PUBG MOBILE’s Royale Pass Season 3 went live with the August 22, 2018 update at 11:00. The announced availability window ran through November 17, 2018. It was a digital, seasonal progression track separate from your ordinary character rank: you completed missions and other activities to raise Royale Pass rank and unlock game items and skins. The announcement specifically named the Rain Forest golden crate and the Death Overlord set among the mission-clear rewards.
This is a historical season, not a current pass rotation. The surviving official material explains how the Free Pass, Elite Pass and Elite Pass Plus worked, but it does not establish that the listed 360 UC Elite price was the exact launch-region price for the August 22 announcement.
When did PUBG Mobile Season 3 Royale Pass go live?
The Season 3 Royale Pass launched with the August 22, 2018 update at 11:00, according to the PUBG Corporation Japan announcement. That announcement gave November 17, 2018 as the end of the availability window.
| Milestone | Date or time | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Launch | August 22, 2018 at 11:00 | Season 3 became available with the game update. |
| Planned end | November 17, 2018 | The announced seasonal window was scheduled to close. |
The announcement was issued by PUBG Corporation Japan. It gives the launch time as 11:00 but does not identify a time zone in the material available here, so it should not be converted to a particular local time without a regional notice.
Because the closing date is in 2018, Season 3 should be understood as an archive-era event. It is useful for identifying what the third pass contained and how its progression worked, not as an indication that the same pass can be purchased in a current client.
What was the Season 3 Royale Pass?
Royale Pass was a second progression system layered over the game’s normal character rank. Your character rank and your Royale Pass rank tracked different things: playing to improve one did not automatically raise the other.
The official event page described the system in direct terms: “Royale Pass is the main way for players to get rewards in the game.” In practice, the pass provided a season-long reward track. Players accumulated Royale Pass points, advanced through ranks and claimed the items attached to those ranks.
That distinction matters when reading old Season 3 screenshots or guides. A player could be highly ranked in ordinary play while still having a low Royale Pass rank if they had not completed the pass activities. Conversely, concentrating on weekly or daily pass tasks advanced the pass without changing the separate character-rank system.
What rewards were in Royale Pass Season 3?
The Season 3 announcement specifically called out two mission-clear rewards: the Rain Forest golden crate and the Death Overlord set. They are the clearest named rewards associated with the launch announcement.
- Rain Forest golden crate: a named crate reward tied to clearing missions.
- Death Overlord set: a named cosmetic set awarded through the mission-reward structure.
- Rank-track items and skins: advancing Royale Pass rank unlocked additional game items and skins along the seasonal track.
The surviving announcement does not provide a complete rank-by-rank inventory, drop-rate schedule or a full catalogue of every cosmetic. It is therefore safer to treat the two named rewards as confirmed highlights rather than claim that they were the only rewards or assign them to a specific rank that the announcement does not identify.
Rewards were attached to progression, so simply owning the game did not grant the complete set immediately. The relevant action was to clear the missions and raise the pass rank during the season’s window.
How did players level up the Season 3 Royale Pass?
Season 3 points came from several activity types rather than from ordinary character-rank experience alone. The official RPA3 material lists weekly challenges, events, daily missions, challenge missions, point cards and, in some cases, crate openings as point sources.
Weekly challenges
Weekly challenges supplied recurring objectives during the season. Completing them was one of the principal ways to keep pass progression moving from week to week.
Daily missions
Daily missions offered shorter-cycle tasks. They complemented the weekly objectives and gave players another regular route to points.
Challenge missions
Challenge missions were a separate mission category listed by the event page. Their completion contributed to Royale Pass points and could also be connected to the specifically named mission-clear rewards.
Events
Seasonal events could award pass points as well. The event page treats these rewards as part of the pass economy, so a player who checked event objectives had more than missions to work through.
Point cards
Point cards were direct point items that could be used to advance the pass. They provided an alternative to earning every point through objectives.
Crate openings
The RPA3 page says crate openings could sometimes provide points. “Sometimes” is important: the wording does not establish that every crate opening awarded pass progress or that a particular crate guaranteed a fixed number of points.
Elite holders also received Elite missions. Those additional missions were intended to help them rank faster, so the paid track changed the available progression route rather than replacing the normal pass activities.
How do I open the Royale Pass in PUBG MOBILE?
The official Help Center gives a short access path: start in the game lobby and tap the “Royale Pass” button. From that screen, you can view the current pass, its rank track and available rewards.
- Launch PUBG MOBILE and wait for the main lobby to load.
- Tap the “Royale Pass” button.
- Review the pass rank, missions and reward track shown for the season.
- Complete eligible missions or other listed activities to earn points.
- Return to the Royale Pass screen to claim rewards unlocked by your new rank.
The same Help Center guidance says that upgrading adds extra rewards and Elite or Elite Plus exclusive missions. If an old guide tells you to look for a different menu label, it may reflect a later client redesign rather than the interface described for Season 3.
What was the difference between Free Pass, Elite Pass and Elite Pass Plus?
All three options belonged to the same seasonal progression system, but the paid tiers added benefits beyond the Free Pass. The RPA3 page lists the following distinctions.
| Pass option | Access and cost information | Reward access | Progression features | Exclusive missions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Pass | Available without the paid upgrade. | Free-track rewards. | Normal Royale Pass progression. | Not listed as included. |
| Elite Pass | The RPA3 page lists 360 UC; the exact launch-region price for August 22, 2018 is not established. | Additional rewards beyond the Free Pass. | Elite missions could help the holder rank faster. | Yes, Elite missions. |
| Elite Pass Plus | Paid tier; a launch-region bundle price is not stated in the cited material. | Additional paid-tier benefits beyond the Free Pass. | The cited material does not specify a separate numerical rank boost. | Elite Plus exclusive missions are identified by the Help Center. |
The table separates what is documented from what is not. In particular, 360 UC is a price shown on the surviving RPA3 page, not proof that every region charged exactly that amount at the moment of the Japanese-announced launch. The material also does not supply a complete item-by-item comparison between Elite and Elite Plus.
For a player deciding during the original season, the practical trade-off was straightforward: the Free Pass required no purchase, while an Elite upgrade opened more rewards and special missions. Elite missions could accelerate rank gains, but they did not remove the need to play or complete objectives.
How much did the Season 3 Royale Pass cost?
The RPA3 event page lists the Elite Pass at 360 UC. That is the only concrete amount attached to the Season 3 pass in the cited material.
There are two important qualifications. First, the page does not prove that 360 UC was the exact price in every launch region. Second, it does not establish a launch-region price for Elite Pass Plus. The amount should therefore be quoted as the page-listed Elite figure, not converted into a universal cash price or presented as a guaranteed regional offer.
The Free Pass did not require that listed Elite purchase. Players could use the free progression track and earn points through the available missions, challenges, events, point cards and occasional crate-opening rewards.
Was the Season 3 Royale Pass a physical product?
No. Royale Pass Season 3 was a digital, in-game seasonal event and progression track. It was accessed from the PUBG MOBILE lobby, advanced through in-game points and delivered virtual items and skins.
That means a UC card, printed guide, game disc or branded accessory was not the pass itself. Such products, where available in a market, would be separate purchases and are not substitutes for the in-game Royale Pass entitlement described by the official pages.
What happened when the Season 3 window ended?
The announcement’s planned end date was November 17, 2018. The pass was therefore time-limited: its missions, rank advancement and reward claims belonged to that seasonal window rather than to a permanent account-wide progression track.
Season-limited wording also explains why an old account may show different content from archived screenshots. A later client can use the same “Royale Pass” label for a new season while no longer exposing the Season 3 track, its missions or its reward presentation.
How should I interpret old Season 3 guides and screenshots?
Use the date and the pass type as the first checks. A guide that says “Season 3” should be read against the August 22–November 17, 2018 window, and a guide that discusses character rank may be describing a different progression system.
- Check whether the guide means Royale Pass rank or ordinary character rank.
- Check whether a reward is one of the confirmed named items or an unattributed screenshot claim.
- Check whether a price is the page-listed 360 UC Elite figure or a regional offer whose conditions are not documented here.
- Check whether a mission is a standard activity or an Elite-only mission.
- Check the season date before applying an instruction to a current version of the game.
These checks prevent the most common historical mistake: treating a season-specific reward track as if it were a current, universal feature with unchanged prices and menus.
What is the clearest takeaway from Season 3?
Season 3 established a separate reward chase built around missions and seasonal activities. The confirmed launch was August 22, 2018 at 11:00, the announced window ended November 17, and the headline rewards were the Rain Forest golden crate and Death Overlord set. Free participation was available, while Elite upgrades added rewards and special missions; the surviving page lists 360 UC for Elite but does not settle every region’s launch price.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did the 11:00 launch time include a stated time zone?
The announcement gives the clock time as 11:00 but does not identify a time zone in the cited material. Treat it as the time printed in that announcement rather than converting it to local time or calling it a universal reset.
Were the Rain Forest golden crate and Death Overlord set guaranteed at a particular rank?
They were identified as mission-clear rewards, but the announcement does not assign either item to a specific Royale Pass rank. Claims about an exact rank or guaranteed sequence require a separate, contemporaneous reward chart.
Did every crate opening award Royale Pass points?
No such guarantee is established. The RPA3 description says crate openings could sometimes provide points, which indicates an occasional source rather than a reward attached to every opening.
Was Elite Pass Plus priced at the same 360 UC as Elite?
The surviving page attaches 360 UC to Elite Pass. It does not establish a launch-region Elite Pass Plus price, so the two tiers should not be treated as having the same cost without a region-specific offer.