PUBG's Savage map, now called Sanhok, will resume testing this Thursday

Update: Just a bit of clarification: if you activated a code for an earlier test of this map, but don't own PUBG, you'll still be able to playtest the map this Thursday. If you never got a code, but you do own PUBG, you'll also be able to test the map. Basically, the only ones who won't be able to partake in the upcoming test are those who never activated a code and don't own the game.

As PUBG Corporation put it when I asked: "Everyone who was given Steam codes to the Experimental Server prior to it going "open" for all PUBG owners will continue to have access. If they do not own the base PUBG package, they will continue to own and keep access to the experimental server by virtue of their earlier activation."

Original story: PUBG's 4x4km map, codenamed Savage, has a new round of player testing coming soon, as well as a new name. It's called 'Sanhok' now, and if you're wondering why, I'll explain in a moment. The player testing will begin Thursday, May 10, at 7 pm Pacific time, and run until Monday, May 14, at 4 am Pacific.

That's good news for those who enjoyed PUBG's smaller map and the accelerated matches it produced, and even better news if you didn't get to try it for yourself: unlike the two previous tests, this one doesn't require a code. As long as you own PUBG, you can join in.

As for the new name, Sanhok, a press release we received explains:

"The vibrant plantlife, map-splitting waterways, and distinct structures and villages that span the map are inspired by the islands that dot the Southeast Pacific Ocean along Thailand, the Philippines, and other Southeast Asian countries. From that inspiration, and by combining the Thai word for “fun”, สนุก (pronounced sah-nook) and the Tagalog word for “chicken”, manok (pronounced mah-nok), the official name of the map, Sanhok, was born."

Personally, I will probably continue to call it Savage because I am stubbornly resistant to change. Speaking of which, we don't yet have patch notes on what may have changed since the previous test of Sav—sorry, Sanhok, though we're told we'll see "many fixes and updates" based on player feedback. PUBG Corp will release more specifics on Wednesday.

Chris started playing PC games in the 1980s, started writing about them in the early 2000s, and (finally) started getting paid to write about them in the late 2000s. Following a few years as a regular freelancer, PC Gamer hired him in 2014, probably so he'd stop emailing them asking for more work. Chris has a love-hate relationship with survival games and an unhealthy fascination with the inner lives of NPCs. He's also a fan of offbeat simulation games, mods, and ignoring storylines in RPGs so he can make up his own.