The 2025 PUBG MOBILE Global Championship (PMGC) concluded in Bangkok with a $3 million prize pool, one of the largest in esports, as 16 teams from around the world competed over December 12–14 for the year’s top mobile-title crown. The event functioned as the culmination of more than a year of intense training and regional face-offs, underscoring PUBG MOBILE’s status as one of the most-watched and widely played mobile esports titles globally.
The grand finals extended beyond the competitive stage, transforming the Siam Paragon complex into a festival-like hub for fans and players alike. On one side, a robust PUBG UNITED Fan Zone offered interactive experiences ranging from a human claw machine to a PUBG café and even a PUBG MOBILE–themed temporary tattoo at the Frosty Barbershop. Attendees could also engage with a Metro Royale battle experience and a World of Wonder Challenge area. The opening program featured a public performance lineup on the Air Drop Stage, including Thai acts such as Paper Planes, while Muay Thai exhibition bouts added a local flavor to the spectacle. The venue’s surroundings were not left out: pop-up collaborations with Porsche and a Butterbear character from a Thai bakery extended the event’s reach.
Once the first matches concluded, Bangkok announced its arrival as a unified hub for PUBG MOBILE Esports and the PUBG Global Championships with PUBG UNITED—the first time the two pillars of the franchise operated in a single, shared event framework. The Grand Finals were staged on two giant back-to-back stages, delivering wall-to-wall action visibility and a sense of scale that matched the competition’s stakes. A drone light show over the Chao Phraya River illuminated PUBG MOBILE imagery, including “Winner Winner Chicken Dinner” branding, character drops, and Air Drop crates, while a large PUBG MOBILE Giant Boat paid homage to the river city’s iconic skyline.
In addition to the spectacle, the 2025 PMGC crowned team Alpha 7 esports as champions. The tournament also highlighted individual accomplishment: Top, a player from Alpha Gaming, was named MVP. The MVP award carried a Porsche Cayenne prize, a high-profile sponsorship tie-in that complemented the event’s luxury brand collaborations. For the champions, Balenciaga provided exclusive champion jackets, marking a premium, fashion-forward nod to the title. These prizes helped reinforce the event’s status as a marquee, cross-brand showcase for mobile esports.
PUBG MOBILE’s global growth pillars remained evident throughout the weekend. The game reportedly exceeded one billion downloads worldwide, with more than 50 million daily active users. These numbers underpin the platform’s strong esports ecosystem, a point reinforced by PUBG MOBILE’s Mobile Esports of the Year award at the Esports Awards for the second time. The PMGC Grand Finals also delivered peak viewership figures not seen in five years, peaking at over 1.3 million concurrent viewers during matches 16–18 as Alpha 7, ULF Esports, and Alpha Gaming vied for the title.
Looking beyond Bangkok, the organizers and public-facing executives signaled a clear expansion path for 2026. James Yang, Senior Director of Global Esports at Level Infinite, announced a refreshed competitive structure that doubles down on accessibility and grassroots growth. The centerpiece change is the shift from the previous Super League model to two PUBG MOBILE Global Open (PMGO) tournaments spread across two seasons. Both PMGOs will be open to amateur and professional teams, broadening the pipeline for talent and opportunities to earn rewards.
The PMGO schedule will begin with more than 30 national championships across eight regions, feeding into regional qualifiers that determine who advances to the PMGO stages. PMGO Season 1 will be hosted in Southeast Asia with a prize pool of $500,000, followed by PMGO Season 2 in Pakistan with the same prize pool. The top teams based on accumulated points across both seasons will earn a direct berth to PMGC 2026, which is planned to return to Türkiye and will feature a prize pool of $3 million, aiming to be the largest PMGC in the series’ history.
In addition to the PMGO changes, PMGC 2026 will return to the Esports World Cup framework with PMWC taking place in Riyadh, continuing to elevate PUBG MOBILE’s global footprint. The broader reform also emphasizes easier tournament organization for organizers and smoother in-game participation for players, including a streamlined registration process for third-party events and improved in-game participation systems that lower barriers to entry for new teams and regions.
Bangkok’s PMGC edition closed the year with a clear signal: PUBG MOBILE Esports reached a more immersive, festival-like level of engagement while building a scalable, globally accessible competition structure. As 2026 looms, players and organizers are confronted with a calendar that promises more regional opportunities, higher visibility, and a continued push to democratize entry to elite competition. Fans and participants alike are encouraged to stay tuned for the forthcoming PMGO season schedules and the wider rollout of the new esports framework. Download PUBG MOBILE for free via the App Store and Google Play Store.