PUBG adds limited Payday heist mode on Xbox

PUBG: Battlegrounds has launched a limited Payday heist mode that runs from May 21 to June 25, 2026, on Xbox Series X|S. The mode places teams into objective-based matches where success depends on planning and role assignment rather than being the last team standing.

Matches take place across four urban maps — Money Exchange, Diamond District, Nightclub and Road Rage. Teams must hack security systems, breach vaults, seize cash and data, and carry loot to a designated extraction point.

Before each match players choose one of five classes: Assault, Medic, Tank, Marksman and Ghost. Teams set a target score and assign weapons and roles during setup. Those choices shape whether the crew attempts a stealthy infiltration or forces a loud breach and firefight.

Even after securing loot the match continues. Players must carry bags to the extraction point and defend their crew during the escape, adding risk to withdrawal as well as entry.

PUBG Studios developed the mode in collaboration with Starbreeze, owner of the Payday franchise. Gi Hwan Park of PUBG Studios said, “The most important starting point for this collaboration was the direction to evolve PUBG: Battlegrounds, not to keep it as just a battle royale game, but to transform it into a gameplay platform capable of housing diverse genres and play experiences.”

Starbreeze worked directly on design and implementation. Tobias Remmers, Payday Franchise Director at Starbreeze, added that Payday elements such as masks, planning and the urgency of escape were treated as non-negotiable and were adapted to PUBG’s maps and systems.

The update includes an original track by artist 070 Shake. A preview appears in the mode’s trailer, and the full song will play inside the PUBG lobby when the update goes live.

PUBG Studios described the mode as a test of whether Battlegrounds can host game modes that require cooperative, objective-focused play. The Payday heist mode is temporary and available only during the May 21–June 25 event window.