Battlegrounds is an action game in which up to one hundred players fight in a battle royal, a type of large-scale deathmatch where players fight to be the last alive. Players can choose to enter the match solo, or with a small team of two or four people. In either case, the last person or team left alive wins the match. Each match starts with players parachuting onto an island, approximately 8 by 8 kilometres (5.0 mi × 5.0 mi) in size, from a plane without any items outside of customizable clothing options that they select prior to a match. Once they land, players can search buildings and other sites to find weapons, vehicles, armor, clothing, and other equipment. These items are distributed throughout the map at the start of a match, with certain high-risk zones having better equipment. Players then proceed to either stay hidden to avoid being killed or hunt down other players whilst continuing to search for more equipment. Killed players can be looted to acquire their gear as well. At random, a plane will fly over various parts of the playable map and drop a loot package containing items which are normally unobtainable during normal gameplay, the package also emits a highly visible red smoke, drawing interested players near it. Players can opt to play either from the first-person or third-person perspective, each having their own advantages and disadvantages in combat and situational awareness.