PUBG players have found mysterious golden chests on its newest map

Playerunknown's Battlegrounds latest map, Sanhok, isn't complete. Each test period introduces subtle changes in the geometry, details, and layout of buildings. But one change found in its latest iteration isn't all that subtle. Yesterday, players started finding small golden chests hidden throughout the jungles of Sanhok.

So far, only a few have been found and there's no way to interact with them. Redditor 'godlyfury' appears to be one of the first to have spied a golden chest tucked into a rock outcropping while playing with their squad. The thread where they shared their findings quickly exploded as players chimed in with the location of other chests and speculation over what it could mean.

Without any perceivable way to open them, the golden chests appear to be a subtle wink at PUBG's main competitor, Fortnite Battle Royale. Those familiar with the latter will know that the map is littered with golden chests that, when opened, often reward great gear. Of course, this makes sense considering Sanhok is a map that noticeably tries to imitate Fortnite's formula for overwhelming success. Compared to PUBG's other maps, Sanhok is a measly 4x4 grid jungle—a much tighter space that creates much more chaotic action.

So it could just be a little easter egg, but we'll be keeping our eyes peeled in case it's something more. If you've found other golden chests or have your own theories as to what they could be, let us know in the comments.

Thanks, Kotaku.

Steven Messner

With over 7 years of experience with in-depth feature reporting, Steven's mission is to chronicle the fascinating ways that games intersect our lives. Whether it's colossal in-game wars in an MMO, or long-haul truckers who turn to games to protect them from the loneliness of the open road, Steven tries to unearth PC gaming's greatest untold stories. His love of PC gaming started extremely early. Without money to spend, he spent an entire day watching the progress bar on a 25mb download of the Heroes of Might and Magic 2 demo that he then played for at least a hundred hours. It was a good demo.