Unless you’ve been living underneath a mountain, you’ve probably heard of the Epic Games phenom that is Fortnite. Players from 7 years old to 70 can battle it out in this Battle Royale survival fest. It’s spawned a lot of competitors, but the base of the gameplay has been adopted by a number of other games.
Let’s countdown some of the best ones.
Apex Legends
We’re starting this list with Apex Legends because it’s incredibly fun and is also a Battle Royale. It’s a fluid, huge open world-ish game with a slew of fun, futuristic playable characters, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Also unlike Fortnite, this one’s played in the first-person as opposed to third-person, so it has shades of classic first-person shooter vibes.
You can do things like call in airstrikes from a distance or traverse the huge terrain quickly with created ziplines or portals. It’s easy to get lost in time with this surprisingly fun game. Since its release in 2019, the game’s been continuously evolving and adding new content – keeping it fresh and exciting for long-time players and newcomers alike.
There are 16 playable characters to choose from and they all interact with each other differently on a team. If you like Fortnite but wanted something edgier that’s not a military game, then this is for you.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, or PUBG, as it’s affectionately called, was actually the game that started off the whole 100-player Battle Royale craze. This is a much more nuanced game than Fortnite, however. Instead of running and gunning through cartoonish locales, PUBG has more a realistic setting that requires a bit more deft.
Players need to be tactical in PUBG or their game will not last long at all. Stealth is always a better option than running out in the open. Footsteps, for example, can give you away in a house but if you wait until there’s noise outside then other players won’t be able to hear you.
The game relies on what it calls “realistic bullet physics” and because of that it won’t feel as sharp in the gun department as some of its colleagues but this gives the gunfights a chaotic, tense feel that can only be experienced in-game.
This was a PC game first, so if you play it on a console it’s going to be clunkier than a traditional mouse and keyboard. Still crazy fun, though.
Splatoon 3
Fans of Splatoon‘s hectic gameplay will find more to love in the third outing of this storied franchise. If you’ve played multiplayer Splatoon before, you’ll find that everyone you loved about the last one has been improved. Even the menu system and lobbies are polished and more intuitive.
The game places two teams of four on a level and the objective is simple: cover everything, enemies included, in ink. The more ink you put down the faster you can travel through the level to take on enemies. While there is a single-player campaign and it’s fine, this game really shines with friends.
There are enough power-ups and weapons to buy to keep yourself entertained for a long, long time. Find some friends and get messy with this one. It’s worth it.
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
Fall Guys was a huge phenomenon right out of the gate because while it may look and feel like other games that inspired it, it’s completely a unique experience. You play as an endlessly customizable little bean-shaped character that aims to be the last one standing (there’s that Fortnite comparison).
It’s basically a huge obstacle course that’s hectic and loads of fun right away. It eschews the guns and endless fort-building for brightly colored mini-games that will frustrate while they please. Controls are very simple on this one. You can run, jump, dive, grab and that’s it.
There’s no offline mode and there’s no practice area, so you’re going to lose a lot at first. Like a lot. But if you know the sweet feeling of outlasting 99 other players, it’s somehow all the sweeter in this game. What’s a party without a little bit of frustration? Seriously, this one’s a gem.
Hunt: Showdown
Hunt is a really unique take on the Battle Royale genre. The setting is interesting too. It’s set in the 1800s in a Louisiana swamp and you play a bounty hunter tasked with bringing down a monster target. You do this by yourself or in teams of up to three, but just remember that other teams are also vying for the same thing.
Players who kill a monster get a bounty but become targets for the rest of the hunters until the end. It’s atmospheric and actually well-balanced between events and player-based objectives. It’s also a bit of a detective story as well, as players have to find three clues before they can figure out the location of the monster.
There’s also a lot of DLC for this game and a rabid fanbase that waits eagerly for every new season. If you like monsters and Fortnite, then this one’s for you.
Call of Duty: Warzone
Think of Call of Duty: Warzone as Fortnite but way more realistic. It’s everything you love about COD but in a fun, hectic package with 150 other players. The gameplay is weirdly perfect for a Battle Royale and this game is almost perfect as well.
Players are dropped into a huge map that gets smaller and smaller as time goes on. The objective is to not only survive but to level up enough so that you become a force to be reckoned with. There are open fields, ruins, and skyscrapers all built to help you dominate the field.
Top-tier weapons are easy to find but skill will only take you so far. It’s best to get armor plates and hope for the best. It’s also a lot easier to play solo than it is in a group, which is unfortunate. The firefights are incredibly fun. This is one that you should just play. Right now.
Minecraft
If you haven’t played Minecraft you’re probably a little bit older, as it’s incredibly popular with kids. The game allows you to be masterfully creative but there’s a pretty steep learning curve before you can figure out exactly what’s going on.
The blocky visuals looked dated way back when the game came out in 2011, and they still do but that’s just part of the appeal. In survival mode, you’re just dropped into a random world with nothing and it’s up to you to gather all the resources you need to build yourself a shelter and a comfortable home.
You’re probably going to need to look online for help in getting started because there’s no tutorial in the game. It just expects you to learn as you go. Because of this, there is a multitude of robust online forums dedicated to the game. Or, simply just mess around. That’s also an option.
As for playing with friends, Fortnite fans can queue up the Minecraft Hunger Games servers that offer multiplayer matches in the battle royale style. If you’re into it, Minecraft will 100% change your life.
Call of Duty Mobile
As far as mobile games go it doesn’t get much better than this. Millions of people play Fortnite on their phones anyway, so this is more of a lateral move for those particular Fortnite lovers. It’s packed with content and a bunch of maps, tons of weapons, and an incredible amount of unlockable content.
The battle royale mode is obviously a bit more realistic but it can be played in both the first-person and third-person perspective. If you’re looking for a mobile game that’s been made with extreme attention to making it fun and accessible, look no further.
Halo Infinite
It’s a surprise to absolutely no one that Halo has a good multiplayer mode. It’s been crushing PvP since the OG game way back in 2001. The long wait for this game turned out to be absolutely worth it. The co-op mode is just as crisp and clear and fun as the last versions too.
Also, there’s a Battle Royale mode on the way. We don’t know much about it just yet but we do know that players will start with an initial loadout instead of scrambling to find weapons. And like Fortnite, players will be able to control where they land on the playing field.
It’s probably going to be amazing but in the meantime, there’s the fantastic co-op mode. If you haven’t played this one drop everything and do it now. Thank me later.
Worms Rumble
Did you know that the worms franchise has been around since the mid-1990s? If you don’t that’s actually fine it has no bearing on Worms Rumble, a game that features a bunch of smart-lipped worms as they try to annihilate each other in multiplayer madness.
That’s absolutely what makes this game fun too: the madness. There’s deathmatch and team deathmatch and two Battle Royale modes: Last Worm Standing and Last Squad Standing. Like Fortnite, there’s a big map that gets smaller and smaller as time goes on.
The gameplay is ridiculously fast and you’ll need good reflexes and a little bit of luck to make it to the end, but isn’t that what makes a Battle Royale game fun in the first place?
