. It’s less a battle royale circle and more an environmental wildcard. Stick around too long and the risk skyrockets. Between runs, you expand a personal base, craft at stations, and climb loyalty with rival factions for access to unique gear and missions. If Krafton nails the pacing, this could scratch that “one more run” itch without feeling like Tarkov’s punishing homework.

Why this matters now

The extraction genre is crowded but unsettled. We’ve seen exciting ideas stumble on economy balance, cheaters, or simply not respecting players’ time. Ubisoft shelved The Division Heartland, Bungie’s Marathon is still deep in development, and smaller contenders pop up and fade fast. PUBG Studios has something most challengers don’t: proven gunplay chops, engine experience, and an existing audience. The question is whether they’ve learned from years of PUBG’s netcode quirks, desync memes, and anti-cheat wars. If Black Budget launches with crisp hit-reg, strong audio occlusion, and a fair economy, it has a real lane.

How to get into the alpha (and what to expect)

• Request access on the game’s Steam page. It’s region-limited (North America, Europe, Asia) and PC-only for now.
• There are two sessions: Dec 12–14 and Dec 19–21. It’s six total days across two weekends, plenty of time to kick the tires.
• Twitch Drops will distribute extra access and rewards, and yes—gameplay sharing is encouraged. Expect the feeds to fill up fast.
• No official specs yet, but plan for a modern midrange setup: quad-core CPU, 16GB RAM, and a GTX 1060/RX 580 or better as a baseline.

Match rules look straightforward: 45 players per raid, squads of three, ~30 minutes per session. That’s tighter than Tarkov and closer to Hunt’s tempo, which should support the “exploration-first” pitch. The map’s 2.5 x 2.5 km scale is compact enough for density without turning every corner into a third-party fiesta—if spawn and extraction placement are smart.

What I’ll be watching for in the alpha

• Netcode and hit registration: PUBG’s past desync is infamous. If bullets don’t land where they should, nothing else matters.
• AI and the Anomaly: PvE needs to be dangerous without feeling cheap. Unreadable one-shots or invisible hazards kill trust.
• Economy tuning: Extraction lives in the meta. If early gear walls are brutal or wipes feel too frequent, players bounce.
• Audio: Footstep clarity and occlusion are king in FPP. If it’s muddy, third-party ambushes will feel unfair, not thrilling.
• Spawn/extract logic: Camp-proofing isn’t easy, but smart sightlines and timers can minimize frustration.

I also like the ambition around base building and faction loyalty, but those systems are landmines. If upgrades translate to pure stat creep, latecomers get stomped. If faction rewards become must-haves locked behind narrow grinds, the “play your way” pitch evaporates. The best versions of these systems create interesting choices, not mandatory chores.

The gamer’s perspective: cautious hype

I’ve sunk too many nights into Hunt: Showdown and Tarkov to pretend the genre isn’t exhausting when it’s off by even a few degrees. Black Budget stands out because it’s willing to make exploration the headliner and owns its sci-fi weirdness instead of another “paramilitary PMCs in a gray forest” clone. A smaller, denser map with a hostile supernatural layer could produce those unforgettable “we should’ve left five minutes ago” stories. If PUBG gunfeel carries over and the team resists monetization traps (no pay-to-win meta shortcuts, please), this could be the shake-up extraction needs.

TL;DR

Black Budget is PUBG’s extraction pivot: FPP-only raids on a time-looped island, exploration-forward design, and an unusually open December alpha on PC. The premise is strong—now it’s all about netcode, economy, and whether the Anomaly adds tension without cheap shots. I’m in for the alpha, cautiously hopeful and ready to bail if the bullets don’t behave.