The purpose of using version control in collaborative software projects is to track changes, manage revisions, and facilitate teamwork effectively. By maintaining a complete history of edits to code, version control systems like Git empower developers to collaborate more efficiently. Team members can work on different features simultaneously without conflict, and any mistakes can easily be reverted. This system also fosters accountability, as changes can be attributed to specific contributors. Overall, version control enhances project organization and helps maintain a coherent codebase.