How to Use the Flare Gun in PUBG

Gameplay tweaks and new items are always landing for battle royale titles like PUBG, with one of the latest weapons causing a bit of confusion for players: the flare gun.

The infamous weapon was previously available in PUBG Mobile and as a limited-time event item in other versions, but it is now standard on all maps for all versions with tweaked mechanics.

Want to know where to find a flare gun and how to use it for maximum effect? Let’s take a look!

Flare gun drops are totally randomized and can potentially spawn in any location on any map, from Erangel to Miramar and beyond. Keep in mind that the half grip attachment looks surprisingly like a flare gun, so it’s very easy to mistake the two.

Sadly, it doesn’t deal any actual damage to another player; the flare gun is useless as a last-ditch weapon if you’re surrounded. Instead, it calls in a care package airdrop.

You can’t call a care package until after the first blue circle. This is to prevent an early advantage. But you can still fire the gun before that point, which is a waste of a flare.

What’s in Airdrops? 

There’s some confusion in what airdrops provide and where they land, as players are consistently getting a vehicle instead of the gun package they are expecting. Here’s what you get based on where you fire the PUBG flare gun:

• Inside safe zone white circle — weapon/item pack
• Outside safe zone white circle — armored UAZ off-road vehicle

Note that there was a bug where firing a flare gun would cause a vehicle to sink, but that was recently patched out.

In some cases, you might not get anything at all, however, as each match has a maximum number of available drops. If multiple flare guns spawn, they may all be used already by the time you grab yours.

Be careful where you launch a flare outside the safe zone, though: it’s possible for the vehicle to land in a place you can’t reach or drive away from!

Keep in mind that anyone near your location gets an on-screen text indicator that a care package is incoming, and the flashing yellow flare gun care package icon will be visible to anyone on the map.

In other words, the flare basically summons enemies in addition to a package.

Of course, there are ways to use this to your advantage, like firing the flare gun into an open field while hiding out in a sniper’s nest with a clear line of sight to where the care package will land.

Finally, some particularly petty players have started taking ammo but leaving the gun so that no one can fire it and get the package.

If you come across a flare gun without any ammo, be on the lookout for nearby players and make sure to take their loot, as they probably have your flares.

Be sure to check out the rest of our PUBG guides over here.