It takes a certain kind of gamer to enjoy the punishing brutality of battle royale games, first popularized on PC with mods to Minecraft and Arma 2. Based on the popular 2000 Japanese film Battle 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.

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 controversial Escape From Tarkov are 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

Z1: Battle Royale (2018)

Developer: Daybreak Game Company

Although the most modern iteration of Z1 has been largely rejected by the community, it is the successor to the highly popular H1Z1, which is largely considered one of the first and best BR shooters ever. Z1, which is more accurately just a rebrand of H1Z1 features 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.

Although the title and community have fallen quite a bit since the heights of H1Z1 in 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 title now, so its “playable” status is one of the main reasons it still is one of the best BRs. Its lasting legacy as H1Z1 also deserves a mention.

9

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhunt (2022)

Developer: Sharkmob AB

Although not as highly praised as the single-player cult classic, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, Bloodhunt is a free-to-play battle royale featuring high-flying movement mechanics as players fight it out as unique vampires with 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 with Mostly Positive reviews on Steam out 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.

8

The Finals (2023)

Developer: Embark Studios

Although The Finals doesn’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, while The Finals does strip away common BR tropes in many ways; its Tournament mode transforms the game into a team battle royale shooter. In The 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.

Rather than permanent death, players in The Finals can respawn during each round, with the lowest-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.

7

Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout (2020)

Developer: Mediatonic

Although Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout sheds 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 does retain 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.

In Fall Guys, players enter an arena with up to 32 other players and must complete a series of increasingly (or sometimes decreasingly) difficult levels, navigating the hazards on each map and surviving till 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.

6

Super Animal Royale (2021)

Developer: Pixile

Super Animal Royale is a refreshing indie top-down shooter battle royale where players assume the role of a cast of cuddly creatures to take each other out in the most violent way possible. The funny contrast between the colorful aesthetic and violent gameplay (not unlike Fortnite) 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, the top-down isometric viewpoint drums up nostalgia for past shooters like the original Grand Theft Auto games.

Super Animal Royale is 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 on Steam.

5

PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS (2017)

Developer: PUBG Corporation

PUBG has a long history, even before its official launch on Steam in 2017. Created by the notorious PlayerUnknown and inspired by the Arma 2 mod, DayZ: Battle Royale, PUBG is a standalone first- or third-person-shooter that has players duke it out in solo or squad mode with up to 100 players per match. The game 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.

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 the typical shrinking circle, as well as the ability to commandeer drivable vehicles, the game is more akin to its military sim inspirations in ARMA than other battle royale games that opt for a cartoonish or sci-fi aesthetic.

4

NARAKA: BLADEPOINT (2021)

Developer: 24 Entertainment

NARAKA: BLADEPOINT sheds the typical armory of guns in favor of bladed weapons in a melee-style team-based BR that drops up to 60 players into a map to duel it out across the beautiful Far East locations crafted for the game. Now free-to-play, the game has amassed a dedicated cult following and maintains a Mostly Positive review rating on Steam.

In NARAKA: BLADEPOINT, perfecting combos, parrying, and dodging is essential, with a super high skill ceiling accompanied by fluid movement mechanics like 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 give NARAKA: BLADEPOINT a try, especially because it’s now free to do so.

3

Call of Duty: Warzone 2 (2022)

Developers: Infinity Ward, Raven Software

Creating a solid standalone BR for one of the most iconic FPS shooters of all time in Call of Duty isn’t an easy task, but at this point, it can be said that the Warzone series has been a tremendous success for developers Infinity Ward and Raven Software. Combining a wide array of weaponry across the game’s individual titles, Warzone is a high-paced, frenetic game with up to 150 players or squads vying for the top position in the match.

Warzone, in many ways, retains the same feel as other CoD titles, and while movement mechanics (among other things) were highly criticized among experienced players when the sequel dropped, Warzone 2 has 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 locations of Warzone 2, and constant updates and DLC help keep the game feeling fresh in some respects.

2

Fortnite (2017)

Developer: Epic Games

The iconic Fortnite, which was originally released in 2017, has managed to maintain its staying power over a long period and is arguably still one of the best battle royale shooters out 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, boasting over 500 million players in 2023, according to Statista. Though the gameplay of FN likely 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 like LEGO Fortnite, alongside collaborations with relevant music artists like Travis Scott and Billie Eilish and IPs like Star Wars and 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, it still stands as one of the most refined BR third-person shooters out there.

1

Apex Legends (2019)

Developer: Respawn Entertainment

The free-to-play Apex Legends is 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. A mixture of a hero shooter and a team BR title, Apex Legends lore and story is shared with Respawn’s other notable game, Titanfall, adding an extra element to what is otherwise narrative-free gameplay.

With snappy, fast-paced FPS combat, a wide arsenal of weaponry, and specific class skills along with a diverse array of characters, Apex Legends is 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 big PC gaming community that enjoys Apex, the game is also on PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox consoles.

Source: Steam (1, 2, 3), Statista