The battle royale genre has taken the gaming world by storm over the past several years. Since the runaway success of early standouts like PUBG and Fortnite, dozens of developers have tried their hand at the competitive multiplayer format where players fight to the death until there is only one survivor left standing.
The non-stop action, easy-to-grasp gameplay, and sheer intensity of the battle royale experience has captured the attention of gamers across all platforms. And the genre continues to expand at a blistering pace thanks to a constant influx of new titles bringing fresh ideas and mechanics to the table.
In this post, we’ll explore 10 of the best battle royale games available right now across PC, consoles, and mobile. Whether you’re a grizzled genre veteran or looking to drop into your first match, there’s never been a better time to squad up with friends and fight for that coveted Victory Royale.
A Quick History of Battle Royale Games
While explosive in popularity over recent years, the general concept of a fight-to-the-last-man contest has been around in films and literature for decades. The term itself originates from the controversial 2000 Japanese movie “Battle Royale,” which depicted schoolchildren forced to hunt down and kill their classmates.
In the video game world, early proto-battle royale experiences first cropped up as player-created mods for existing titles like Minecraft and ARMA 2. Brendan “PlayerUnknown” Greene is largely credited with pioneering the genre through his various influential mods before going on to consult on H1Z1 and develop PUBG.
Since Greene laid the groundwork, the basic premise of battle royale remains largely the same across games: players start each match with no gear and must scavenge for weapons while staying inside a continuously shrinking map or game zone. Eliminating enemies allows you to loot their equipment and take their spot in the rankings. This repeats round after round until only one fighter or team emerges victorious.
While this core formula stays consistent, developers have crafted creative new takes on battle royale by implementing unique art styles, thematic elements, movement mechanics, supplementary objectives, and more to help their games stand out. The incredible popularity has also spawned battle royale iterations for nearly every major franchise from Call of Duty to Tetris.
Now let’s highlight 10 battle royale games that are worth checking out today.
1. Apex Legends
Kicking off the list is Apex Legends, the squad-based darling from Titanfall studio Respawn Entertainment. Set in the Titanfall universe, Apex breaks the battle royale mold by featuring predefined hero characters called Legends, each with their own unique abilities and playstyles.
Teams of three must utilize their Legend’s powers–like mobility, scouting or air strikes–in synergy with their squadmates to better locate gear, engage enemies, and ultimately become the Apex Champion.
Additional innovations like an intelligent communication system allow cross-platform strategic coordination between squads. Since launching in 2019, Apex has built up a thriving community over 75 million strong across PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
Core Strengths
- Polished hero shooter gameplay
- Inventive abilities and team strategy
- Massive legends roster
Availability: Free on all major platforms
2. Fortnite
No battle royale discussion would be complete without mention of Fortnite. The cartoon shooter basically took over pop culture upon its 2017 release and has stayed at the peak of industry buzz thanks to exclusive crossovers and in-game events featuring characters like Naruto, Lebron James and Ariana Grande.
Developers Epic Games struck gold by merging vibrant, inviting visuals with stellar building/crafting mechanics rarely seen in the genre. Allowing players to erect towering fortresses and creative structures fundamentally changed engagement tactics and separated it from contemporaries like PUBG.
Regular updates including new weapons, map alterations, gameplay modes and cosmetics has helped Fortnite remain fresh as it heads into its 7th year. And thanks to cross-platform functionality, its 100 million+ registered users can squad up regardless of their platform.
Core Strengths
- Player building mechanics
- Celebrity appearances and events
- Constant content flow
Availability: Free on all major platforms
3. Fall Guys
Looking for something a little more lighthearted? Enter Fall Guys. This physics-based battle royale injects a welcome dose of fun into the genre by having cute, colorful blob characters competing not in deadly battles–but zany obstacle course races instead.
Up to 60 jellybean warriors struggle to outrun, outbalance and outwit each other through escalating rounds of ridiculous challenges testing skills like coordination, reaction times and panache. Imagine Takeshi’s Castle meets Mario Party but with substantially higher stakes (and hilarity) as contestants get whacked, smashed and slammed towards glorious victory.
Accessible to all ages yet infinitely replayable, Fall Guys has connected with a wide audience although is currently only available on PlayStation and PC. Mobile, Xbox and Switch versions are in the works which should boost its profile further. If you’re seeking a break from more tryhard shooters, Fall Guys is a breath of fresh air.
Core Strengths
- Family-friendly aesthetic and gameplay
- Madcap physics-driven courses
- Highly approachable entry point
Availability: Free on PlayStation/Steam
4. PUBG
Widely considered the pioneer that kicked battle royale gaming into the stratosphere, PUBG remains one of the most realistic military-sim titles available today. After creating multiple fan favorite mods, Brendan Greene joined Korean publisher Bluehole and used his previous works as inspiration to develop PUBG into a standalone product.
Grounded visuals and a comprehensive arsenal of real-life weapons, attachments and equipment immediately set PUBG apart from contemporaries upon release. A massive initial player base proved battle royale had universal appeal. However, conversions to free mobile and Xbox versions pushed PUBG to astronomical numbers reaching over 50 million daily active users at its peak.
Four years later, PUBG still has a dedicated community and its realistic systems hold up well for players craving technical gunplay. Maps have expanded greatly since launch and regularly rotate to keep things fresh. PUBG likely loses some shine compared to flashier entries with superhero characters or funky physics, but remains an OG that laid vital genre groundwork.
Core Strengths
- Influential pioneer of battle royale
- Strong visuals and gun mechanics
- Gilded history and legacy
Availability: Free on mobile, $30 on consoles
5. Call of Duty: Warzone
Call of Duty: Warzone fuses Activision’s military FPS pedigree with an excellent rendition of battle royale stressed tested and enjoyed by over 100 million players and counting.
Leveraging Call of Duty‘s signature tight gunplay and mechanismss seen in titles like Modern Warfare and Vanguard, Warzone offers a blisteringly quick, polished experience where whole squads can be wiped out in seconds if you’re not careful.
Franchise familiarity gives Warzone a slight leg up attracting casual Call of Duty fans to give battle royale a go. Innovations like the Gulag revive system grant eliminated players a chance to fight their way back into matches. Events and updates have also incorporated zombies, Godzilla, Attack on Titan and other surprise elements keeping the game buzzworthy.
In the battle for battle royale shooter supremacy, Warzone gives Fortnite and Apex stiff competition. The install base potential by tapping into Call of Duty’s vast player pool makes further crossover events and continued support a safe bet.
Core Strengths
- True AAA production polish
- Rewarding gunplay
- Established franchise and community
Availability: Free access across consoles and PC
6. Crsed: F.O.A.D.
For players eager to deviate from the recent overload of cartoony arena titles, Crsed brings brooding magic and darker Celtic visuals back into the battle royale fold.
Previously released as Cuisine Royale, Crsed lean heavily into mystic themes by equipping fighters with both medieval melee weapons and enchanted firearms as they battle evil sorcerers to collect souls.
A rewarding progression path lets you gather ingredients and craft new costume pieces to suit your play style. Special weapons like rocket launchers add welcome explosiveness and chaos befitting its grim tone. Crsed provides reasonable gameplay innovations for battle royale veterans without straying far enough to isolate casual newcomers.
Core Strengths
- Dark fantasy setting
- Inventive progression and crafting
- Unique weapons like rocket launchers
Availability: Free on PlayStation, Xbox and PC
7. Ring of Elysium
Ring of Elysium stands out by incorporating dynamic maps and environmental effects to amp up the survival stakes. Originally set solely in snowy mountains, subsequent seasons introduced new biomes like lush forests and volcanic ash-choked disaster zones.
These fully destructible environments get ravaged over time by raging blizzards, volcanic eruptions and towering tsunamis which can injure players or destroy buildings. Competitors must seek shelter or hunt for specific protective gear to brave the extremes.
Outside freak weather events, Ring of Elysium impresses via advanced traversal options. Snowboards, mountain climbing gear and wing suits afford creative solutions for chasing enemies or escaping danger.
Combined with detail like lingering footstep trails to track targets, there is tremendous potential for emergent encounters and strategies compared to less dynamic games where engagements revolve around shooting alone. The ability to evacuate a 4 person squad instead of one sole winner is another unique twist.
Core Strengths
- Fully destructible maps
- Dynamic extreme weather
- Different victory conditions
Availability: Free on Steam
8. Naraka: Bladepoint
Most titles on our list rely predominantly on gunplay for their combat system. Naraka: Bladepoint says to heck with firearms–sending 60 fighters armed with blades, bows and grappling hooks against one another in ancient China to brawl it out with martial arts weaponry instead.
Fluid movement and verticality stands at the forefront here as players can swiftly traverse cliffs, buildings, trees using their grappling hook to either escape pursuers or ambush targets by launching from above.
Specialized mechanics like parrying require proper timing your defenses to open enemies for counter attacks. Mastering these technical hand-to-hand combat techniques provides some of the deepest melee-focused gameplay not found elsewhere.
Those desiring close-quarters swashbuckling have found their next obsession backed by strong fighting fundamentals. Swords and sorcery provide a dash of magic amid the fisticuffs as well. Naraka hit a high watermark reaching over 200,000 simultaneous PC players showing the appetite for melee-driven royale.
Core Strengths
- Sophisticated melee systems
- Grappling hook mobility
- Mythical ancient Chinese setting
Availability: $20 on PC and PlayStation
9. Animal Royale
Animal Royale cranks up the cuteness factor by inserting plucky knife-and-tomahawk wielding critters into an overhead 2D battlefield. 64 adorable furry assassins like bears, lions, squirrels and chickens duke it out until only one remains.
The bite-sized matches have resonated particularly well with casual mobile players plus younger audiences drawn towards its friendly cast and easily readable cartoon action. Familiar team modes offer another entry point as friends can cover each other‘s backs while learning the amusing weaponry.
While long term appeal might wane faster than contemporaries offering greater complexity, Animal Royale delivers a solid, refreshing almost Pokémon-esque twist great for inhibited sessions. The unique perspective grants players a miniaturized Playmobil aesthetic appealing those looking lighter break from grittier war sims.
Core Strengths
- Cute anthropomorphic roster
- Family-friendly alternative
- 2D mobile optimization
Availability: Free on consoles, PC and mobile
10. Totally Accurate Battlegrounds
Finally on our battle royale tour is a blast of levity in Totally Accurate Battlegrounds. Players anxious about newcomer skill gaps can exhale here–because absolutely nobody will look like a pro thanks to delightfully wonky physics driving every movement and encounter.
Ragdoll models constantly flop over each other fighting not just opponents, but wonky environmental interactions like cars that launch unpredictably upon the slightest nudge. Discovery and experimentation provides much of TABG’s joy whether you’re laughing at hilariously clumsy melee exchanges or finding wacky ways to take down foes with improvised weapons like housecats.
Consider it the gang beast iteration of battle royale focused purely on physics-driven hijinx over tight gameplay as jelly soldiers fumble towards greatness. There’s no penalty or expectations here, just silliness.
Core Strengths
- Extremely accessible to all skill levels
- Wonky physics hilarity
- Zany improvised weapons
Availability: $10 on Steam
Final Thoughts
The battle royale wave only looks to swell stronger moving forward as more heavyweight studios launch new spins keeping competitive innovation thriving. We covered 10 titles above spanning from AAA juggernauts to quirky indie experiments–all worthy of a download today or in the future as platforms expand.
While it‘s certainly possible (and fun) to dive headfirst into every entry mentioned, be mindful if you find game time creeping into unhealthy levels. Shake up the routine by cyling between a couple favorites at a time rather than solely focusing hours on a single main game out of fear missing out on daily rewards or battle passes.
With so many diverse battle royale games now available, keeping gameplay fresh comes easier than ever. Follow along here for the latest genre announcements and reviews to determine your next virtual warzone. Happy gaming!
