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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →PUBG came first. PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS became playable through Steam Early Access on March 23, 2017. Fortnite’s original game entered paid Early Access on July 25, 2017, and Fortnite Battle Royale arrived in late September 2017. The answer changes only if “release” is being used for a later milestone, such as PUBG’s full Steam release on December 21, 2017.
That distinction matters because “Fortnite” can mean Epic’s original game or its later Battle Royale mode, while “PUBG release” can mean its first Early Access build or its eventual full release. Comparing like-for-like milestones still leaves PUBG ahead.
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What “came first” means in this comparison
The phrase “came out” is ambiguous for these two games because both had staged launches. A game can have an initial paid or public build, a separately launched mode, and a later full-release date. Treating those milestones as interchangeable creates the conflicting answers seen in casual discussions.
For PUBG, the earliest relevant milestone is its Steam Early Access debut. Steam also records a later date for the game’s full release. For Fortnite, there are two products to identify: the original Fortnite game, which entered paid Early Access in July 2017, and Fortnite Battle Royale, the free mode most people mean when they compare Fortnite with PUBG.
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A fair chronology therefore uses one of these comparisons:
- First playable or Early Access debut: PUBG in March 2017 versus Fortnite in July 2017.
- Battle Royale mode launch: PUBG’s existing game versus Fortnite Battle Royale in late September 2017.
- Full-release dates: PUBG’s Steam full release in December 2017 versus whichever Fortnite release milestone is being specified.
On the first two comparisons, PUBG is earlier. The key is to name the milestone instead of treating “Fortnite” as a single launch event.
Release timeline at a glance
| Product or milestone | Date | What the date represents |
|---|---|---|
| PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS Steam Early Access | March 23, 2017 | The first Steam Early Access debut cited by PUBG’s fifth-anniversary announcement. PUBG’s anniversary announcement |
| Fortnite paid Early Access | July 25, 2017 | The original Fortnite game’s paid Early Access launch, dated in a Game Developers Conference presentation. GDC presentation |
| Fortnite Battle Royale announced | September 12, 2017 | Epic publicly announced the Battle Royale mode and described its relationship to the existing Fortnite project. Epic announcement |
| Fortnite Battle Royale release date in the GDC presentation | September 25, 2017 | The date shown for the mode’s release in the presentation’s chronology. GDC presentation |
| Fortnite Battle Royale public launch announced by Epic | September 26, 2017 | Epic’s published date for the free public launch. Epic’s launch notice |
| PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS full Steam release | December 21, 2017 | The full-release date listed on Steam, later than PUBG’s Early Access debut. Steam listing |
The table shows why the one-word answer is straightforward but the detailed answer needs qualifiers. PUBG’s first playable milestone predates every Fortnite milestone listed here. December 2017 is a later PUBG milestone, not evidence that Fortnite’s Battle Royale mode launched first.
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How PUBG’s launch establishes the earlier date
March 23, 2017: Steam Early Access
PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS debuted on Steam Early Access on March 23, 2017. PUBG’s official fifth-anniversary article uses that date when marking the game’s arrival, making it the clearest reference point for the first playable release in this comparison: the “Fifth Anniversary & Events ‘THANK YOU, 5URVIVORS’” announcement.
Early Access is not the same thing as a finished 1.0 launch. It identifies when players could first obtain and play the game through that program. For a question asking which title appeared first, that is normally the relevant milestone because it records the first public, playable availability rather than a later completion point.
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December 21, 2017: the later full release
Steam lists December 21, 2017 as PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS’ full release date: the game’s Steam page. This date should be used when the question specifically asks about the finished release, not when it asks which game first became available.
PUBG’s own later free-to-play announcement also discusses the game’s release history, but it does not replace the March Early Access milestone with the December full-release milestone: PUBG’s free-to-play announcement. Keeping those dates separate prevents a comparison between PUBG’s first playable build and Fortnite’s finished or mode-specific launch.
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The original Fortnite project
Fortnite’s original game entered paid Early Access on July 25, 2017, according to the launch chronology presented by the Game Developers Conference session “Fortnite: An Unconventional Launch.” That is more than four months after PUBG’s March debut.
This milestone concerns the original Fortnite product, not the later free Battle Royale mode. Calling it simply “Fortnite” without identifying the product can make the comparison sound less precise than it is. The original game’s Early Access date still comes after PUBG, so the ambiguity does not change which title arrived first.
September 12, 2017: Battle Royale is announced
Epic announced Fortnite Battle Royale on September 12, 2017. In that announcement, Epic explicitly acknowledged PUBG’s influence: “We love Battle Royale games like PUBG and thought Fortnite would make a great foundation for our own version.” The quotation appears in Epic’s announcement of Fortnite Battle Royale.
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An announcement is not the same as public availability. September 12 identifies when Epic revealed the mode and its plans; it does not move Fortnite’s playable launch earlier than PUBG’s March date.
Late September 2017: the mode becomes available
The GDC presentation gives September 25, 2017 for Fortnite Battle Royale’s release. Epic’s own public launch notice says the free mode would be available on September 26, 2017: “Fortnite Battle Royale Goes Free For Everyone On Sept. 26.”
Both dates belong to the same late-September launch window, and both are after PUBG’s March Early Access debut. If an article needs day-level precision, it should attribute September 25 to the GDC chronology and September 26 to Epic’s launch notice rather than silently choosing one.
Why sources show different Fortnite dates
The apparent one-day disagreement is about source-specific dating, not about which game came first. The GDC presentation records September 25 as the release date, while Epic’s September 19 notice announces September 26 as the date Fortnite Battle Royale would go free to everyone. The available source material does not explain why those dates differ.
There are several independent reasons a launch timeline can contain multiple dates:
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- Announcement date: the public reveal can precede the playable release.
- Scheduled date: a company may announce a date in advance, while another chronology records when the release event occurred.
- Product scope: the original Fortnite game and Battle Royale are separate milestones.
- Release status: paid Early Access, free public access and full release describe different stages.
None of these distinctions puts Fortnite ahead of PUBG. They explain only why a careful answer says “late September 2017” unless the reader needs the exact date attached to a named source.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which answer fits the wording of the question?
“Which game was playable first?”
Answer: PUBG. Its March 23, 2017 Steam Early Access debut is earlier than Fortnite’s July paid Early Access launch and its September Battle Royale release.
“Which battle royale game came first?”
Answer: PUBG came first in this pair’s release chronology. Fortnite Battle Royale was announced in September and released later that month, after PUBG had already been available through Early Access.
“Which full game released first?”
Define “full game” before answering. PUBG’s Steam full-release date is December 21, 2017. Fortnite’s dated milestones in the cited chronology distinguish the original paid Early Access game from the Battle Royale mode; they should not be collapsed into one undifferentiated Fortnite date.
“Did Fortnite copy PUBG?”
The dates establish chronology, not a complete judgment about design or development. Epic’s own September 12 announcement says the company loved Battle Royale games like PUBG and considered Fortnite a foundation for its own version. That is evidence of awareness and stated inspiration, but it does not by itself settle broader questions about mechanics, development work or legal responsibility.
A reliable way to state the result
For a short answer, say: “PUBG came first: it entered Steam Early Access on March 23, 2017. Fortnite’s original game followed with paid Early Access on July 25, and Fortnite Battle Royale launched in late September.”
For a date-sensitive answer, identify the source and milestone: PUBG’s official anniversary article gives March 23; the GDC presentation gives July 25 for Fortnite’s paid Early Access and September 25 for Battle Royale; Epic’s launch notice gives September 26 for the free public launch; and Steam lists December 21 for PUBG’s full release.
This wording answers the ordinary reader’s question without pretending that Early Access, a mode launch, an announcement and a full release are identical events.
Bottom line on PUBG versus Fortnite
PUBG was first by the earliest playable-release measure and by the battle-royale comparison most readers intend. Its March 2017 Steam Early Access debut predates Fortnite’s July 2017 paid Early Access and the Battle Royale mode’s late-September 2017 public launch. December 2017 is PUBG’s later full-release milestone, so it should be cited only when that specific stage is the subject.
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