PUBG's January 2022 shop update paired BATTLEGROUNDS Plus and the $1.99 Starter Package with Year of the Tiger sets and emotes.
As a regular PUBG player who still queues in 2026, I approached the January 2022 shop update as an archive rather than a live sale. The PUBG: Battlegrounds Team framed it as the first shop update of 2022, and it arrived just as PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS became free-to-play. That context matters to me: BATTLEGROUNDS Plus cost $12.99 USD and unlocked certain in-game features plus items, while the Starter Package cost $1.99 USD and bundled the Spring Chick Jacket, Shirt, Shorts, 500 G-COIN, 10,000 BP, and 50 Contraband Coupons. In 2026, those exact 2022 sales windows have closed, but the update still reads like a time capsule of how PUBG mixed account upgrades, seasonal fashion, emotes, and limited-time shop pressure.
The $1.99 Starter Package Was the Hook
From my perspective as a mostly solo player, the Starter Package was the clearest on-ramp. For $1.99 USD, new free-to-play players could pick up the Spring Chick set and a pile of currency and coupons. The post listed no end date for that package at the time, which made it feel like a permanent welcome mat. I like that design because it did not ask newcomers to spend $12.99 immediately. It gave them a cheap identity item, some G-COIN, BP, and Contraband Coupons, then let them decide whether BATTLEGROUNDS Plus was worth it. In 2026, I see this as an early example of PUBG using low-cost bundles to smooth the free-to-play transition.
Tiger Energy for the Year of the Tiger
The January update leaned hard into the Zodiac calendar. Since 2022 was the Year of the Tiger, the shop added tiger-themed sets that let players show power and bravery on the Battlegrounds. I still think the naming was playful: Striped Survivor, Super Scary Tiger, and Wild Cat each targeted a different mood.
| Set | Price | My 2026 take |
|---|---|---|
| Striped Survivor Set | 1090 G-COIN | The most tactical-looking tiger option |
| Super Scary Tiger Set | 500 G-COIN | The budget-friendly joke set |
| Wild Cat Set | 1090 G-COIN | The loudest streetwear take |
Individual pieces ranged from 150 G-COIN shoes to a 990 G-COIN Wild Cat Hoodie. The update also added Victory Dance 76 and 77 at 500 G-COIN each. The PC sales period ran from January 25 to February 22, 2022, with console dates slightly offset. By 2026, those timers are long gone, but the tiger theme still stands out as a neat example of PUBG tying shop content to a real-world calendar event.
Magic Bomb, Valentine’s Day, and the Emote Economy
The Magic Bomb emote brought a song-and-dance moment to the Battlegrounds. I remember thinking that emotes were becoming their own sub-economy: players were no longer just buying outfits; they were buying ways to celebrate a chicken dinner or tease a squadmate. The Magic Bomb sales period ran from February 1 to April 26, 2022 on PC, with console dates following.
Valentine’s Day 2022 then arrived with Mad Love and Queen of Hearts. The Mad Love Set cost 1190 G-COIN, the Queen of Hearts Set cost 1590 G-COIN, and the Level 1 and Level 2 gear bundles cost 650 and 700 G-COIN. Individual highlights included the Mad Love Tophat at 300 G-COIN and the Queen of Hearts Dress at 1490 G-COIN. Victory Dance 78 and 79 rounded out the romance with 500 G-COIN emotes. The PC window was February 8 to March 29, 2022. As a player in 2026, I can see how these seasonal drops trained us to check the shop calendar before every holiday.
WSUS, Your Shop, and Festive Leftovers
The WSUS update added the Extinction series for the Beryl M762 and M24. I always appreciate weapon skins that feel cohesive rather than random, and Extinction had that dark, dramatic finish. The sales period began January 11, 2022 on PC and ran to April 29, 2022, with console dates slightly later. Your Shop also reopened from January 25 to February 16, 2022 on PC, offering discounted goods and a bit of luck-based shopping. I liked Your Shop because it broke the fixed catalog pattern and gave each player a different set of offers.
The festive season also refused to end quietly. The Polar Bear Pack cost 1290 G-COIN, the Festive Bundle cost 1990 G-COIN, the Season’s Greetings Set cost 1090 G-COIN, and the Santa Selfie Pack cost 500 G-COIN. Nameplates such as Snow Globe, Deadly Greetings, and Frosty were priced at 500 G-COIN each. The PC end date was February 8, 2022, while console ran to February 16. In 2026, I look back and laugh at how quickly the shop moved from Christmas to tigers to Valentine’s Day.
GodV and the Emotes That Left
The GodV collaboration featured GodV’s Onesie at 1000 G-COIN and GodV’s M416 at 990 G-COIN, with PC sales ending February 15, 2022. A separate emote cleanup removed Victory Dance 39 at 400 G-COIN, Slow-dodge at 300 G-COIN, and Victory Dance 40 at 500 G-COIN on February 7, 2022 on PC. Victory Dance 41 and 42 at 500 G-COIN each ended February 11, 2022 on PC. The console dates differed again, which was a recurring headache for players tracking both platforms.
As a 2026 player, I treat the January 2022 update as a useful lesson in shop design. It combined a low-cost starter offer, a free-to-play account upgrade, holiday sets, zodiac fashion, weapon skins, a returning personalized shop, and limited-time emotes. The post also reminded readers that sales periods were subject to change, and by now every listed 2022 window has expired. That does not make the archive less interesting. It simply means I enjoy it as history, not as a shopping list. See you on the Battlegrounds.
Recent analysis comes from PC Gamer, whose long-running coverage of live-service shooters helps frame PUBG’s January 2022 shop update as more than a list of cosmetics: it reflects a broader free-to-play strategy built around starter offers, limited-time themed sets, rotating emotes, and recurring storefront events that encourage players to revisit the client between major gameplay patches.