PUBG x KAKAO FRIENDS: Vikendi’s Cute but Dangerous Limited-Time Park
KAKAO FRIENDS LAND brought PUBG’s snowy Vikendi a playful 2021 winter crossover, blending cute characters with tense battle royale combat.
In the winter of 2021, PUBG: Battlegrounds turned Vikendi’s prehistoric amusement park, Dinoland, into KAKAO FRIENDS LAND. The limited-time collaboration brought RYAN, APEACH, MUZI, and other familiar characters into a snowy battle royale setting. For players in 2026, the event is no longer an active promotion; it belongs to PUBG’s archive as a nostalgic seasonal crossover. Even so, its mix of cheerful cosmetics and tense combat remains a memorable chapter in the game’s live-event history.
The premise was simple and slightly surreal. A wintery and magical park invited squads to meet KAKAO FRIENDS characters while still playing a battle royale match. Dinoland was reconstructed as a themed area, and billboards for KAKAO FRIENDS LAND appeared here and there across Vikendi. The park looked soft and playful, with bright characters and photo-friendly scenery. Players were encouraged to take memorable screenshots with their squads before the park closed its doors.
The collaboration did not remove danger. The official announcement warned that just because KAKAO FRIENDS LAND looked cute did not mean it was safe. Enemies could lurk behind trees or buildings, turning a cheerful sightseeing stop into a risky rotation. In one playful touch, the announcement suggested that if RYAN was in a good mood, he might reveal where an enemy was hiding. That blend of whimsy and tension defined the event: a theme park in the middle of a survival shooter, where a plushie aesthetic could sit beside a deadly ambush.
The schedule gave the event a clear beginning and end. On PC, KAKAO FRIENDS LAND opened after live server maintenance on November 30, 2021 for PST players, and on December 1, 2021 for CET and KST players. Console players entered later, on December 8, 2021 for PST and December 9, 2021 for CET and KST. The park closed for both PC and console after maintenance on January 11, 2022 for PST and January 12, 2022 for CET and KST. Those dates matter in 2026 because they mark the crossover as a past seasonal event rather than a current one.
| Platform | Opening | Closing |
|---|---|---|
| PC | Nov 30, 2021 PST; Dec 1, 2021 CET/KST | Jan 11, 2022 PST; Jan 12, 2022 CET/KST |
| Console | Dec 8, 2021 PST; Dec 9, 2021 CET/KST | Jan 11, 2022 PST; Jan 12, 2022 CET/KST |
Cosmetics were a major part of the crossover. Players could transform into a maneless lion RYAN, playful APEACH, meek TUBE, or sleek NEO. The KAKAO FRIENDS Ultimate Bundle gathered the RYAN Set, the APEACH Set, the TUBE Set, the NEO Set, RYAN’s Parachute, RYAN’s Pan, RYAN’s Heart Ceremony, APEACH’s Heart Ceremony, APEACH Crate Surprise spray, NEO Love Lap spray, RYAN Chicken Dance spray, and the TUBE and Friend spray. Individual sets offered their own details: RYAN’s Plushie Head, Bodysuit, Slippers, and Backpack at levels one through three; APEACH’s Nightie, Shorts, Slippers, and Backpack; TUBE’s Hat, Tee, and Pants; and NEO’s Hoodie, Shorts, and Eye Mask. Two Victory Dances, Neo’s Crazy Night and TUBE’s Move, rounded out the personalization options.
The sales windows were just as specific. On PC, items were available from December 8, 2021 after live server maintenance until January 6, 2022 at 11 AM KST, with corresponding PST and CET dates. On console, sales ran from December 9, 2021 after maintenance until January 7, 2022 at 1 PM KST, again with regional equivalents. These windows framed the crossover as a collectible moment: missing it meant waiting for another collaboration, if one ever came.
There were nine KAKAO FRIENDS in all: Ryan, Muzi, Con, Apeach, Frodo, Neo, Tube, Jay-G, and Choonsik. Each had a distinctive style and personality. The characters were not ordinary two-dimensional mascots; they had dreams and fears, strengths and weaknesses. That lifelike quality made them beloved by people of all ages and walks of life. The collaboration hoped players would find something in KAKAO FRIENDS that reminded them of themselves or someone they loved. In 2026, that sentiment still explains why the event lingers in memory. It was cute, dangerous, and very much of its time.