Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds dominated the world of mobile shooters as soon as it came out, attracting not only millions of gamers but also people who are not generally interested in playing video games on their phones thanks to its simple yet fun battle royale gameplay.
For the longest time, it remained untouched in its success, until Activision announced that Call of Duty was heading to mobile platforms. Bringing the authentic Call of Duty experience to mobile with the necessary touches to make it fit the platform, it broke records of downloads and became a fan favorite as soon as gamers got to play it.
Managing time and space on mobile devices can be a hassle, so you often come to the choice of picking only one game to play at a time – So when it comes to picking only one of the two great games, which one should you play?
PUBG vs Call of Duty Mobile: Graphics
Before we reach our verdict, let’s break the two games down to comparison. The graphics of both PUBG and COD Mobile are gorgeous for a mobile game, but one of them outshines the other. PUBG Mobile has very large environments, and most of it is rendered at once with many players, items, and environments filled with interiors.
For this reason, PUBG Mobile has considerably less detailed graphics and objects besides cars are much less responsive to gunfire and grenades too. One could argue that PUBG has more realistic color grading, but the character models in COD Mobile make up for it due to the fact their features are more defined.
COD Mobile on the other hand has realistic graphics that focus on making the characters look close to real life, and the environments are much more detailed thanks to the fact the maps are smaller. Objects such as walls and vehicles have a better reaction to damage as well, which makes the environments feel much more dynamic in comparison to PUBG, where nothing besides cars and doors react to damage.
So, while PUBG Mobile still looks gorgeous, COD Mobile just outshines it with more detail and realism.
PUBG vs Call of Duty Mobile: Gameplay
[youtube v=”Ty6gPcz3MfI”]The gameplay is the most important thing that determines whether a game is good or not. While both of the games are shooters by nature, they are completely different when you look deeper.
PUBG focuses on slower gameplay with matches that can generally last 20 minutes or more easily, whereas COD matches are usually much quicker depending on the game mode. The speed also applies to the general gunplay and movement of the two games, as COD focuses on very quick movement and quick scopes, while PUBG is more about survival and making your shots count.
Another major difference between the two besides the pacing and gunplay are the game modes. COD features many difference game modes, such as the iconic Free-for-all, Domination, Frontline, and Search and Destroy.
There are other modes every now and then based on events but these are the mainstays that translate very well from their console counterparts, and on top of everything else COD Mobile also has a surprisingly polished Battle Royale mode.
PUBG on the other hand mainly prides itself on the Battle Royale mode, which was very fresh originally but has become too familiar for every gamer due to the fact it has been around for too long and due to a lack in much variety, it is all that everyone played.
The game added the War mode where you spawn back through a plane every time you die, the Team Deathmatch mode where two teams spar it out, and the zombie mode where you fight different bosses and survive the night.
Unfortunately, all of the modes besides the zombie mode still just feel like playing the Battle Royale slightly differently. Not to mention the fact that despite there being many maps in the game by 2020, players only really play in Enrangel and Sanhok, with the others being mostly ignored and filled with bots.
Thanks to having a lot of game modes, different maps, weapons that truly feel unique, and even a Battle Royale mode of its own, COD Mobile has managed to keep itself consistently fresh and that makes it the better experience in terms of gameplay, despite the fact PUBG is still a fun game too.
PUBG vs Call of Duty Mobile: Progression
[youtube v=”cVHV6ejSDO8″]Sure, the gameplay and graphics are two of the most important things in a game, but when it comes to the free-to-play mobile experience, it’s important to have a rewarding progression system that keeps the players encouraged to farm the tiers and even pay for the better prizes.
COD Mobile has a decent battle pass that is filled with nice bonuses that include new guns and gun skins to unlock, as well as cosmetic changes to the characters. But since COD follows a specific and realistic art style, it does not allow them to go too wild with it.
PUBG Mobile on the other hand does not shy away from going all out, even if it means having fantasy skins that do not fit the otherwise grim and life-like atmosphere. The game only offers the better cosmetics in the paid Royale Pass, but the free version still gets a few good things every now and then and the ability to buy some of the cooler things through the Redeem Points is a great plus.
Despite the fact COD Mobile has a decent battle pass that is not a waste of time or money, PUBG Mobile easily wins this part because it is simply much more rewarding and creative with its cosmetics.
PUBG vs Call of Duty Mobile: Sound
[youtube v=”nsVII-np93A”]Often an overlooked aspect, the sound design of a competitive game can make or break it. Fortunately for both PUBG and COD Mobile, the games feature a well-made sound that contributes to your survival. Sound is much more important in PUBG because you can hear enemies shooting or walking towards you, and in a slow-paced survival game, those aspects are very important. COD Mobile’s pacing is a bit faster in comparison even in its Battle Royale mode, so you will never really have to rely on the sound much.
That being said, not requiring sound on the same level does not mean its sound is inferior. The sound effects of COD Mobile are top-notch, and the guns sound more accurate thanks to the fact all the assets are carried over from a million-dollar console franchise instead of having to record it from scratch.
At the end of the day, the sound in both games matters differently and cannot be called better than the other.
PUBG vs Call of Duty Mobile: The Winner
PUBG Mobile is still one of the best games you can play on your mobile devices, but the fact it lacks variety in modes and relies too much on battle royale which lasts over 20 minutes per match on average – it’s easy to be burnt out. Only two of the maps having a consistent player-base also do not help PUBG’s case, as seeing the same environment on repeat unless you want to play with bots can grow tiring.
COD Mobile on the other hand offers a great deal of variety in the gameplay with its modes, faster and more polished pacing in the matches, gunplay that feels more authentic, and more realistically detailed graphics.
The player-base is consistently active in all of the different modes as the matches are quicker and the maps have been built and refined for decades in the console versions of COD, making sure they stay fresh and exciting.
While not an easy decision to make; the winner is clear: Call of Duty Mobile.
Call of Duty Mobile is a complete package that outshines PUBG Mobile by a good margin in 2020, featuring a more consistent player-base, exciting game-modes and maps, and better graphics. It’s an authentic experience that beautifully emulates its console origins, and delivers an experience like none other in the palm of your hand!
Now that we have the answer to your PUBG VS COD Mobile conundrum and which one you should play out of the two, we hope that you found the comparison fair. Did your favorite game win or do you like the other one more? We’d love to hear your thoughts.
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