Hello, fellow survivors — or as I like to call us, professional crate sniffers. I was digging through my mental loot stash and found the glorious PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS Drops Event that celebrated the game going free-to-play back in January 2022. Is it weird to feel nostalgic about a calendar window? Maybe. But in 2026, with free-to-play long since the norm, that event is a perfect case study in how to turn 'please log in' into 'fine, I’ll log in, but only for the coupons.' So grab a beverage, avoid my mistake of reading event dates at 2 a.m., and let’s unpack the two Special Drops events plus Partner Drops.

Important 2026 reality check: the dates below are historical 2022 dates. Do not treat them as active. The mechanics are the interesting part; current windows live in-game and in official announcements. I’m writing this as a retrospective and a survival guide, not a time machine. If you try to redeem a 2022 event point in 2026, the only thing you’ll unlock is disappointment. 🫠

Special Drops 1: F2P Grand Open Event 🎉

This one was the big 'we’re free-to-play now, please notice us' party. It ran for both PC and Console, and the historical windows looked like this:

Platform	Historical PST window	Historical CET window	Historical KST window
PC & Console	January 11, 7 AM – January 31, 11 PM	January 11, 4 PM – February 1, 8 AM	January 12, 12 AM – February 1, 4 PM

The mission structure was classic PUBG: clear daily missions during the event period, collect points, and exchange those points for various rewards. Was it simple? Yes. Was I still somehow surprised when my points had an expiry date? Also yes. The event copy was very clear that points from each event expire once that event period ends, so the lesson is eternal: use your points before the party ends, you beautiful procrastinator. 🎯

Special Drops 2: Friend Invitation and Referral Code Event 👥

This was the social butterfly event. It also ran on PC and Console, with a longer historical window:

Platform	Historical PST window	Historical CET window	Historical KST window
PC & Console	January 11, 7 AM – February 8, 4 PM	January 11, 4 PM – February 9, 1 AM	January 12, 12 AM – February 9, 9 AM

Here’s where things got delightfully bureaucratic. The Friend Invitation side was for players who had reached Survival Mastery level 10 or higher and who had sent referral codes. The flow was: send your referral code to a friend, your friend enters it, and they count as one successful invite once they reach Survival Mastery level 10. You were given three different rewards when you successfully invited one, three, and five friends. Was this clever? Absolutely. Was it also a way to make my friend group chat me like a debt collector? Also absolutely. 😅

Then there was the referral-code side for new or returning players. New players meant accounts signed up within the last 14 days; returning players meant folks who had not logged in for the last 28 days. The steps were: enter the referral code, reach Survival Mastery level 10, and receive the reward. The event copy listed 30,000 BP for reaching Survival Mastery level 10, and it also listed Contraband Coupon x10 on the referral-code reward path. After hitting level 10, that player could also participate in the Friend Invitation event to earn even more rewards. Who doesn’t love a reward that comes with homework? 📚

Partner Drops: Watch, Link, Loot 📺

Over a thousand PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS Partners joined the party, and the pitch was simple: watch Partner streams and gain Partner Exclusive drops. The fine print, however, was the real boss fight. Here are the notes I would have tattooed on my forearm if I were braver:

• You could receive drops only through PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS Partners.

• Weekly rewards were no longer distributed once the date for specific weekends passed.

• To receive rewards, you needed a KRAFTON ID linked to your gaming platform AND Twitch or each region’s streaming platform.

• Korea, China, and Thailand viewers received redeem codes instead of drops because of different streaming platforms.

I look at that banner and hear my past self whispering, 'I’ll link my accounts later.' Past me was a fool. Linking accounts is the unglamorous hero of every drops event. No link, no loot. No KRAFTON ID, no party. It’s not rocket science; it’s just admin with a helmet. 🪖

My 2026 Takeaways 🧠

So what do I, a 2026 player with a suspicious number of cosmetic opinions, take from this 2022 blast from the past?

1. Daily missions are sneaky. They look small, then suddenly you’re planning your evening around a point counter. Respect the grind, but set a timer.

2. Points expire. The event period is not a suggestion. Spend first, admire later.

3. Referral events gate rewards behind Survival Mastery. If you’re inviting friends, tell them about the level-10 requirement before they think you’ve scammed them out of a code.

4. Partner Drops need account linking. Do it early. Future you will be grateful, and present you will feel very responsible.

5. Regional rules differ. Korea, China, and Thailand had redeem codes instead of drops in that event. Always check your region’s specifics.

6. Old event dates are history, not invitations. In 2026, verify current windows in-game and through official channels. Do not chase expired points like a raccoon chasing a shiny wrapper. 🦝

Would I do it all again? For free cosmetics and a pile of BP? In a heartbeat. Would I read the expiry dates first? Let’s not get carried away. See you on the Battlegrounds — and may your points never expire before your coffee does. ☕