Krafton Announces PUBG Mobile Light, A Less Intensive Version For Weaker Smartphones

A New App, Not A Revival Of The Old One

Krafton confirmed the new app in a post on X:

Introducing PUBG MOBILE LIGHT, a new app coming soon. The Original PUBG MOBILE, Now Lighter. A lighter way to enter the original Battle Royale, joining the PUBG MOBILE family. Free to download on both Android & iOS. Pre-registration starts 8/25.”  –  PUBG Mobile producer Rick Li.

It’s worth being clear about what this actually is, since PUBG Mobile Lite has technically existed for years already as a separate, stripped-down app with smaller maps and reduced player counts, but one that hasn’t received meaningful updates in a long time. PUBG Mobile Light is a different project entirely.

According to Dot Esports, Light isn’t built around smaller maps or fewer players. Instead, it keeps players inside the main PUBG Mobile ecosystem while cutting down the initial download and letting players choose which additional content actually gets installed on their device.

What’s Actually Different

The initial install size is expected to land around 1GB on Android and under 2GB on iOS, with additional content modules downloadable separately rather than bundled upfront. The core map, Erangel, and the main combat experience are both confirmed to carry over from the standard app, and existing PUBG Mobile accounts, along with owned items, cosmetics, and friends lists, will transfer directly into Light.

Krafton also confirmed both versions will receive content updates simultaneously, and players on Light will be able to team up and matchmake with players on the standard app rather than being siloed into a separate player base.

Krafton India separately confirmed a parallel version called BGMI Lite is also coming, aimed at Battlegrounds Mobile India players, with a launch targeted by the end of 2026. India’s version does not yet have a confirmed pre-registration date of its own, and shouldn’t be assumed to follow the same August 25 schedule as the global PUBG Mobile Light rollout.

Pre-Registration Opens This Month

Pre-registration for PUBG Mobile Light opens August 25, 2026, on both the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store. Krafton has said the full release is planned before the end of 2026, though an exact launch date hasn’t been announced yet.

For players who’ve held off on PUBG Mobile because of storage limits or an older phone, this looks like the more direct answer to that problem than the aging Lite app, provided Krafton actually keeps it updated in step with the main game as promised. For a broader look at how PUBG Mobile already diverges from its PC counterpart in design and pacing, our PUBG Mobile vs. PC comparison covers what makes the mobile version its own experience.