PUBG vs COD: 5 points of Comparison Between the Best Battle Royale Games

PUBG vs COD: A comparison between the two most successful battle royale mobile games of all time. PUBG Mobile has, for a long time, ruled the mobile battle royale roost. PUBG’s real challenger came in the form of Activision’s latest, Call of Duty: Mobile. Both these games are looking to draw on an element of realism, to some degree, while presenting us with a blend of intense combat, variety, and different gameplay modes, and massive multiplayer action.

PUBG Mobile is nothing short of a revolution in the world of mobile gaming in India. Never before has a gaming title basked in such renowned glory in the country and certainly not a mobile game. One can say that Tencent, the publisher of PUBG Mobile, has cracked the formula for a successful title in a country where eSports had not been of particular significance. Just when it seemed that the popularity of PUBG would just keep on skyrocketing, out of nowhere, Activision drops a bomb with the Call of Duty: Mobile game which brings the world-renowned franchise on the mobile platform and creates the spark of PUBG vs COD debate.

But what are the elements that really differentiates between these multiplayer battle royale mobile games and takes one of the games a notch higher? Let’s find out the ultimate PUBG vs COD review.

Related:  Top 5 Best Games Like PUBG Mobile Lite

PUBG vs COD: The Ultimate Battle?

PUBG has been the game-changer for all mobile gamers and the mobile gaming arena since the time it stepped into the gaming battle. New titles coming out every few weeks with graphics and gameplay that can challenge proper console games any given day keeps the gamer in awe. Activision, who’s responsible for the worldwide-hit franchise Call of Duty (COD), has worked with Tencent to bring it to the mobile platform and it’s already available in beta now.

Simply titled Call of Duty (COD) Mobile, this aims to bring the familiar COD gameplay to the mobile for fans of the franchise. In addition, to tackle the competition, it also brings in the viral battle royale mode that challenges its gamers to win as the last man standing. Sounds familiar? The concept does sound very similar to PUBG Mobile’s gameplay. But here what makes it interesting – a proper PUBG Mobile rival.

PUBG vs COD differences and some similarities ,and what takes one of these battle royale game a step ahead:

#1. Gameplay Modes

One of the finest differences while performing a PUBG vs COD analysis is the gameplay modes these two games offer. PUBG is a generic battle royale game more so than anything, putting arcade games behind, providing the following modes for gamers:

• Classic (Battle Royale)
• Arcade: Quick Match, Sniper Training, War
• EvoGround: Payload 2.0
• Arena: Gun Game, Arena Training, Team Deathmatch, Domination, Assault

It’s more of a genre-defining game with many looking to recreate the sort of multiplayer battles that it offers. With Tencent involved in both games, it’s no surprise there are similarities, especially around the controls, which are similar both in layout and on-screen elements.

COD Mobile is faster and action-packed. It opens with multiplayer instead, a 5 vs 5 battle in smaller areas – crash, kill house, crossfire, Nuketown, and hijacks in a number of different modes – frontline, deathmatch, dominations and search and destroy, providing these modes for players:

• Ranked Game
• Classic
• Clash Squad (Ranked and non-Ranked)
• Kill Secured
• Battle Royale mode
• Multiplayer mode: Core, Featured

Under the Core and Featured category, there are other subdivisions of modes, along with which, COD Mobile brings in lots of other gameplay modes throughout the seasons frequently.

• Core: Frontline, Team Deathmatch, Domination, Kill Confirmed, Free For All, Hardpoint, Search and Destroy
• Featured: Holiday Aftermath, Secondary School, PTFO, Rapid Fire, Cranked, Hardcore

#2. Graphics

PUBG Mobile’s Graphics are pretty realistic. The game runs on the Unreal Engine and looks pretty good on most devices. You can change various settings in game like the texture quality and more. You can also tweak the quality to provide better visuals and framerate or save battery by reducing the settings. Additionally the quality graphics setting only works well on powerful devices.

Call Of Duty Mobile runs on the Unity Engine and has great visual appeal. The game is optimized really well and runs smoothly on compatible devices. There are also options to tweak quality and performance. The game looks colorful, sharp and attractive. The optimization means that the game will run on high settings on many devices.

PUBG Mobile appears to have a lot more fine detail, while COD Mobile feels graphically dense, with a lot crammed in, but not quite the same level of clarity. PUBG Mobile also feels like everything has a little more breathing space, while in COD things seem a little more thickly plastered, certainly in terms of the maps.

#3. Maps

PUBG Mobile offers various Battle Royale maps in the Classic mode of the game. It has the Erangel, Vikendi, Sanhok, Livik and Miramar maps. While PUBG Mobile does have bigger maps, but as some players say, that’s not always a good thing. Having to traverse large tracts of land requires more concentration and can be boring, which some players don’t like.

COD Mobile however offers relatively smaller BR maps namely; Classic, Blitz, and Alcatraz. There is not much known about the exact size of both these arenas, but the former can host an intense 15 to 20 minutes, while the Alcatraz map is three times smaller in size.

#4. System Requirements and Stability

PUBG Mobile is well known for its laggy and choppy frame rate experience during ‘Classic’ matches. It also has maximum graphic setting support of ‘Ultra HD’ and frame rate of ‘Extreme’, which initially peaks the in-game graphic performance with 60fps. Eventually, however, it gets degraded as the game runs longer. Here are the minimum system requirements of the game:

For Android :

• Android version: 5.1.1 and above
• Ram: 2 GB
• Storage: 2 GB
• Processor: A decent processor, for example, Snapdragon 425 equivalent

For iOS :

• iPhone 5S, iPad 2 or newer devices running iOS 9 or above.

COD Mobile has a maximum graphic and frame rate setting of ‘very high’, whose function is to run the game smoothly in 60fps with crisp graphics and without any jitteriness or lag. COD Mobile’s specs demand at least an Android device equipped with 3 GB of RAM and the latest processor chip. It can still run pretty well on low and mid-range devices but will not be the most fluid experience at around 30 FPS. Any phone with a system spec above 4 GB RAM and a Snapdragon 725 chip can smoothly run COD Mobile with a 60 FPS cap. COD Mobile is compatible with iOS devices running iOS 9.0 or higher.

#5. Gameplay Tactics

An individual game’s gameplay tactics are the most critical aspect that a player uses to differentiate from other games of the same genre. PUBG Mobile tilts slightly more towards the realistic battlefield feel and dispenses with the first-hand experience of military tactical stealth and approach on the virtual ground.

COD Mobile, however, has quicker action and its BR mode is also influenced by arcade styling. It would suit best for gamers who prefer faster gameplay. Moreover, COD Mobile is the best for its accuracy, movement speed, and fluidity.

Summing Up: PUBG vs COD

Both PUBG Mobile and COD Mobile are popular games and have their respective eSports scenes, though PUBG mobile might be slightly more popular in Asia. Both games have pretty graphics, but COD Mobile’s are more saturated and look more vibrant. When it comes to battle royale, PUBG offers 5 different maps whereas COD only lets you play one. However, Call of Duty’s other game modes and respective maps are very entertaining to play and pretty detailed.

PUBG requires a more slow and tactical approach, COD Mobile on the other hand shines when it comes to action-packed fights, it is fast-paced and full of fighting. Both games have similar system requirements and occupy roughly the same space, though PUBG’s lightweight installation option makes PUBG much smaller.

But it’s needless to say that Call of Duty offers a better arcade experience while PUBG Mobile is a better game in its own niche: Battle Royale whole COD is a blast and it’s something that PUBG does quite as well. PUBG vs COD will definitely not have one winner as COD mobile wind=s for no lags, while PUBG wins for maps and so on.

Considering all these factors, it really comes down to personal preference. If your priority is Battle Royale, you will probably have a better time with PUBG Mobile. Otherwise, COD Mobile’s other game modes are very fun to play, plus you get to enjoy a lot of old-school maps. When it comes to generic battle royale, it is still evident that PUBG looks better and the pace of the game feels very different. 

Also Read: PUBG Mobile vs Fortnite Mobile: which is better?