Summary
The arid deserts of Miramar remain a staple map forPUBGfans, with its late 2017 release providing OG players with a change of pace from the game’s forested cityscape of Erengal. WithPUBGrevamping Miramar for its 25.1 Update, veterans and newcomers to the battle royale title will encounter a familiar desert map with tighter areas and upgraded mechanics.
In a Game Rant interview, In-Game Production Director Taehyun Kim of thePUBGteam elaborates on the design philosophy behind the upgrades Miramar experience. Unlike large-scale map reworks in games that often result in completely new locations,the Miramar rework introduces new featureswhile retaining the hardcore flair of the map, seemingly reflecting thePUBGteam’s desire to elevate a player’s experience in what many consider as the game that made the battle royale genre popular.The following transcript has been edited for clarity and brevity.
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Q: Could you expand on the key goals for the Miramar Update, specifically what this means for new and/or returning players?
A:Maps can shape the gameplay and rejuvenate the player experience. The charm of old maps lies in their familiarity. But once this familiarity turns into boredom, the advantage becomes a shortcoming. We have added new updates while maintaining the core elements of each map, aiming to provide an experience that is familiar but fun in a new way. I hope the updated Miramar offers players more early-game loot opportunities, various movement paths, and strategic choices without compromising the map’s original concept and unique gameplay.
AsPUBG: BATTLEGROUNDSdevs, we are committed to continuously improving upon the map to ensure gameplay diversity and balance. Our goal is to break the routinized meta and makeMiramar more accessible to all players.
Q: How does the new Sandstorm feature work alongside the existing dynamic weather system on Miramar?
A:When wereinforced the snow map concept of Vikendilast year, we designed and added Blizzard Zone accompanied by strong winds and snowstorms. This led us to thinking about a new feature that suits Miramar’s natural environment, and we came up with the idea of the Sandstorm. Because it is a natural phenomenon caused by Miramar’s geographic nature, the Sandstorm works separately from Dynamic Weather.
Q: Could you expand on how the Sandstorm feature could impact combat specifically?
A:What the Sandstorm affects the most is none other than visibility. When the Sandstorm comes up, it obstructs players’ visibility to a certain extent. If this happens during combat, the limited vision could change the dynamics of the combat. In addition, the Sandstorm gradually depletes the health of players inside, regardless of their location -be it within a vehicleor inside a building, and slightly slows down movement speed. The strong gusts extinguish Smoke Grenades and Molotovs while static electricity generated by the intense friction from the swirling sands render electronic equipment such as Jammer Packs, Drones, Spotter Scopes, Blue Chip Towers, and Blue Chip Transmitters inoperable.
Once the Sandstorm is activated, an in-game warning message appears and its location is marked on the world map, allowing players to guess its direction and path. You may want to check its location and map out a route around the storm or perform a strategic maneuver utilizing the Sandstorm.
Q: The addition of ziplines adds yet another layer of mobility to PUBG, a key factor in any match. How does this addition impact micro-rotations and time between combat scenarios?
A:In Miramar, mid/long ranged engagements take place frequently and it is difficult to push downed enemies quickly due to the rugged terrain. In addition, those who have no vehicle are often killed while moving to another location by an enemy on the opposite ridge. Ziplines occurred to me while we were trying to find ways to improve the situations above and make some changes to gameplay.
Q: How did the team approach balancing ziplines and what they bring to the table during combat encounters?
A:With the introduction of Ziplines, players can strategically navigate through the islands and various ridges of Miramar at a brisk pace. Difficult-to-access spots, like enemy-guarded areas, can be breached swiftly and stealthily via Ziplines. The feature not only adds an exciting layer to combat dynamics but also aims to mitigate the challenging terrain of Miramar. To strike a balance for Ziplines, only a few weapons can be used while using Ziplines.SMGs or Handguns can be used, but reloading is impossible once their ammo is out.
Q: Several locations are being removed because they do “not align with the current gameplay experience.” How did the team decide on these locations, and is there any discussion about other possible locations?
A:Given the accumulated data regarding players’ landing points in the early game, the less preferred locations were mostly remote areas with a low looting efficiency. In addition, players have been found to land on towns around the center as the circle is more likely to be at the center rather than remote places. To alleviate the situation above and encourage players to visit more locations, we have moved the remote locations towards the center as much as we can without any balance issues and increased the looting efficiencies there.
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Q: How do the changes to some of these areas, specifically with significant shifts like Brick Yard and Truck Stop, better align with the current philosophy of PUBG?
A:Players experience different types of gameplay and new changes through maps, so maps play a crucial role inPUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS. However, it is impossible to develop a specific location that makes players experience a type of gameplay intended by Dev team.
Given the characteristics ofPUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS, there are different variables and chances created from the relations among different locations on a huge map. Therefore, I believe a map itself should be as realistic as possible. We should encourage players tochoose their own strategies on a map that has realistic locations. Accordingly, we modified the less preferred locations to be more realistic while keeping their original concepts.
Q: How does the design of the new Resort location differ from other locales in PUBG?
A:Conceptualized from an abandoned retreat, the Resort is majestically perched on a hill overlooking the sweeping southern seascape. The southern locations of Miramar, densely filled with house sets, offered suboptimal looting efficiency and the rough fields posed a challenging landscape for players, particularly when the Blue Zone shifted to this area.
To enhance gameplay, we’ve removed the paddy fields, transforming the space into the Resort - athrilling new locale for looting. We’ve changed the terrain to address issues players experienced when they have no vehicle around the paddy fields. In addition, the house sets and roadways have been adjusted as well.
As this location is in front of the sea, it would feel like being on a vacation when you see sunset. Resort looks like a beautiful place from outside, but you might note that this is a place where a certain incident occurred given some scribbles on the wall. It will make players wonder what happened in this beautiful resort in the past.
Q: What was the driving factor in removing Los Higos and designing a new area based on a tequila festival?
A:We wanted to encourage players to land on Partona by presenting an eye-catching scenery they can see from the plane. In addition, we utilized a festival concept to make the town look lively and to have an opposite feel from the general desolate feel of Miramar.
Q: As a whole, what are the key things, lessons, or experiences you hope players dropping into the new Miramar Update walk away with after a match?
A:I hope players enjoy the new and different gameplay created by the improved terrain, new locations, Sandstorm, Ziplines, etc. while appreciating Miramar’s prominent hardcore ethos.
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The Miramar map revamp went live on July 22, 2025 alongside Update 25.1 ofPlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.
