PUBG on Xbox One controls: How to shoot and survive

Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds arrives on Xbox One today, and with it comes a novel new control scheme. It takes some getting used to, so here’s the basics to get you started.

Inventory

Battlegrounds is a fairly sophisticated tactical shooter and includes controls for leaning around corners and changing the range of your weapon. The controller maps were posted to the official Xbox blog not long ago, but they don’t do a good job of actually telling you what’s going on. Let’s start with picking up items and equipping attachments.

To grab something off the ground, simply walk up to it and point your reticle at it. Press X and it enters your inventory. Weapons will automatically equip to one of three slots, either primary weapon, secondary weapon or pistol.

In the gallery below, I’ve stumbled across a cache including an AKM, a compensator and some ammunition. To pick them all up, just spam X while moving the cursor around.

To load a weapon, hold down X. To switch between multiple weapons, hit Y.

Grid View

• Pick items up with X ... PUBG Corp./Microsoft
• ... then hit menu to enter your inventory. Use the shoulder buttons to move between columns. PUBG Corp./Microsoft
• Use the D-pad to move up and down within a column. To equip an attachment, simply highlight it and hit A. Hit A again once you’ve selected the correct weapon in your inventory. PUBG Corp./Microsoft
• PUBG Corp./Microsoft

Attachments

To equip an attachment, you’ll first need to go into your inventory by hitting the menu button. Once there, you’ll notice that the screen is divided into a series of vertical columns. The first column to the left is highlighted by default and represents the items on the ground. To move them from the ground to your personal inventory, hit the right shoulder button, then use the D-pad to scroll through and highlight individual items. Just select the attachment you want and hit A, then A again to attach it.

Once you have more weapons in your inventory, this will be slightly more complicated. A red dot sight can fit onto a primary weapon, a secondary weapon or a pistol. You’ll need to use the D-pad to select the correct weapon before hitting A to attach it.

Cycling through weapons, medical and throwables

To switch between your primary, secondary, pistol and melee weapons, use the Y button.

Primary and secondary weapons are interchangeable. To replace a primary weapon with a weapon on the ground, equip your primary and then pick up the new gun. The old gun will fall to the ground. Same goes for your secondary.

The D-pad has a bunch of different functions. Pushing up will equip your melee weapon. Pushing right will switch between different types of grenades. Tapping down allows you to switch between medical supplies, while holding down uses them. Left changes the firing mode of your current weapon (if there are multiple fire modes).

Aiming and free-look

Once you have a ranged weapon, tap the left trigger to toggle into the aiming down sights mode. This will allow you to use your scope, if you have one equipped. Up and down on the D-pad will adjust your range.

Once aiming down sights, hold down the left bumper to hold your breath.

Switch between first-person and third-person with the right bumper. First-person is especially useful for close-in fighting inside buildings. That’s because in Battlegrounds, bullets travel directly from a weapon’s muzzle. If the end of your rifle is tucked behind a windowsill, you’re not going to hit your target. Switching to first-person perspective gives you a better idea if there’s anything blocking your shot.

But playing in third-person has its advantages as well.

If you hold the left trigger while in third-person mode, the camera will zoom in, and you will steady your aim slightly. Clicking the left or right stick, whether you’re in first or third-person, allows you to lean left or right. But in third-person, that also selects what shoulder you’re looking over when you zoom in.

In third-person, when moving through tight hallways, it will be important to move the camera to the appropriate shoulder. Done quickly, you’ll have a wider field of view as you round a corner and be able to see enemies before they see you.

Free-look, which allows you to point your gun in one direction and look in another, is accessed by holding down the right bumper and moving the right analog stick.

Grid View

• PUBG Corp./Microsoft
• PUBG Corp./Microsoft
• PUBG Corp./Microsoft
• PUBG Corp./Microsoft
• PUBG Corp./Microsoft
• PUBG Corp./Microsoft