Highlights
- KRAFTON India has announced PIC 2026, adding a new open PC esports tournament to its competitive lineup.
- Reports suggest India could see a dedicated PUBG: Battlegrounds PC esports region in 2027.
- The BGMI Survivor League introduces a creator competition where fans can shape leaderboard standings through gameplay.
KRAFTON India has announced the PUBG India Challenge (PIC) 2026, an open PUBG: Battlegrounds PC tournament featuring an INR 25 lakh prize pool. The competition runs from Nov. 11 to 29, 2026. The tournament will feature qualifiers, a league stage, last chance, and grand finals, with 16 squads competing in the final stage.
The announcement follows a teaser posted by KRAFTON India Esports on Oct. 20, which read, “A new chapter for PC esports in India is loading... Stay tuned.” The company announced PIC 2026 the following day.
How to Register for PIC 2026
Registrations opened on Oct. 21 and are available through pubgesports.in. Players must meet the tournament's eligibility requirements and follow its squad rules.
- Registration deadline: Nov. 4, 2026, at 11:59 pm IST.
- Minimum age: 18 years.
- Residency: Players must live in India as citizens or legal residents.
- Squad size: Four players, with each participant using their own PC account.
- Substitute: Teams can include an optional substitute during squad setup.
The open format allows eligible players to register for the competition, although participation remains subject to the tournament's rules.
PUBG India Challenge 2026 Schedule and Format
PIC 2026 follows a four-stage structure, with teams progressing through the competition based on their results.
- Registrations, Oct. 21-Nov. 4: Eligible players can register their squads before the deadline.
- Qualifiers, Nov. 11: The tournament structure provides 32 places in the League.
- League, Nov. 12-22: Teams compete for direct qualification to the Grand Finals and positions in Last Chance.
- Last Chance, Nov. 26: Teams finishing between 13th and 28th in the League compete for the remaining four Grand Finals places.
- Grand Finals, Nov. 28-29: The final 16 squads compete across 10 matches.
The League's top 12 teams qualify directly for the Grand Finals.
The top eight League finishers also receive bonus points for the final stage, giving their earlier results an additional role in the competition. The four highest-placing teams in Last Chance complete the 16-squad Grand Finals lineup.
PIC 2026 Prize Pool and Rewards
KRAFTON India has allocated INR 25 lakh to PIC 2026. The announced prizes include:
- First place: INR 7.5 lakh.
- Second place: INR 3.75 lakh.
- Third place: INR 2.5 lakh.
- 13th to 16th place: INR 50,000 per team.
- Grand Finals MVP: An additional INR 50,000.
The available tournament details do not specify the prize amounts for every other placement. The listed awards therefore represent the announced categories rather than a complete distribution breakdown.
India’s Reported PUBG PC Esports Plans for 2027
Reports indicate that India could receive a dedicated PUBG: Battlegrounds PC esports region in 2027. The reported plans include four competitive cycles, each potentially providing an international qualification slot.
Two of the cycles could also feature LAN events.
However, KRAFTON has not officially confirmed the proposed regional structure. The available information also does not establish whether performance at PIC 2026 will determine qualification for any future international competition.
Indian teams currently compete through the PUBG Master Series alongside teams from Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, and Oceania. A separate Indian region, if officially introduced, could establish a distinct competitive pathway for players in the country.
BGMI Survivor League Gives Fans a Role in Creator Rankings
KRAFTON India is also running The Final Mahayudh: Survivor League, a Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) creator competition that began on Oct. 18 and concludes on Nov. 17, 2026. It features 50 established and emerging creators with a combined subscriber base of 69.7 million.
The competition has an INR 70 lakh prize pool. The winner receives INR 12 lakh, while all 50 creators receive payouts ranging from INR 50,000 for lower-ranked participants to the top prize.
KRAFTON India
The creators are divided into four subscriber-based tiers but compete on a shared leaderboard. The lineup includes five Elite creators with more than four million subscribers and 22 rising creators with between 100,000 and 500,000 subscribers.
Fans influence the rankings through their in-game activity:
- Team selection: Players join a creator's team inside BGMI.
- Daily missions: Gameplay and completed missions contribute points to the selected creator.
- Weekly rankings: Accumulated points determine leaderboard positions.
- The Switch, Oct. 24-25: Fans can change teams while retaining their earned points.
- Grand Finale: The final standings determine the creators' rankings and payouts.
Srinjoy Das, director of marketing and BGMI product management at KRAFTON India, pointed out that the format gives fans a direct role in determining their chosen creator’s final ranking.
“The minutes a player puts in and the missions they complete each day add to a creator’s score,” Das said. He also highlighted The Switch as an opportunity for fans to change teams and take their accumulated points with them, allowing their participation to influence the competition’s standings.
The competition is described as a skill-based video game contest.
Fans do not have to pay or stake money to participate, and they can earn in-game rewards. KRAFTON India will announce the final results after the event closes and the scores are verified. Updates are available through BGMI's official social channels.
Together, PIC 2026 and the BGMI Survivor League reflect KRAFTON India’s push to expand competitive opportunities across PC esports and mobile gaming while strengthening community participation in India’s gaming ecosystem.
