PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS Update 43.1 dropped on September 9, and Krafton packed it with more than the usual round of balance tweaks. Unarmed combat now has kicks, water movement got a significant speed boost, items can be tossed directly to teammates, and Jujutsu Kaisen has arrived on Erangel with themed spaces and a Satoru Gojo statue that shows up inside a JJK gift box.
Kicks change how unarmed combat works
For a game built around guns, PUBG has always had a surprisingly active fistfight scene in early drops and close-quarter scrambles. Update 43.1 adds two distinct kick actions to that mix, both available in all modes.
The Standing Kick triggers with a right-click while unarmed (LT on console). The Jump Kick works the same way but while airborne. Both deal more damage than a punch and carry a stronger knockback effect, which means you can interrupt an opponent mid-animation or shove them back to create distance.
Here's the thing: kicks aren't just for other players. The patch lets you destroy specific objects with them:
- Windows
- Wooden doors
- Wooden fences
- Jars
- Tires
Indestructible doors can be opened quickly with a kick even if they won't break. Vending machines are also interactive now. Kick one and you get items faster than the standard interaction, though the machine takes damage and goes offline temporarily. The kick action can be rebound in Key Bindings, so you won't be stuck with the default if it conflicts with your setup.
Water combat and item handling get real upgrades
Swimming and diving speeds are up 25% from before Update 43.1. That's not a subtle change. Water zones have historically been death traps because the movement was so sluggish, and now sidearms and throwables can be used directly on the water's surface. The combination genuinely opens up new ways to approach river crossings and coastal engagements on Erangel and Miramar.
Item handling saw a similar quality-of-life pass. Depending on the item type, players can now pick things up directly off the ground and carry them, or throw them to a teammate without touching the inventory screen first. Healing items, boost items, and certain deployable gear can also be used straight from the ground. Less menu time, faster reactions.
LMG balance gets another round of tuning
Light machine guns have been adjusted again, this time based on data collected since Update 42.3. The first LMG meta rotation hit harder than Krafton expected, so this patch touches aim speed, recoil, effectiveness against vehicles, and world spawn rates. The adjustments are targeted rather than sweeping, with the goal of preserving what makes LMGs distinct while pulling back on the parts that were warping the meta.
For a closer look at how PUBG has handled previous seasonal updates, the PUBG Update 40.2 breakdown covering the 9th Anniversary events gives good context on how Krafton tends to pace its content cycles.
Jujutsu Kaisen lands on Erangel
The Jujutsu Kaisen collaboration transforms parts of Erangel with themed visual elements and a dedicated JJK warehouse. A special gift box in the collaboration contains a Satoru Gojo statue along with a visual effect. Care packages and other map elements have been reskinned to match the JJK aesthetic, so players will run into the crossover content naturally during regular matches rather than needing to hunt for it.
Anime crossovers in battle royale games live or die based on how naturally they integrate into the existing map, and putting the JJK content in Erangel specifically is a smart call. It's the most-played map, so the collaboration reaches the widest audience without requiring a dedicated mode.
Everything else in 43.1
The patch is dense beyond the headliners. A full list of what else shipped:
- New Leaderboards added to the Career menu, covering seasonal wins, kills by weapon type, and Clan XP
- Solo Deathmatch returns in Arcade
- Rumble returns in Duo format on PC
- Boat durability and repair functionality adjusted
- Parachute activation conditions changed
- NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 and AMD FSR 4.1 support added on PC
- Console hit detection adjustments for character models
- Additional custom preset slots added
The DLSS 4.5 and FSR 4.1 support is worth calling out for PC players specifically. Both are meaningful uplifts for performance at higher resolutions, and PUBG benefits more than most games from the extra frame headroom given how CPU-bound large-scale matches can get.
Update 43.1 is live now across all platforms. For more PUBG coverage including strategy and loadout tips, the full PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS guide collection has everything you need to stay current with the meta.
