The battle royale genre has taken the world by storm with many different franchises and companies trying to put their own unique stamp on the concept of dozens of players being dropped onto a map that slowly encloses on itself. Whoever is the last one alive is the winner, a simple yet effective concept for a video game.
With many of these games being entirely free to play (usually with optional microtransactions), this has led to some impressive titles but with every trend comes with the lackluster entries that are rushed, unpolished, or just simply unfun to play.
10 The Best: Realm Royale (2018) - 7.4
From the developers that brought the world Paladins: Champions Of The Realm and Smite comes their own colorful battle royale set in their quirky fantasy styled world. What sets Realm Royale apart from others is the focus on character classes rather than every character playing virtually the same, forcing players to think more strategically with how they use their abilities and weapons.
Though not perfect, Realm Royale provides a good time for those wanting to get into battle royale without being thrown into the madness of the much larger games out there.
9 The Worst: Call Of Duty: Warzone (2020) - 7
After experimenting with the idea of a battle royale in Black Ops 4, Call Of Duty surprised players with an entirely free to play game that came out of nowhere and easily drew in players.
It's not awful by any means; it features impressive graphics, a detailed world, many guns to choose from, and easily the most balanced parachuting mechanics of all battle royales. However, the game suffers from an abundance of hackers, poor mantling physics, inconsistent sounds, and a boring set of customization options.
8 The Best: Ring Of Elysium (2018) - 7.4
Launching with a lot of polish behind it, this Canadian-made battle royale mixes in traversal elements by having ski-lifts and snowboards for players to get around the snowy map. It also embraces a bit of Star Wars with a style that seems a mix of sci-fi and fantasy together.
Combine all that with fun gameplay, it made for a surprising and unique experience for players. Though due to the large map and only 60 players, there is a tendency to roam through the map without finding anyone, some gear feels useless in the long run, and there are kinks to work out. Still, it is worth checking out.
7 The Worst: The Darwin Project (2018) - 6.6
Unique in terms of its animation style and very different concepts for a battle royale game but the game is very unpolished at times and the concepts it boasts, while interesting, are not fleshed out well enough. Players agree that it is not very beginner-friendly either, with many things unexplained at first.
What also doesn't always work is the number of players in each match: it can be so easy to not run into a player for so long if someone plays it carefully which can lead to boring matches. Perhaps a fifteen to twenty player capacity would be better. It's far from bad but definitely could use a tune-up to draw in more players in the future.
6 The Best: Playerunknown's Battlegrounds (2016) - 8
Also known as PUBG, this is often considered the grandfather of the modern battle royale games and without it, we wouldn't have titles like Fortnite or Realm Royale. Even after all of these years, it's still going with more and more polish as it goes.
With a heavy focus on stealth and exploration, PUBG is definitely worth a try if a player curious to see where all future battle royale games stem from. Gamers should just be ready to be very frustrated at times due to the difficulty and how long a single match can take.
5 The Worst: Cuisine Royale (2018) - 6.2
The biggest problem with this title is that despite having seemingly unique and quirky characters, the game is so average with little-to-no style to separate it from the many battle royale games out there. The gameplay is fine. The visuals are fine; everything is simply average. Nothing feels like it stands out in any way.
Unless someone is an addict to battle royale games as a whole, this is one that is best just skipped, Otherwise, gamers will just find themselves bored by the game.
4 The Best: Fortnite (2017) - 8
Though PUBG started the battle royale craze, it was Fortnite that revolutionized it with its unique world, art style, tons of content being added even to this very day, bombastic live events, fun skins to unlock, and a Battle Pass system that usually provides enough content to keep players returning every season.
Like most battle royale games, it can be a little heavy on the microtransactions but it is far from required to enjoy the game as there are free rewards and all the players are equal, no matter the skin. Fun for the whole family, Fortnite has become quite the sensation over the years.
3 The Worst: H1Z1: Battle Royale (2015) - 6
Laggy servers mixed with clunky controls lead to this messy spin-off of H1Z1 coming off as a rushed attempt to profit off the battle royale trend but does absolutely nothing to shake up the formula, much like with Cuisine Royale. It's not horrible but it's just so average that it becomes a boring chore to get through each match.
However, those who are fond of H1Z1 will probably enjoy this title more but other than that, it is a very average and forgettable entry in the world of battle royale.
2 The Best: Apex Legends (2019) - 9
This super high-tech battle royale set in the same universe as the Titanfall games, Apex Legends was such a refreshing addition to the battle royale genre that at one point, it was being called the "Fortnite killer."
Mixing unique MOBA-esque characters and abilities, fast-paced first-person shooter mechanics, currently two visually striking maps, and tons of mechanics to make every match fun to play, it is no shocker why it is considered the king of battle royale games. The only flaws consist of a sometimes annoying loot system, difficulty leveling up, and not all weapons are satisfying.
1 The Worst: Don't Even Think (2018) - 4
This is a game that should be one of the best with its unique concept alone. It's your typical battle royale game but there is a twist: giant and deadly werewolves are after you. Mixing Dead By Daylight with PUBG, the game should be on par with games like Apex Legends but instead, it is a broken mess of a game.
The graphics are ugly, the servers are as slow as molasses in the winter, the gameplay and controls are broken, and even the werewolves themselves are not fun to play. Gamers can only hope the game improves over time or gets a much better sequel because it was just wasted potential.