PUBG suffers sharp viewership drop following controversial lifetime bans on Vietnamese players

According to Esports Charts, PGS Circuit 4 Series 1 recorded a peak of just 77,781 concurrent viewers on its opening day, down 79.8 percent from the 384,840 viewers recorded during the PGS Circuit 3 Series Final in August.

However, Circuit 4 is still underway, meaning viewership figures could change as the tournament progresses.

The PGS Circuit 3 Series Final, held from August 20 to 23, attracted 2.36 million hours watched across approximately 13 hours and 25 minutes of broadcasts.

Meanwhile, PGS Circuit 4 runs from October 14 to November 1, featuring three consecutive tournaments: PGS 10, PGS 11, and PGS 12.

The sharp decline follows a controversy involving Vietnamese players Himass and TanVuu and South Korean streamer Soopi during PUBG Asia Stars 2026 in September.

Following an investigation, PUBG publisher Krafton concluded that the two Vietnamese players had used information from outside the game, including another player's livestream, to gain a tactical advantage, and imposed lifetime competitive bans on both.

The company also acknowledged shortcomings in its initial handling of the case.

The decision sparked widespread backlash in Vietnam, with several streamers announcing they would stop producing PUBG-related content.

Krafton subsequently ended PUBG Vietnam Series (PVS) 2026 Phase 2 ahead of schedule, retaining the standings at the time of suspension as the final results.

Gaming communities in Thailand and China also voiced support for Himass and TanVuu, questioning the grounds for what they considered excessively harsh penalties.