Summary
It takes a certain kind of gamer to enjoy the punishing brutality ofbattle royale games, first popularized onPCwith mods toMinecraftandArma 2. Based on the popular 2000 Japanese filmBattle Royale, players are dropped onto a map, typically starting with minimal equipment, and must loot and take out other players to be the last person standing. Death in battle royale games is typically permanent (outside of team revive mechanics), with the victor of the skirmish helping themselves to the dead player’s loot.
Although now-defunct games likeRumbleverseandSpellbreak,though underrated, do deserve consideration for the best battle royale game, its now inaccessible nature makes it irrelevant to this list.
As explosive as the popularity of the genre initially was in the mid-late 2010s, the battle royale trend has actually diminished significantly, as most games don’t fit the definition anymore. Games like the controversialEscape From Tarkovare best described as extraction shooters, though they also share many similarities with the classic battle royale game. Keep in mind that the quality of a BR game is also affected by the size of its audience, as a playerbase is required to actually play the game as intended.
10 FPS Games That Ruined Every Other FPS
The FPS genre is one of the most saturated in gaming, but these 10 stand out to the point that they ruined other games released around the same time.
10Z1: Battle Royale (2018)
Developer: Daybreak Game Company
Although the most modern iteration ofZ1has been largely rejected by the community, it is thesuccessor to the highly popularH1Z1, which is largely considered one of the first and best BR shootersever.Z1, which is more accurately just a rebrand ofH1Z1features solos, duos, and squad modes, where up to 150 players go head-to-head in an all-out battle to see who is the last person standing.
The community ofZ1has greatly diminished since its original launch, so finding a full lobby may be difficult.
Although the title and community have fallen quite a bit since the heights ofH1Z1in 2017, the game still exists online and maintains enough of a playerbase to find matches, though at a much lower rate than at its height. That said,Daybreak Game Company has not made many updates for years to the titlenow, so its “playable” status is one of the main reasons it still is one of the best BRs. Its lasting legacy asH1Z1also deserves a mention.
Although not as highly praised as the single-player cult classic,Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines,Bloodhuntis afree-to-play battle royale featuring high-flying movement mechanics as players fight it out as unique vampireswith different skills in the third person. Each match features 32 players on one map, along with a duos team deathmatch mode.
Currently, the game is sitting withMostly Positive reviewsonSteamout of over 54,000 reviews, making this lesser-talked vampire title one of the highest-rated BRs currently on the platform. With unique powers, upgrades, and ranged weapons, as well as updates as recently as April of 2024, the F2P vampire shooter might be a hidden gem for those looking for something new.
AlthoughThe Finalsdoesn’t classify itself as a Battle Royale title, and the argument can be made that it is an arena shooter and not a BR,in many respects, it shares the qualities of a battle royale. Indeed, whileThe Finalsdoes strip away common BR tropes in many ways; its Tournament mode transforms the game into a team battle royale shooter. InThe Finals, teams of players duke it out in virtual arenas in hyper-stylized first-person gameplay. With a variety of classes, Gadgets, and weapons, the F2P title takes a unique approach to its aesthetic.
AlthoughThe Finalsdoes feature game modes that are more akin to other first-person arena shooters, like Quick Cash and Bank It, the Tournament mode is what is most similar to BR titles. Tournament mode features coins that are required to respawn, making death more costly than in the quick-play modes and more akin to a battle royale.
Rather than permanent death, players inThe Finalscan respawn during each round, with thelowest-scoring teams eliminated after each round in Tournament mode. Eventually, this culminates into into a championship round, where whoever wins wins the entire tournament. While not a true BR title in the exact sense of the genre, in an ever-decreasing pool of active battle royale titles, its Tournament mode may be one to investigate for BR fans looking for something new.
AlthoughFall Guys: Ultimate Knockoutsheds many of the battle royale tropes, as it’s not a shooter title, it doesn’t include looting or killing and trades the often realistic military aesthetic for brightly colored beans; it doesretain the same last-person-standing standard present in battle royale games. Furthermore, although mostly indirectly, the race to be crowned champion in each match does come at the cost of other players' lives, albeit typically, it’s their own fault they die.
InFall Guys, playersenter an arena with up to 32 other playersand must complete a series of increasingly (or sometimes decreasingly) difficult levels,navigating the hazards on each map and survivingtill the end of the round. Players can grab and interact with the world, and finishing last means elimination from the game. Although it won’t scratch that shooter itch, it is a wildly fun title, and maintains an 81 score on Metacritic.
Super Animal Royaleis arefreshing indie top-down shooter battle royale where players assume the role of a cast of cuddly creaturesto take each other out in the most violent way possible. The funny contrast between the colorful aesthetic and violent gameplay (not unlikeFortnite) helps it distinguish itself, especially from other BR shooters. Unlike most games in the genre that opt for the third-person or first-person view, thetop-down isometric viewpoint drums up nostalgia for past shooters like the originalGrand Theft Autogames.
Super Animal Royale Review: Fast-Paced & Cute
Super Animal Royale is a fast-paced, fuzzy free-for-all where cute characters battle it out in brief bouts of gunplay, and only the strong survive.
Super Animal Royaleis a free-to-play game, though there is a battle pass-like system called the Super Royale Starter Pack that provides in-game currency and a few other items. With up to 64 players in each match and a fairly wide variety of items and weapons one can equip, the title is a surprisingly fun and easy-to-pick-up BR shooter that’s worth giving a look at and currently maintains a “Very Positive” rating onSteam.
PUBGhas a long history, even before its official launch on Steam in 2017.Created by the notorious PlayerUnknown and inspired by theArma 2mod,DayZ: Battle Royale,PUBGis a standalone first- or third-person-shooter that has players duke it out in solo or squad mode withup to 100 players per match. Thegame is also now free-to-play, though for years it had a price tag associated with it, but perhaps the nicest thing is the developers are still updating the game, with a 2024 roadmap including new features and changes to core gameplay.
PUBG Beginner’s Guide: Getting Started & How to Win
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds can be hard to win when players first start out, but there are strategies that can increase their chances of winning.
Starting with nothing but clothing,players launch from the skies and descend on one of the game’s several maps, including Haven, Paramo, and Erangel, while quickly searching for weapons they can use to dispatch the other players. Featuring thetypical shrinking circle, as well as the ability to commandeer drivable vehicles, the game is more akin to its military sim inspirations inARMAthan other battle royale games that opt for a cartoonish or sci-fi aesthetic.
NARAKA: BLADEPOINTsheds the typical armory of guns in favor of bladed weaponsin a melee-style team-based BR thatdrops up to 60 players into a map to duel it out across the beautiful Far East locationscrafted for the game. Now free-to-play, the game has amassed a dedicated cult following and maintains a Mostly Positive review rating onSteam.
InNARAKA: BLADEPOINT,perfecting combos, parrying, and dodging is essential, with a super high skill ceiling accompanied by fluid movement mechanicslike climbing and a grappling hook that enables players to go flying in the air. Those looking for a battle royale game not based around gun combat should certainly giveNARAKA: BLADEPOINTa try, especially because it’s now free to do so.
Creating a solid standalone BR for one of the most iconic FPS shooters of all time inCall of Dutyisn’t an easy task, but at this point, it can be said that theWarzoneseries has been a tremendous successfor developers Infinity Ward and Raven Software. Combining a wide array of weaponry across the game’s individual titles,Warzoneis a high-paced,frenetic game with up to 150 players or squads vying for the top positionin the match.
Warzone, in many ways,retains the same feel as otherCoDtitles, and while movement mechanics (among other things) were highly criticized among experienced players when the sequel dropped,Warzone 2has found its audience, who continue to play it every day. In terms of modern first-person BR games,not many can match the extensive suite of guns or varied locationsofWarzone 2, and constant updates and DLC help keep the game feeling fresh in some respects.
The iconicFortnite, which was originally released in 2017, has managed tomaintain its staying power over a long period and is arguably still one of the best battle royale shootersout there. Although it feels as if the popularity of the game has peaked, at least in the United States, globally, the game is still a powerhouse, boastingover 500 million players in 2023, according toStatista. Though the gameplay ofFNlikely doesn’t need to be explained to anyone, up to 100 players drop down from the Battle Bus to duke it out across a huge map and ever-shrinking circle with one person or squad coming out on top.
Consistent updates and crossovers likeLEGO Fortnite, alongsidecollaborations with relevant music artists like Travis Scottand Billie Eilish and IPs likeStar Warsand the Marvel franchises, as well as the revolutionary Unreal Editor for Fortnite, have expanded the title outside of its base battle royale roots. That said, the game is still wildly fun, and although the meta is constantly shifting, itstill stands as one of the most refined BR third-person shootersout there.
The free-to-playApex Legendsis hands down one of the best battle royale first-person shooters ever to be created, creating its own unique twist on the genre and introducing unique characters and classes that add a level of variance to the game. Amixture of a hero shooter and a team BR title,Apex Legendslore and story is shared with Respawn’s other notable game, Titanfall, adding an extra element to what is otherwise narrative-free gameplay.
Apex Legends Review: The New Best Battle Royale
Respawn Entertainment’s surprise release Apex Legends is a super polished and innovative battle royale that’s easily the best in the genre.
With snappy, fast-paced FPS combat, a wide arsenal of weaponry, and specific class skills along with a diverse array of characters,Apex Legendsis fun for casual and professional FPS players alike. As a live-service title, there have been constant updates made over its lifespan, and Respawn seems dedicated to the title for the foreseeable future as a notable e-sports community has formed around it. Although there is a bigPC gamingcommunity that enjoysApex, the game is also on PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox consoles.
