(Credit: René Ramos; Electronic Arts, Epic Games, PUBG Corp, Iron Galaxy Studios)
A battle royale game is a title that combines last-man-standing gameplay with weapon gathering and a shrinking playfield that drives player characters closer together. That shrinking playfield also eliminates those who find themselves on the wrong side of it. The battle royale genre's popularity has seen video game publishers rush to get a sweet slice of that multiplayer pie. As a result, many battle royale games—or related modes attached to other games—have emerged. You can't play them all, and you shouldn't play them all, as some are hot garbage. Instead, bring your skills to a battle royale game that's of known quality and has a strong player base. We've been covering games at PCMag for more than 20 years, so we know the ones listed below will do you good. If you're ready to begin, check out the best battle royale games we've played.
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Apex Legends
After developing two excellent, but overlooked, Titanfall games, developer Respawn finally achieved the success it always deserved thanks to smash-hit, battle royale shooter Apex Legends.
Set in the Titanfall universe, Apex Legends lets you control nimble mercenaries instead of hulking robots. Fortunately, these colorful characters come equipped with many unique abilities. For example, you can travel between dimensions as Wraith or cloak yourself and create holograms as Mirage. In addition, clever communication tools keep teams coordinated.
Call of Duty: Warzone
What a timeline we find ourselves in, one in which an incredibly hot video game is free to play, published by Activision, and based on one of the most popular franchises. Yet, here we are. Call of Duty: Warzone has entered the competitive battle royale fray, with a few tricks up its sleeve to shake up the formula.
Call of Duty: Warzone is a game based on Modern Warfare's 2019 reboot. Warzone introduces unique battle royale elements, such as loadout kits and respawn matches, that separate it from the competition and greatly impact how the game plays. These additions are hit-or-miss, but the overall package is highly polished. Warzone has enough meat to attract traditional first-person shooter fans regardless of its battle royale designation.
Fortnite
Epic Games' Fortnite, which is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Mac, and mobile, has no walls between its player bases. That's right, Fortnite lets you play with strangers and buddies regardless of the platform on which they play. Combine that with Fortnite's incredibly affordable price tag (free!), and it's easy to see why the game has become the face of the battle royale genre. Oh, and Ninja streaming Fortnite helped skyrocket the game's popularity, too.
Like PUBG, Fortnite airdrops you into a map either alone, with a duo, or as part of a three- or four- person crew. Then, the mission is to survive the wilds using the weapons, vehicles, and other items you find. Fortnite goes the extra mile by letting your scavenge the land for materials to build protective structures that'll safeguard your character from weaponry.
PlayerUnknown's Battleground (PUBG)
Available on PC, PlayStation 4 Xbox One, Android, and iOS, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, colloquially known as PUBG, has the most interesting origin story of all battle royale games. The game that would become PUBG has its roots as a Arma 2 and Arma 3 mod, before being licensed by Sony Online Entertainment for use in H1Z1. PUBG became PUBG when its creator, Brendan Greene, became the Creative Director at Bluehole Studio.
In terms of gameplay, PUBG supports up to 100-person sessions in which you can play solo, as a duo, or in a four-person squad. It's of utmost importance where you land after you parachute from a passing plane to start the game, as you must scour the environment for armor, weapon, vehicles, and other objects that'll keep you alive when you encounter other players.
Sadly, PUBG lacks cross-platform play, a feature that its biggest rival happily boasts.
PUBG, Fortnite, and Apex Legends: What’s the Best Battle Royale Game?
