Creating an online multiplayer game like PUBG (PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds) is a massive undertaking that requires careful planning, a dedicated team, and substantial resources. However, it’s possible to build a game inspired by PUBG with smaller, more manageable features and progressively scale the game. Below, I will guide you through the key steps involved in creating an online multiplayer battle royale game similar to PUBG.

Steps to Make a Game Like PUBG

1. Pre-production: Planning and Conceptualization

Before diving into coding, make sure to properly plan the game and its core mechanics.

Define Core Features

  1. Battle Royale Gameplay:
  • 100-player free-for-all matches.
  • Players parachute into a large map.
  • The play zone shrinks over time, forcing players to fight in smaller areas.
  • Last player or team standing wins.
  1. Game Modes:
  • *Solo, **Duo, or *Squad modes.
  • Customize the game rules (e.g., limited-time modes).
  1. Weapons and Items:
  • Various weapons (guns, melee items).
  • Health items (medkits, armor).
  • Loot drops (randomized item distribution).
  1. Graphics & Environment:
  • Open-world, large maps.
  • Realistic weather effects, day-night cycles.
  • Vehicles for mobility.
  1. Online Multiplayer:
  • Real-time multiplayer server connection.
  • Matchmaking, player lobbies, and chat systems.
  1. User Interface (UI):
  • Menus for settings, game start, inventory, and game status.
  • Minimal UI elements during gameplay (health bar, minimap, ammo count).

2. Game Development Tools & Tech Stack

Here’s a breakdown of the tools, programming languages, and game engines you’ll likely need:

Game Engine:

  • Unreal Engine: Unreal Engine is commonly used for AAA titles like PUBG. It’s great for creating high-quality, real-time 3D graphics and supports multiplayer out of the box.
  • Language: C++ (for Unreal Engine).
  • Multiplayer Framework: Unreal’s native multiplayer framework is robust, with tools for networking, replication, and handling player connections.
  • Unity: Unity is another powerful game engine used by developers worldwide. It’s more lightweight compared to Unreal but still capable of creating high-quality games.
  • Language: C# (for Unity).
  • *Multiplayer Framework: Unity’s *Mirror or Photon for real-time multiplayer games.

Back-End Infrastructure for Multiplayer:

  • Dedicated Servers: For a game like PUBG, you will need dedicated servers to handle large numbers of players in real time.
  • You can use cloud services like *Amazon Web Services (AWS), **Google Cloud, or *Microsoft Azure for scalable game server management.
  • Game Server Frameworks:
  • Photon Engine (for Unity): Photon provides real-time multiplayer services and matchmaking, which is easier to implement than building custom servers from scratch.
  • PlayFab: PlayFab is a backend-as-a-service (BaaS) solution that provides game services like matchmaking, leaderboards, and player data storage.
  • AWS GameLift: For managing game servers, matchmaking, and scaling.

Networking & Matchmaking:

  • You need to create a matchmaking system to pair players into games based on skill level or region.
  • Use WebSockets or UDP for real-time communication between players and servers.
  • NAT Punchthrough and Dedicated Servers: For peer-to-peer communication and managing player connections.

3. Development Phases

Phase 1: Prototype

The first step is creating a prototype to test the basic gameplay mechanics and multiplayer functionality.

  1. Basic Game Mechanics:
  • Implement a small playable area (a basic map or arena).
  • Test basic controls (movement, shooting, jumping, crouching).
  • Implement basic combat mechanics (shooting, damage, health).
  1. Multiplayer Testing:
  • Set up a server and client architecture.
  • Allow multiple players to connect and test real-time gameplay (movement synchronization, combat, etc.).
  1. Basic User Interface:
  • Design a simple UI for the game (health, ammo count, inventory).
  • Menu screens for settings and start game options.

Phase 2: Game World & Assets

After the basic mechanics are in place, it’s time to create a more complex game world.

  1. Create a Map:
  • World Design: Design a large, open-world map with diverse terrains (cities, forests, mountains, and rivers).
  • *Terrain Generation: Use tools like *World Machine or Houdini for creating terrain. You can use procedural generation to create random, large maps.
  • Buildings and Structures: Place structures and areas that players can loot or fight in (houses, buildings, bridges).
  1. Assets:
  • *3D Models: You need models for characters, weapons, vehicles, and buildings. You can either create these yourself or purchase assets from stores like the *Unity Asset Store or Unreal Marketplace.
  • Animations: Character and weapon animations (running, shooting, reloading, etc.).
  1. Implement Vehicles:
  • Add drivable vehicles (cars, bikes, boats, etc.).
  • Ensure smooth physics and handling for vehicles.

Phase 3: Core Game Features

This phase involves refining and adding all the core game features.

  1. Weapon Systems:
  • Create a variety of guns, ammo types, and attachments.
  • Implement a reloading system and different firing modes (semi-automatic, full auto).
  • Add a loot system where weapons, ammo, and health items randomly spawn in the environment.
  1. Shrinking Play Zone:
  • Implement a shrinking play area (the “circle”) that forces players to move towards a central location as the match progresses.
  • The shrinking zone should deal damage to players who are outside the safe zone.
  1. Player Progression:
  • Implement a basic player ranking system (experience points, levels).
  • Add leaderboards and statistics tracking for players.
  1. Matchmaking & Server Management:
  • Implement a matchmaking system to find players and create lobbies.
  • Use cloud services (like AWS GameLift or PlayFab) to handle the creation and scaling of game servers.
  • Implement a server browser or automatic matchmaking.

Phase 4: Polish and Test

  1. Optimization:
  • Optimize performance for both mobile and desktop platforms (frame rate, server load).
  • Compress assets, reduce draw calls, and optimize network bandwidth.
  1. Beta Testing:
  • Conduct extensive playtesting to fix bugs, balance the game, and get feedback.
  • Adjust weapons, maps, and gameplay mechanics based on user feedback.
  1. Multiplayer Stability:
  • Test with large groups of players to ensure the servers can handle hundreds of players simultaneously.
  • Handle latency issues and ensure smooth communication between players in real-time.

Phase 5: Deployment

  1. Deploy Game Servers:
  • Use cloud hosting for your game servers (AWS, Google Cloud, etc.).
  • Implement auto-scaling to handle fluctuating player numbers.
  1. Launch Game:
  • Publish the game on platforms like *Steam, *Epic Games Store, or mobile app stores.
  • Make sure your game has proper anti-cheat mechanisms (e.g., Easy Anti-Cheat or BattlEye).

4. Challenges You’ll Face

  • Real-Time Networking: Handling smooth and responsive multiplayer gameplay is one of the biggest challenges. Issues like lag, player desync, and server performance will require a lot of testing and optimization.
  • Scalability: A game like PUBG requires managing large numbers of concurrent players. You’ll need scalable servers to handle thousands of players online at once.
  • Game Balance: Weapons, vehicles, and other gameplay elements must be well-balanced to ensure the game is fun and fair.
  • Graphics & Physics: Realistic graphics and physics (for things like bullet trajectories and vehicle movement) are important for immersion but can be challenging to implement smoothly on all platforms.

5. Alternative Approach: Use Pre-built Game Engines and Assets

If you’re starting small or working alone, you can use pre-made game engines and assets to help you get started:

  • Unity Asset Store: Look for battle royale kits, multiplayer kits, or template assets.
  • Unreal Engine Marketplace: There are multiplayer shooter templates available that you can modify to suit your needs.
  • *Game Engines with Templates: Use templates from **PlayCanvas, **Godot, or *Amazon Lumberyard.

Conclusion

Building an online game like PUBG is a challenging and long-term project that requires a team of developers, artists, and testers. A full battle royale game involves complex multiplayer features, game mechanics, and scalability considerations. However, if you take it step-by-step and start with a prototype, you can gradually build and scale your game to the size of a title like PUBG.

If you have any specific questions about certain aspects of development (e.g., multiplayer networking, matchmaking, server architecture), feel free to ask!