The Dreaded PUBG Circle of Death

Mention the words “circle” and “death” in the same breath and you’re sure to conjure up images of the infamous Xbox fiasco from over a decade ago. Nowadays, there is another circle that’s making waves in the gaming world. Though not as widespread as Xbox’s Red Ring of Death, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds’own version of the Circle of Death is as well-known as it is detested.

However, as loathed as it is by some, it is a component that’s intricately woven into PUBG’s gameplay and core identity. You simply have to live with it and, if possible, use it to as leverage if you want to get the most of the PUBG experience. Here’s a look at all the things you need to know about the notorious Blue Circle otherwise known as the PUBG Playzone.

It has a Purpose

As much as you might detest it, the Blue Circle does indeed serve a purpose in the game. Fighting in an expansive area for an inordinate amount of time can get stale. Chances are, people will just crawl into their own hiding spaces and wait for the less patient players to come out into the open. This makes for easy pickings, after all. That’s exactly what the Blue Circle is for! It forces the action to take place rather than just waiting for player-to-player engagement. That’s also what makes the game so much more exciting. It’s the long buildup—knowing you’ll inevitably have to face all other surviving players to be the last man standing—that makes you edgy and sweaty with anticipation.

You Can Use the Circle to Your Advantage

Much like the way you use PUBG items to win, you can use the Blue Circle to your advantage. It’s all about time-awareness and positioning. You can’t just shoot your way out of every encounter if you wish to be the last man standing. Sure, it’s a fun way to play, but it doesn’t assure success—in fact, it even lessens your chances to bring home the much-coveted chicken dinner. Play smart by being aware of when the circle will close in and you can have an ally on your side instead of an ominous deterrent. As much as possible, position yourself in the middle early on and try to move toward the edges later.

How and when you make your move is essential. Engage your opponent too early and you risk giving your position away. This will leave you in quite a predicament should you be cornered in a tight spot once the blue circle starts to shrink. To avoid this rather difficult situation, you need to develop a keen sense of awareness in order to use the circle to your advantage.

There are certain things that conjure up a strong sense of urgency. PUBG’s Circle of Death is certainly one of them. Few things force players to snap back into focus and bring their A-game the way the dreaded Blue Circle of death can. Love it or hate it, the Blue Circle is here to stay. It’s up to you to adjust your strategy around it so you can get the ever-elusive chicken dinner.

2018 Hottest Video Games Predictions

In a matter of days, we will flip calendars to a new year. There are bound to be a few games that will grow in popularity as we move into 2018, and those are the games we’d like to discuss today. Below are three titles that we predict will be some of 2018’s hottest games!

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds – PUBG

Credit: PUBG Corp.

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds may have made the survival shooter genre-relevant again in 2017. Sure, H1Z1 and DayZ were there, but they never succeeded in raising the genre to the soaring popularity enjoyed by PUBG. PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds was very popular in 2017. As soon as the game entered early access, players all over the world joined in on the fun and never stopped. How popular could this game really be, you ask? At its peak, almost 17 million players were recorded playing worldwide. The trend shows no signs of stopping, either. With its recent release on Xbox One and PC in December of 2017, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds’ popularity will only continue to grow in 2018.

Rocket League

Credit: Psyonix

33 million is the magic number for Rocket League. 33 million copies of Rocket League have been sold across all platforms, meaning that there are AT LEAST 33 million players worldwide. A similarly impressive statistic is that active players per day reach approximately 1.5 million. There are 3.3 million players every week and 6.1 million players monthly. With numbers that amazing, no one is expecting Rocket League to decline in 2018. In fact, we predict that Rocket League will only become even more popular in 2018.

One of the main reasons that we think Rocket League will stay relevant in 2018 is the huge following that it has developed in the E-Sports scene. Rocket League tournaments and majors were held recently and attracted a huge audience. As more players realize that playing the game and actually getting good at it gives them a chance to become E-Sports athletes, the huge player base is going to continue to thrive. New players might even migrate to Rocket League because of its E-Sports scene alone! Big companies are also taking notice of Rocket League’s E-Sports presence and are sponsoring different Rocket League tournaments.

Path of Exile

Credit: Grinding Gear Games

This might be an unpopular opinion, but hear us out. Numbers don’t lie, my friend: POE’s player base increased by 40% in 2017 thanks to Patch 2.6.0. In March 2017, the peak player count soared to 113 thousand. Steam also reported a 150% growth in the number of players in the last 30 days, with a peak of 70 thousand players in-game at once. That’s a huge number considering that the game is not accessible on Steam in some parts of the world, so many Path of Exile players aren’t playing the game through Valve’s gaming service.

War for the Atlas, the latest expansion to Path of Exile, was just released on December 8, 2017. It’s just a matter of time before this release results in a spike in Path of Exile’s player base. New content always means an influx of new and returning players.

Do you agree with our top three predictions for 2018? If not, what are your predictions for the hottest games of 2018? Let us know!