Totally Accurate Battlegrounds (TABG): Survival Guide

How to get into a match in 2026 (official and community servers), plus landing, looting, fighting and winning in Landfall's wobbly physics battle royale.

Researched September 2026 — current as of the March 2026 server restoration (after Multiplay's shutdown broke official matchmaking) and the October 2025 security patch. Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Server Status in 2026 (read this first)

• Early 2026: official servers became unreliable for weeks. Landfall found the cause: Multiplay, the hosting service TABG used, is shutting down, which broke the server connection. Landfall said a migration to a new solution would take time.
• 10 March 2026: Landfall updated the post. Official servers are back up.
• Community servers have been a built-in fallback since 2023/2024. The main menu has a Server List, and anyone can host a server with the free dedicated server tool (opened to everyone on 27 February 2024).
• Known issue: the in-game shop has been breaking on and off since 2025, and Landfall has said they don't yet know why. Don't buy anything if the shop looks glitched.
• Leaderboards were removed in August 2023 to reduce the incentive for win-farming cheaters.

Server timeline (from Landfall's Steam posts)

If matchmaking fails, open the Server List and join a populated community server. That's how many players play day to day.

Quick Start

1. Pick a mode: Solo, Duo or Squad, up to 60 players per match.
2. Land away from the crowd on your first games. Hot drops are chaos, and physics fights are unpredictable.
3. Loot a gun, then armor, then healing. Anything beats nothing, but upgrade quickly.
4. Learn the wobble. Your character is physics-driven. Stop moving for a moment before important shots to steady your aim.
5. Rarity colors matter. A rarer version of an item is a stronger version of it.
6. Stay ahead of the zone. The playable area shrinks, and the endgame ends in a "floor is lava" style showdown.
7. Dying isn't always the end. TABG has Limbo ("u not dead yet mate"), a second-chance mechanic, so don't alt-F4 right away.
8. Use catchphrases. You can talk using three-word catchphrases, which is half the fun.

What Makes TABG Different

TABG started as a joke spin-off of Totally Accurate Battle Simulator and became its own free battle royale. Compared to PUBG-style games:

• Physics-based everything. Characters flop, recoil pushes you around, and parkour is wobbly but surprisingly capable.
• A small ("fun-sized") map, so matches are fast and fights start early.
• 90+ weapons, from ordinary rifles and shotguns to joke weapons (including "a shallow pot with a long handle").
• Blessings and curses: in Landfall's words, "blessings and curses for those of you who do well (and not so well)". Blessings are buffs that reward good play, and curses are handicaps. Read the tooltip when you get one.

Landing and Early Game

• Skydive face-first. Aim for rooftops or open patches near buildings, not the middle of fields.
• Check the plane path. Landing a bit away from the path gives you time to loot in peace.
• First 30 seconds: grab any gun, then look for ammo that matches it. A gun without matching ammo is dead weight.
• Armor next: helmets and vests reduce damage a lot in a game where time-to-kill can be short.
• Healing items: grab a few. Healing is how you win the fight after the fight.

Loot and Rarity

Loot comes in color-coded rarity tiers, and the rarer version of an item is the stronger one. Check the item's color and tooltip when you pick it up, and swap up whenever you find a better version of something you already use.

Rule of thumb: a higher-rarity weapon you're comfortable with beats a random joke weapon. Keep the joke weapons for fun or finishing off already-hurt opponents.

Loadout suggestions

Combat Tips

• Stop, then shoot. Accuracy is much worse while stumbling around. Plant your feet for the first shots.
• Burst fire. Recoil in TABG is dramatic. Short bursts at range, full-auto only up close.
• Use height and edges. Explosions and knockback can throw enemies off roofs and ledges.
• Don't chase across open ground. The physics makes you an easy target while running.
• Heal behind hard cover. Walls, not bushes.
• Third-partying is common. After a loud fight, heal and move before others arrive.

Duos and Squads

• Land together. Splitting up on a small map means fighting 1v2 or 1v4.
• Share loot. Hand spare healing and ammo to whoever needs it.
• Cover each other. Don't both loot or heal at the same time; one watches while the other works.
• Call out with catchphrases or voice. TABG's three-word catchphrases are limited, so use Discord for real coordination.

Endgame

• Rotate early. Being first into the next safe zone is better than being chased by the circle.
• Final circles get cramped and chaotic, and the "floor is lava" finish means you need to be on high, safe ground.
• Hold healing and throwables for the last fight. They win more final circles than raw aim.

Community Servers

• Open the Server List from the main menu to see community-hosted servers, including their names, player counts and whether they're password-protected.
• Server names come from an approved word list, which is why names look a bit odd.
• Community servers are great for friend groups. Set a password and play private matches.

Hosting your own server (step by step)

1. In your Steam Library, switch the filter to Tools and install Totally Accurate Battlegrounds Dedicated Server (free).
2. Right-click it, choose Manage, then Browse local files, and open game_settings.txt.
3. Set ServerName. It may only use words from Landfall's approved list (published on GitHub at landfallgames/tabg-word-list; you can request new words there).
4. Set Relay to true. Traffic then goes through Unity's relay servers, so you don't need port forwarding and don't expose your IP. Landfall recommends this for most hosts, because direct-IP hosting is a bigger security risk.
5. Set a Password if you want a private game.
6. Run VerifyAllowedWords.exe (ships with the tool) to check your server name and description before you launch.

Landfall's guide only documents these core settings, so treat anything else in the file as experimental.

Cheaters and Reporting

TABG has had cheating and DDoS problems (servers were taken offline in July 2023 while Landfall rebuilt the network code). Landfall uses Easy Anti-Cheat, and in-game reporting was brought back in 2023. If you meet a cheater, report them in-game or email support@landfall.se, and try a community server with active admins.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Hot-dropping on your first games. Learn the movement first.
• Carrying guns without ammo. Check that ammo matches the gun.
• Full-auto spraying at range. The recoil flings your aim.
• Buying from the shop while it's glitched. Landfall has confirmed it's been unreliable.
• Quitting at matchmaking errors. Use the Server List instead.
• Ignoring the zone. On a small map it closes quickly.

Advanced Tips

• Parkour routes: practice climbing buildings in quiet matches. High ground wins fights in TABG.
• Knockback is a weapon. Grenades and explosive weapons can send enemies flying off buildings.
• Loot smart, not everything. Grab upgrades and move. Standing still looting is how you get shot.
• Blessings and curses: read the tooltip right away. Some change how you should fight.
• Use Limbo wisely. Pay attention to how Limbo plays when you die, because a comeback can win the match.

FAQ

Is TABG shut down? No. Official servers were broken in early 2026 because Multiplay is shutting down, but Landfall announced on 10 March 2026 that they're back up. Community servers also work.

Is TABG free? Yes. It's free to play on Steam.

Why can't I find a match? Official matchmaking can be unreliable. Use the Server List in the main menu to join a community server.

Can I host my own TABG server? Yes. Install the free dedicated server tool from Steam and follow Landfall's guide. Relay mode avoids port forwarding.

Why is the shop broken? Landfall has acknowledged the shop breaks on and off, and said as of March 2026 that they're still investigating.

How many players per match? Up to 60, in Solo, Duo or Squad.

Are there leaderboards? No. Landfall removed them in August 2023, partly to take away an incentive for win-farming cheaters.

Is it safe to host a server from home? Use Relay mode. It routes traffic through Unity's relay so your IP isn't exposed and you don't need port forwarding.

Sources

• TABG on Steam
• TABG Steam news (2026 server issues, community servers, security patch)
• Landfall: TABG dedicated server guide