1. Sanhok
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrE4klLasjI&ab_channel=ROGZONE
Sanhok is the third released map in Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds.
Sanhok is a 4x4 km island located in Thailand/Philippines. The first thing that attracts your attention is probably the dense tropical vegetation. Considering that it is a relatively smaller playground, this aspect of Sanhok plays a great role in terms of close quarter combat. Of course, this does not necessarily mean that the island has only forests and tropical locations.
Instead, there are several areas with buildings with remarkable architecture which you can view in the picture above. When these structures are involved into the equation, the players are offered a fast-paced battle royale experience and it wouldn’t be accurate if I said it is not fun.
In this map a new mechanic is introduced to the players of PUBG which is the “dynamic circle”. To clarify, the dynamic circle observes the amount of living players and calculates the velocity of the blue zone accordingly. Moreover, there are loot trucks that are special vehicles spawning around the map.
If you happen to destroy one, you will be rewarded with a nice loot. Sanhok is practically an updated version of the old-school PUBG experience since it does not demand long periods of time per match from the player and it still includes the survival gameplay without becoming a deathmatch-like game type. Apart from the jungles and all the dangers awaiting you in them, there are some places that are worth giving a visit, but not with touristic intentions, such as Bootcamp, Paradise Resort, and Ruins.
2. Vikendi
Vikendi is the fourth released map in Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds.
It is an island located in the Adriatic Sea and it is covered with snow. It also has thick forests and mountainous areas. Vikendi is a 6x6 km map and I believe it can be said that it slightly is a combination of Erangel’s and Miramar’s features because it is both diverse just like Erangel’s vegetation and landscape but also bright in terms of color and its significance when detecting enemies just like in Miramar’s deserts.
If you are lucky enough to happen to be in a night game in Vikendi, you can see auroras which are not ignorable and quite a beautiful view. Also, there are a variety of different buildings and places on this map such as Dino Park, Castle, or Winery. It is quite obvious that this map is created with passion, not to say that others are boring but this one shines a little bit brighter.
In order to understand the true value of Vikendi, we should be experiencing the gameplay it offers and how rich it might be through diverse places and probably occasions occurring in those locations. The most prominent ones may be Dobro Mesto, Villa, Cosomodrome, and Castle, but be careful when landing on these locations because there is a high possibility that a veteran PUBG survivor lands there and finds a S686 to split your skull.
The midgame, on the other hand, has a different type of battle royale and survival experience due to the snow mechanic on this map. The footprints are observable, and I think anyone understands what I am talking about since sometimes PUBG is not only a firefight but a pursuit and escape just like the one between the hunted and the hunter.
3. Miramar
Miramar is the second map in Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds.
Miramar is a map located in Mexico combining desert areas and little towns. It has coastal areas to the south, but it is not an island. As in Erangel, this map features an 8x8 landscape too. So, this means that the two maps behave the same in terms of the significance of mobility. The colors of this map, on the other hand, are totally different compared to Erangel’s.
In other words, it is not as diverse as Erangel and the yellowish color which is dominant nearly all over the map may cause players to detect enemies remarkably easily. Also, there is less potential for you to encounter a camper unless you venture into the buildings because the landscape does not provide convenient hiding places for camping players. Therefore, Miramar is a map preferred by most of the players who want to play the game on an 8x8 map but not to get shot from the bushes behind him or her.
When evaluated comprehensively, Miramar, which is the second released map of the game, has gameplay-friendly aspects in terms of battle royale. Several locations such as Hacienda del Patrón, Pecado, and San Martin, play an important role for the ones who want to dive into the combat as soon as they land on the sandy floor of the Miramar.
However, the mid game experience isn’t merciful most of the time because a person running on a bright desert hill would definitely be the target for other players who have appropriate weapons. This might balance the aforementioned camper issue which is less likely to occur on this map. No matter what, it should be noted that the size of this map might be problematic for people who do not want to play for long periods of time.
4. Erangel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uriJzSQ7wlc&ab_channel=ROGZONE
Erangel is the first map in Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds which makes it the base map of the game.
It comprises both rural and urban areas and is a Russian military island. Erangel is an 8x8 map, so the gameplay it offers might take long periods of time. Also, the long distances you have to cover necessitates vehicle usage almost throughout the gameplay. Of course, it is not a must, especially if you are lucky enough to land in the middle of the circle.
Besides, it is one of the camper friendly maps because of its size. There are green areas and also large cities or towns, which overall results in diversity and a potential for unique fight occasions which is what the players want at the end of the day. Moreover, the weather is not fixed on this map. Sometimes it may affect the visibility due to the fog and the playstyles may be affected by these conditions.
To be honest, Erangel is the most old-school PUBG experience just because of its vibe which means its appearance, vegetation, architecture, and size. The huge landscape may be a burden for you to overcome but some players just like it this way, especially the heated locations such as School, Pochinki, Rozhok etc.
On the other hand, the colors and “default” look of the map makes it easy to adapt and make it your normal way of playing PUBG. However, no matter what Erangel offers to the players, it is a fact that a regular match on an 8x8 km map demands too much time from the player and in the end it does have a potential to become a burden which players eschew.
5. Deston
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz7YRF6qCy4&ab_channel=FireFly
Deston is the ninth released map in Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds.
Deston is an 8x8 km flooded city located in Madison, USA. The focused theme of this map is basically a large coastal flooded American city full of skyscrapers. However, there are different areas in this map outside this city such as desert areas to the west, swamp areas to the north, and the aforementioned urban area full of skyscrapers or huge structures to the east. The newly introduced mechanic beside this map is “Ascenders”.
To clarify, they are simply elevators but designed to leave the player in a more vulnerable condition and their main function is to save you time while climbing one of those skyscrapers. Also, you can go down as fast as you climb up by using your permanent parachute. Additionally, there are gas stations which fill your vehicle’s gas, which rarely has been one of the problematic conditions to be in for PUBG players.
In my opinion, it is obvious that the main goal of the developers in this map is to integrate all the previous maps into one single map. If you are a master of Miramar and the circle goes to the west towards the end of the match, you are likely to survive. Also, although it has innovative aspects, they do not feel forced novelties.
They exist because of their functionality, which should be the case for all the mechanics. Overall, the idea of combining bits and pieces from nearly every single map developed for this game is quite fun because the endgame is quite unpredictable. For example, what are you going to do with a shotgun if the game ends in the skyscraper area? Therefore, this map has the potential to challenge and change you in a good way if you want to be a better PUBG player.
6. Taego
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0GkFutDtzE&ab_channel=FireFly
Taego is the eighth released map in Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds.
It is an 8x8 km peninsula located in the Korean countryside. It is a combination of rural and urban areas just like Erangel. It is a relatively fresh but traditional PUBG map and the intention of the developers while generating such a map might be a return to the roots of the old-school PUBG and what it offers in terms of the playground.
The most prominent mechanic added to this “old-school” map is Comeback BR. It allows you to be revived if you die during the first Blue Zone. This mechanic functions just like Gulag in Call of Duty Warzone; in other words, after you die in the first Blue Zone, you are sent to an arena and the winner of the fight in this new location determines who returns to the game.
Considering the colors and landscape of Taego, there is one certain thing that cannot be overlooked. It resembles Erangel a lot. The newly introduced mechanic is an innovation; however, it does not affect the gameplay in a considerable way because it is only doable during the first Blue Zone. On the other hand, it is observed that the loot is relatively better on Taego, which eventually makes the fights more fun than before when the pan or a pistol plays a crucial role in survival.
7. Paramo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnI_8tlo_YM&ab_channel=FireFly
Paramo is the sixth released map in Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds.
It is a 3x3 km island located in South America with an active volcano that affects the gameplay. It is similar to Sanhok’s in terms of vegetation and colors; however, the crucial part of Paramo is the fact that the compounds and points of interest move in each match you make. Considering this everlasting change and the small size of this map, it would be sensible to say that you should always be ready for a combat situation on this island. In addition, the loot helicopters are another mechanic that makes this map more chaotic. Yet, an accurately shot RPG missile would be able to deal with the chopper and that’s why they are functional. While keeping an eye on any possible engagement with the enemies, you should always be looking for keys that open secret rooms throughout the map. Do not forget that the vicinity of secret rooms are a potential camping area.
Overall, the chaos is what Paramo succeeds in. First of all, nothing is certain, and the structures and locations change in every single match. There are loot choppers, secret rooms, and an active volcano bursting lava. Considering all these conditions, it is not extraordinary for a player to feel insecure during a game on Paramo. However, we can clearly observe from the mechanics of every newly released map that the developers are trying to encourage the players to play more aggressively. This one is clearly one of the most chaotic ones and therefore it is quite a fun experience.
8. Haven
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Crrms9obJKQ&ab_channel=WackyJacky101
Haven is the seventh released map in Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds.
This map is the smallest with a 1x1 km area, and it is an island located in the United States. The player limit is 32 because of the size of the map. It is the first PvPvE map in the game and the ultimate aim of the developers while designing this map is to create the most dense close quarter combats.
There is an armed group named “Pillar” on the island, and they are protecting high tier loot. There are five districts: Coal Railway, Residential, Docks, Industrial, and Steel Mill. In addition, the chopper of the aforementioned group spots players from the sky. A tactical truck will track and try to eliminate the spotted survivors around the map.
The deathmatch-like and fast-paced experience on this map makes it quite preferrable. However, overall, it may lack the original PUBG experience despite the additional mechanics. The time of day and colors used on the map does not have a direct effect on the gameplay, but their uniqueness makes them aesthetically decent. For players who have nearly no time or eagerness at all, this is the shortest PUBG tour.
9. Karakin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBjCyJqt1l0&ab_channel=Aculite
Karakin is the fifth released map in Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds.
It is a 2x2 desert island off the coast of North Africa. Due to its smaller size when compared to other maps of the game, the player limit is decreased to 64 from 100 in order to prevent total chaos in the battleground. In terms of terrain, it does not offer many things to the players who want to play a bit too safely.
Also, there are bunkers through which you can reach tunnels beneath the map, but it should be mentioned that not all the tunnels on this map are connected to each other; therefore, you should not always trust them.
Its Miramar-like appearance makes players easy to notice; however, it must be the developers who thought that this is not even enough for players to play aggressively because they came up with a new mechanic named Black Zone. It functions as a “desert camper punisher” because it literally flattens buildings.
A siren can be heard before the destruction, and it is the sign for you to get to “safety”, but we all know anywhere away from buildings in PUBG is nothing but the danger itself. Yet, it is obvious that this is a mechanic that pushes the players to adapt to a more aggressive playstyle and avoid the boring aspects of the old-school battle royale experience.
