PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds continues to be one of the most popular games to watch on Twitch, and there are no signs of this changing any time soon.
The huge amount of freedom PUBG offers players, as well as its competitive nature, gives the game an “anything can happen” atmosphere which makes it captivating to watch — especially when it’s being played at the highest skill level, by professionals who have dedicated hundreds and thousands of hours to perfecting their strategies.
These reasons made the recent PUBG Gamescom Invitational tournament in Cologne, Germany very entertaining indeed. The competition featured some of the best PUBG players in the world competing for a combined prize pool of $350,000, spread out across a number of different events. While there were definitely hiccups here and there when it came to the actual tournament itself (as admitted by PlayerUnknown himself, Brendan Greene) the event showed exactly why PUBG continues to dominate the streaming and Steam charts.
Here are some of the best moments to come out of the PUBG Gamescom Invitational.
1. Nowhere to Run
Sometimes, the best way to survive in PUBG is simply to avoid a fight whenever possible. In a bad spot or a situation that seems unwinnable? It’s not unwise to make a run for it, and that’s what a pair of players attempted to do during the tournament’s first-person duo event. They sprint to a dune buggy and try to drive away from harm — but their opponents had no intention of letting them off the hook so easy.
2. Freebie
While the PUBG Gamescom Invitational was filled with epic gunfights and edge-of-your-seat moments, in true PUBG fashion, some of the tournament’s best highlights were more comedic in nature. Like this facepalm-worthy moment from NBL_Boom, who completely fails to see a loot-filled crate that had dropped right next to him in his haste to drive across the map.
3. Duel
PUBG is never more intense than when it’s down to the round’s final circle, as the few remaining players are forced to confront one another in a climactic final showdown. That’s exactly what happened here, as TSM_Break squared off with LiquidHayz.
4. Stay Alert
In PUBG, it’s easy to become so preoccupied with one opponent that you let another, unknown assailant gain the upper hand. Such is the case in this clip, which depicts LiquidScoom’s final moments.
5. Battle Boats
In one of the most stylish plays of the whole tournament, Onuqtive drives his car straight into the ocean, boards a nearby boat, and takes out another player attempting to flee with a few well placed shots — all in a matter of seconds.
6. Two For One
It’s always a tough call when you’re playing duos and your partner goes down — do you attempt to take out your team’s attackers right away, or is it better to try and revive your teammate quickly before going on the offensive? In this clip, DinghisKhan chooses the latter option, with less-than-optimal results.
7. Pool Party
It might not seem like it at first, but being in a body of water is actually one of the safest places a player can be in PUBG. That’s because while submerged, players can’t actually be harmed by bullets. Of course, players can’t fire their weapons while in the water either, which effectively makes it a bizarre neutral zone. The end result of that in-game logic is moments like this one, where 11 players find themselves submerged off the coast, all in close proximity to one another but unable to do each other harm, with each hoping to stay in the water — and as a result, stay alive — for as long as possible.
8. Threading the Needle
Pro players make insane shots and pull off impressive plays all the time. Even still, this headshot from TSM_SmaK during the first-person duo event was truly a thing of beauty.
9. Death by Bike
When you manage to be the first to an air-dropped loot crate and get to reap the spoils, it can feel like you are on top of the world. Unfortunately, being so high up also means you have the furthest to fall. Moments after securing the powerful, crate-exclusive Groza assault rifle, JaredFPS hits a hill at just the right (or wrong) angle while driving a motorcycle, killing him instantly.
10. Eye on the Prize
Third-person mode in PUBG is incredibly intense. But playing in first-person? That ratchets up the intensity levels even higher, due to the fact that players are forced to operate with a more limited field of vision. The enemy could be anywhere, and without a third-person camera to help spot them, victory comes down to knowing your surroundings and paying very close attention — and that’s exactly what AndyPyro does in the final moments of this first-person duo round.
If you’re looking for more information about PUBG, look no further. The official PUBG Wiki is your destination for detailed weapon breakdowns, strategies and more. Interested in more PUBG shenanigans? Be sure to check out some of our previous PUBG clip round-ups.