Shroud's 2020 preference for PUBG over Apex Legends still holds true in 2026, rooted in solo queue freedom and SBMM frustration.

As someone who has been grinding battle royale games since the genre exploded, I often dig up old clips of legendary streamers to see how their takes have aged. One that rarely leaves my brain is from February 2020 — right when Apex Legends Season 4 was fresh — and Michael 'shroud' Grzesiek told his chat he’d pick PUBG over Apex if he could only play one battle royale for the rest of his life. Six years later, in a 2026 where both games are still pulling millions of players, I decided to revisit his reasoning and see if it still makes sense.

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Back then, shroud’s choice felt controversial. Apex Legends was the shiny new thing with polished movement, hero abilities, and incredible pacing. PUBG, on the other hand, was already the grizzled veteran that many had written off as clunky and outdated. But shroud’s logic wasn’t about which game had more players or better graphics — it was about feeling. “PUBG has a way more rewarding and satisfying feeling than this game,” he said plainly. That statement, more than anything, has become a litmus test I still use when comparing any two shooters.

The Solo Queue Factor

A major pillar of his preference was the ability to play alone. In 2020, Apex Legends was strictly a trios game (with limited-time duos), and shroud argued that lacking a permanent solo mode robbed players of a certain kind of accomplishment. If you wanted to test your pure individual skill without worrying about random teammates, PUBG was the only choice. Flash forward to 2026: Apex has flirted with solo limited-time modes over the years, but the core playlist is still squad-based. Even with the [latest season’s experimental ‘Iron Wolf’ solo queue test, it’s not a permanent fixture. PUBG, meanwhile, has never removed its solo queue, and for a player like me who just wants to drop Pochinki and rely on my own aim, that still matters enormously. Shroud’s point holds up.

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The SBMM Problem

Shroud also didn’t hold back on skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) in Apex, calling it out for making public matches feel as sweaty as ranked. “It kind of makes Ranked Play irrelevant,” he complained. This was one of the first times a top streamer openly criticized SBMM in a battle royale, and here in 2026, the debate has only intensified. Apex Legends still employs strict SBMM in casual lobbies — something that developers have tweaked but never removed. PUBG, while not entirely free of matchmaking ratings, has always felt more organic. Dropping into Erangel in 2026, I still run into a mix of absolute beginners and cracked veterans, and that unpredictability is exactly what shroud meant when he said “part of the fun of playing BRs is to sh*t on some noobs.” Love it or hate it, he wasn’t wrong about the addictive chaos of varied skill lobbies.

The Elusive ‘Banger’ Feeling

Perhaps the most relatable part of shroud’s rant was his description of a “banger” — that explosive moment when a single action gives you a rush of pure satisfaction. In PUBG, a single bullet from a Kar-98 or a crossbow bolt can end a fight, and the whole match builds toward that potential. In Apex, with its higher time-to-kill and health bars, fights are more about sustained damage and ability combos. Shroud noted that while you can hit a banger spray in Apex, it’s far rarer, and stringing together multiple bangers in a row is brutally hard. In 2026, despite new weapons and map changes, Apex’s core gunfeel hasn’t revolutionized that dynamic. I still find myself chasing the dopamine hit of a clean boltie headshot in PUBG; in Apex, I feel good after a clutch, but it’s rarely that same sharp “holy f**k” moment.

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Has Anything Changed in 2026?

It’s worth asking whether shroud himself still stands by these words. His streaming career has pivoted to variety content and tactical shooters full-time, but I recall a random PUBG session he streamed in 2024 where he echoed similar sentiments about the game’s unmatched tension. Apex, meanwhile, has tried to inject more solo-friendly features like the ‘One Man Army’ badge challenges, but the fundamental team design is unchanged. New maps and legends are fun, but they don’t alter the core reward loop that shroud dissected.

That said, comparing the two games today isn’t as clear-cut as it used to be. PUBG went free-to-play in 2022, dramatically boosting its casual player base and making it easier than ever to jump into those coveted solo matches. Apex has introduced more limited-time solo experiences and even a 1v1 arena mode to scratch the individual-play itch. Yet, as a daily player in 2026, I often find myself agreeing with shroud’s old wisdom: when the match ends in PUBG, the victory screen feels heavier. The tension of being alone, the fear of a single shot, and the relief of that chicken dinner still hit differently than a champion screen in Apex.

In the end, shroud’s 2020 pick was never about which game was objectively better; it was about which one delivered that primal, unfiltered shooter joy more consistently. And as someone who has now played both for years, I have to admit: even in 2026, finding a Kar-98 and hearing that headshot crunch in PUBG is a feeling Apex has never quite replicated. Maybe it’s nostalgia, maybe it’s game design — but I think shroud was onto something that won’t fade anytime soon.

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