PUBG extraction shooter, Black Budget, gets a date for its second playtest

PUBG Black Budget, the military shooter's answer to Escape from Tarkov, finally has a date for its second alpha playtest, and it's soon. Finding a niche somewhere in between the hard-as-nails EFT and the slightly more sci-fi Arc Raiders, Black Budget is a story-driven extraction FPS that drops you and your squad into the middle of a tropical island, attempting to reclaim some long-abandoned top-secret technology.

As with many of these games, you aren't alone in PUBG: Black Budget. With up to 45 players in a single session and a host of supernatural phenomena, getting in and out in one piece will be tricky - even with an entire island to explore, it looks like things might get busy. Thankfully, I can take a breather at my base in between missions, craft what I need, then get back into the fray.

PUBG Black Budget is running a second closed alpha playtest from Friday 26 June to Monday 29 June, for North America, Europe, and East Asia. To be a part of the playtest, head over to the Steam page and click on the Request button. You should then receive an email close to the start date confirming your entry.

Those accepted into the closed alpha playtest can invite up to two people via Steam, so make sure everyone in your squad applies today to increase your group's chances. Selection announcements and test details can be found over on the official Black Budget Discord, so get in there if you're interested in taking part.

I'm looking for something to fill that gap between gritty realism and not being gunned down by players with actual military experience, so a first-person game based on the PUBG foundation sounds ideal. It's methodical but not painfully slow, and just lethal enough to feel like every shot counts. Black Budget is one I'm very much looking forward to.