This page contains a guide on zeroing distance and aiming in PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), including explanation on the zeroing mechanic, understanding and compensating for distance, bullet drop, strategies, and tips and tricks to improve aiming and landing headshots on enemies in the game.
Zeroing Distance Guide and Aiming Tips
Understanding Zeroing Distance and Bullet Drop
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) employs a specific mechanic for aiming your shots at enemies from a considerable distance, particularly with sniper rifles. The two mechanics involved in long-range shooting are Zeroing Distance and Bullet Drop. Zeroing is learning how to vertically compensate for how far your target is, and bullet drop is how much the shot descends as it takes more time in the air before it reaches the target.
Pressing Page Up and Page Down adjusts the zeroing distance of the scope of your equipped weapon. By default, scopes are adjusted to a distance of 100m, meaning that if you were aiming at a target who is exactly 100m away, then the bullet will hit exactly where the scope is aimed. For reference, one white square indicated on the map is exactly 100m x 100m.
This means that if you were using 100m zeroing distance on your scope (the default) and aimed at an enemy who is 200m away, the bullet will hit slightly lower than where you actually aimed your sights (this is bullet drop taking effect). This means that you should aim the sights slightly higher to compensate for the time it takes the bullet to travel. But if you adjusted the zeroing on your scope to 200m and shot from the same distance, the bullet would land exactly where you aimed it.
Zeroing is a particularly useful skill to learn in the game, as scoring headshots reliably with a sniper rifle will involve this mechanic. Missing a shot will cause your target to move, potentially making it harder to kill them.
It is generally advised to keep the zeroing distance at 100m (default), as it will be your starting point in learning how to adjust your shots on any distance.
Other Aiming Tips
Use Free Look as often as you can
While in third-person mode, you can check your surroundings without changing the direction you’re running by pressing and holding the Alt button, then moving your mouse in the direction you want to look. This allows you to be more aware of your surroundings, especially if another player is stalking you. You can also use this to peek at corners or windows without exposing yourself.
Almost always shoot by aiming down the sights (and holding your breath)
Shooting from the hip (third-person) has considerably less accuracy than if you aimed down the sights of your weapon. The only exception is when you are using a shotgun or submachine gun in an enclosed space. To further improve your aim and reduce gun sway, press Shift to hold your breath. It even gives you a bit more zoom if your weapon does not have any scopes attached to it. This is particularly useful when using sniper rifles and assault rifles. Keep in mind though that holding your breath until you run out will not allow you to sprint for a while afterwards.
Learn to get comfortable with single-fire
Most weapons lose a lot of accuracy when used in fully-automatic mode or burst shot mode. This means that you should practice controlled firing with all weapons. Bear in mind that carefully-aimed headshots will be a lot more efficient than just trying to catch your enemy from anywhere (the only exceptions being shotguns at extremely close range).
Other Weapons
| Main Weapons | ||
|---|---|---|
| Assault Rifles | Submachine Guns | Light Machine Guns |
| Shotguns | Sniper Rifles | DMRs |
| Other Weapons | ||
| Pistols | Melee Weapons | Grenades |
| Attachments | Ammunition | Crossbow |
Related Articles
- Useful Tips and Tricks (Hidden mechanics, exploits, glitches)
- Beginner’s Guide
- General Tips and Tricks
Carefully aimed headshots is a good tip. Rapid fire is an impulse reaction most times though 🙁
Can confirm. A square IS exactly 100x100m in the game.