A new rival to Tarkov and Arc Raiders, PUBG Black Budget lets you try its supernatural extraction action very soon

As if the mania around extraction shooters wasn't already big enough, Krafton has just waded in as well. A Steam page and X account have just gone live for PUBG Black Budget, an extraction spinoff for one of the biggest and best multiplayer games around that's been teased in financial reports and interviews for quite some time. While we've waited a while to see it get properly revealed, it won't be an age until you get the chance to play it. Krafton confirms that alpha playtests will be arriving next month, and best of all, they won't be under NDA either.

With Escape From Tarkov hitting 1.0 and debuting on Steam, Arc Raiders setting the world alight, and Bungie's Marathon announcing another closed playtest for December, I'm going to get whiplash if I'm not careful. Now, PUBG Black Budget is giving me yet another extraction shooter to keep an eye on. We've known about the game for a while now - Project Black Budget was its codename, but it seems Krafton likes it so much, it's going to stick with it as part of its full title while also pulling in that valuable PUBG namedrop. Seemingly set in the same universe, and developed by PUBG Corporation itself, I half expected this to be a slightly more militarized extraction spinoff of the kind of aesthetic you see from most battle royale games.

However, it seems Black Budget will be a bit more experimental. "Set on Coli, a mysterious island trapped in a time loop and consumed by a supernatural phenomenon known as the Anomaly, players will face various PvPvE threats while seeking top-secret technology and unraveling the truth behind the black-budget initiative, SAPIENS," a press release for the game reads. Timey-wimey stuff in an extraction shooter? Count me in.

While there's no extended gameplay or trailers to look at just yet, a couple of teasers on Black Budget's Steam page show a mysterious purple cloud or energy field, and this appears to be the Anomaly. Krafton says that this "gradually shrinks the playable area," so there appears to be some of that PUBG battle royale DNA left over.

The same press release also claims that Black Budget will differ from its peers thanks to its "focus on exploration and discovery rather than pure survival and combat." A slightly softer experience than the likes of Tarkov and Hunt, then? While there's still a high skill ceiling, the more accessible approach has certainly worked well for Arc Raiders.

The game's Steam description also confirms that you'll be able to craft items, upgrade skills, and "expand your personal base" in between rounds - hopefully this is a living, breathing, customizable social space you can actually explore, something I think Arc Raiders in particular would really benefit from.

Some other interesting details have also been revealed. Coli is a "2.5×2.5 km open-world island," and matches will cap at around 30 minutes. You can play in squads of up to three players, and each match will feature a maximum of 45 real players (but of course, loads of PvE enemies will be present as well). There are also three rival factions that you can receive missions and quests from, and siding with one will increase your reputation with them, leading to some exclusive rewards and items.

With Marathon set to hold its next playtest December 12-16, it's now got direct competition with PUBG Black Budget. Two weekends of playtests will be taking place next month for Krafton's game, including one that covers the same period as Marathon's. What's more, Black Budget's alpha tests will not be under NDA, meaning people can freely capture and stream footage for all of us to see.

The first of PUBG Black Budget's alpha playtests will take place between Friday, December 12 and Sunday, December 14. The second playtest period will run between Friday, December 19 and Sunday, December 21. The playtests will be held exclusively on Steam, and you can sign up on its store page here.

I'm extremely curious to see how Black Budget fares. With the existing clout of the PUBG name, a focus on exploration as well as survival and looting, and some intriguing supernatural elements, it could be a winner. I'll also be interested to see how the battle royale-style shrinking zone will be received - extraction shooters tend to stress you out enough with match timers and closing extraction points anyway, let alone a cloud of deadly purple energy looking to consume you and your pals. Luckily, our first proper look is just a few weeks away.