“Battle royale” has gone from an obscure mod to a mainstream gaming phenomenon in less than two years. The massive popularity of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) made the genre headline news throughout 2017, having sold more than 50 million copies combined on Xbox and PC as of June 2018.
The free-to-play game PUBG Mobile showed even more impressive numbers, bringing the total player count to more than 400 million on various platforms. Meanwhile, Epic Games’ free-to-play game, Fortnite Battle Royale, has garnered an even bigger audience. Fortnite earned a record number of concurrent players in February (breaking the record set by PUBG), and broke the record for concurrent views on Twitch last March.
Even without setting records, other games are making waves. H1Z1, the battle royale title that predates both PUBG and Fortnite, recently announced the end of its lengthy stay in Steam’s “Early Access” section. The Daybreak Studios developer has launched a full release with new content and a free-to-play business model, as well as partnerships with Facebook and Caesars Entertainment in Las Vegas to further develop the game as an eSports. It even recently changed its name to Z1 Battle Royale.
Ever since the PUBG genre went mainstream, the battle royale genre has only continued to maintain its momentum. The basic concept is simple: dozens of players are placed on a map and fight until only one is left. This has led to countless different games that offer their own take on the formula. In the continuation of this article, we’ll say something more about the best games of this genre, that is, about the best battle royale games that, if you haven’t, you can and should play!
Fortnite
One of the most popular games on the planet, Fortnite, has found success by taking an existing game and introducing battle royale elements rather than creating something from scratch. Originally just a player-versus-environment “Save the World” mode focused on building, Fortnite has also evolved into a competitive multiplayer game but retained the building elements that made the first version stand out.
Once the player is spawned somewhere on the huge map, he must search the environment and nearby buildings for weapons to use, while your enemies create their fortified structures and look for other players. That was just the beginning, as Fortnite became a platform unto itself, with new modes, skins, and events that only enhanced the overall experience.
Apex Legends
Respawn Entertainment may have delayed the development of Titanfall 3, but regardless, it still satisfied at least a certain portion of its fans by releasing the free-to-play game Apex Legends in its place. Set in the Titanfall universe, the battle royale game is, on a fundamental level, similar to its competitors. You still go down the map and collect weapons and equipment from loot boxes, and the circle gradually shrinks to kill those who aren’t active in combat.
However, it also introduced respawning to the formula, allowing teams to revive their friends killed earlier in the game. However, this small change wouldn’t be enough to spark the massive success of Apex Legends; it’s due to the excellent performance of the game itself or the gameplay. Due to the variety of weapons and how they are used, the weapons in Apex Legends seem almost perfectly integrated into the game and thus add to the quality of the game itself. To make matters better, with classes also offering their own unique abilities, you can always try a new strategy.
Call of Duty: Warzone
You wouldn’t think there would be room for another battle royale shooter, but Call of Duty: Warzone somehow manages to capture the attention of millions of players, even in such a saturated market. The name Call of Duty alone is enough to make Activision more and more money, and since it’s free-to-play, this game is a very tempting proposition.
There’s nothing quite like what a Call of Duty game looks like, although many others have tried to recreate this and haven’t quite succeeded. Combined with an Activision game’s huge budget and high level of polish, Warzone completely refines the genre. It borrows many of the beloved mechanics from the 2019 base version of Modern Warfare, such as perks and weapon progression, and successfully blends them with what you’d expect from a battle royale game.
It features 150 players in small teams of up to four players, all of whom compete to collect money, loot, and XP (experience points) while avoiding the deadly gas that is slowly closing in on you. With constant updates thanks to Raven Software, Warzone has evolved alongside the main titles.
PUBG: Battlegrounds
The game that served as a catalyst for the genre or “sub-genre” called battle royale, PlayerUnknown’s or PUBG Battlegrounds for short, managed to remain in many ways unique as a game and as a kind of creator of the genre. An extremely slow game compared to its competitors, a typical round of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds involves players sneaking into huts and houses, finding a weapon or two, and carefully crawling through the grass to avoid detection.
Chaos can still break out at any moment, which means you should always be on your guard. Although the pace of the game is much slower than, for example, Fortnite, PUBG will greatly reward the player for smart gameplay like a few other battle royale titles. Despite the full use of console controllers and computer mouse and keyboard, the game has even been ported to phones and tablets as the excellent PUBG Mobile. Free to play, the mobile version’s use of motion targeting helps keep your shots accurate. If you want a realistic battle royale title for adults, as opposed to Fortnite which is more aimed at younger ages, definitely check out PUBG.
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
Fall Guys was another hit that skyrocketed in popularity throughout 2020 and quickly became one of the most popular battle royale games in the world, and it’s easy to see why. The game eschews the weaponry of other popular titles in the genre and instead uses a series of racing tracks. Each race starts with 60 players, and with each match, the number of players decreases until the winners are declared.
There are several different types of races that include different chase situations and multiple tactics to help your friends or defeat your enemies. It’s a wacky combination of battle royale and the joyous fun of Mario Kart, and the ability to customize your Fall Guy in many ways; primarily through the cosmetic trade and currency earned only from victories, is just the icing on the cake. While winning is nice, the real fun is in the journey. Thanks to constant updates that add new races, that journey will continue for some time to come.
Tetris 99
Yes, it’s a battle royale game, and yes, it’s one of the best games in the genre. Released unannounced as a free-to-play Nintendo Switch game, Tetris 99 takes the classic puzzle game and turns it into all-out chaos, pitting 99 players against each other.
You still play Tetris as usual, but you have a choice of where to send your cleared lines, such as a random player or a player attacking someone else. Play too aggressively and you’ll find more players attacking your board, which can result in early defeat. However, playing too defensively runs the risk of leaving too many other players alive when the action starts to pick up, which is what you don’t want.
F-Zero 99
Just like with Tetris, Nintendo made it play, but also a genre that we would never have thought could fit into the battle royale mold works just like one such game.
This time it’s F-Zero 99. With graphics reminiscent of the classic SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System) title, you’ll race, power up, and jostle for position against hordes of other players. The primary goal is to maintain your lead, which is much more difficult than you might expect with so many other players on the course. Although the game seems perhaps too simple, it’s very fun and most importantly, addictive.
Naraka: Bladepoint
Most of the games on this list focus on guns and shooting, but what about battle royale that focuses on hand-to-hand combat? Naraka: Bladepoint is one such game, with a unique hero, but specializing in blunt, sharp weapons or melee combat without weapons. It flows seamlessly between light and fluid exploration and almost combat-style encounters and as such, this game is a true test of skill.
Each character has its own moves, equipment, counterattacks, parries, and much more that you as a player need to learn and master. It’s a welcome and refreshing take on the genre that’s worth experimenting with if you tire of standard shooters.
Why Are Battle Royale Games So Enjoyable and Well-Liked?
The explosive growth of battle royale games in recent years has caused a seismic upheaval in the online gaming industry. With millions of players worldwide, these multiplayer games have revolutionized the gaming business and captured the attention of the gaming community.
This online multiplayer games’ type pits players against one another in fierce, lengthy matches until only one person or team is left standing. The basic idea is survival; players descend into a battlefield that is getting smaller, hunt for supplies, and fight quickly to outlive rivals and win.
Japanese author Koushun Takami’s 1999 book “Battle Royale”, which portrayed a futuristic survival game scenario, is where the concept of battle royale originated. The Japanese film adaptation from 2000 helped promote the idea even more, and video game makers were later motivated to produce their own takes on the genre.
Battle royale games have become increasingly popular over the last 10 years, drawing players of all ages and backgrounds. A number of elements, including creative gaming mechanics, viral marketing, and the emergence of live-streaming platforms have contributed to their quick rise. The latter has especially been an intriguing trend because it also led to the inflow of the battle royale genre to the eSports world of competitive gaming and betting – wherein Fortnite (with events such as Fortnite Champion Series and Fortnite betting sites) was added to the group of myriad titles with high-money prized eSports tournaments and sought-after specialized betting sites consisting of e.g. Dota 2 (The International and Dota 2 online bookmakers) and LoL (the Worlds and LoL betting sites) –
Features that set Battle royale games apart and keep players interested:
- Massively multiplayer games
- High-stakes action and suspense
- Randomized advancement and loot mechanics
- Team dynamics and social interaction
- The surge of adrenaline
- The competitive setting and the development of skills
The emergence of battle royales has transformed the online gaming scene and captivated players all around the world. It truly is a gaming sensation. Battle royale games have gone a long way, leaving a lasting impression on gaming culture and society, from their modest origins as a subgenre inspired by a Japanese novel to their current status as a dominant force in the gaming industry.
