Best Battle Royale Games: Top 10 Battle Royale Games In 2022
The best battle royale games are heavily debated, as the industry creeps up on ten years since the phenomenon launched. The genre may be tiring for some, but created from a movie of the same name, battle royale is a concept tailor made for video games. Where the interest lies is in how different companies take their spins on the genre, whether they be hero shooter elements or skill-based building mechanics. Regardless of gimmicks or scale, let's dive into the best battle royale games, to see who comes out victorious. Do note that this list is in no particular order, so no scrapping over the top spot unfortunately.
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Best Battle Royale Games: Firestorm
Click to enlargePlatforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One
It might be a hard pill to swallow to see Firestorm on a best battle royales list, but hear us out. This Battlefield V battle royale didn't quite get the love it deserved from developer and fan alike. While of course it had its issues, the great travesty of Firestorm is that it wasn't given the time to grow. What you did have was a map rife with evolving potential, one of the best incarnations of the ring in the destructive Firestorm, all while holding the signature chaotic feel of Battlefield and the smooth gameplay of Battlefield V.
Best Battle Royale Games: Warzone
Click to enlargePlatforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X
It's hard to imagine Call of Duty pulling off something so large scale, but Warzone somehow managed to become one of the best battle royale games out there. We've just waved goodbye to Verdansk in favour of the far more tropical Caldera, so we are still fully coming to grips with the new map. However, the base Warzone experience remains, with tense boots on the ground combat that surprisingly puts a focus on when not to fight - which again, really shouldn't work for a Call of Duty game. And if anything, we've got all the hilariously tense encounters in the Gulag.
Best Battle Royale Games: Hunt: Showdown
Click to enlargePlatforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One
Hunt: Showdown makes it into our best battle royale games for being a far more tight and tense experience. Dropping into a 19th Century setting, Hunt: Showdown is all about completing monster bounties and getting the hell out of dodge. That means it ditches the last man standing schtick, but there is still plenty of danger to be had. Other monster hunters are afoot, and they don't want you reaping all of the rewards. You will be picking and choosing your battles, while weighing up the risk/reward of taking on yet another bounty.
Best Battle Royale Games: PUBG
Click to enlargePlatforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, iOS, Android
Player Unknown's Battlegrounds, or PUBG, was one of the first to do it, but it has seen some faltering popularity as the genre became busier. However, PUBG has remained ever vigilant, with persistent updates, four massive maps to play through, and an avid and loyal fanbase. While this game might not have the flashier elements that many other battle royale are donning, it has perfected the formula it put on the map all those years ago, making it one of the best battle royale games.
Best Battle Royale Games: Super People
Click to enlargePlatforms: PC
Following immediately on from PUBG is Super People, which wears its inspiration quite brazenly. Everything from the movement and ranking system to the UI and weapons are incredibly similar to PUBG, with one exception: Super People has abilities and classes. Various powers can change the tide of battle in Super People, as opposed to solely relying on guns and raw skill. Sure, it's a little unbalanced, but at the time of writing it's quickly climbing to being the next big thing in the battle royale world.
Best Battle Royale Games: CSGO: Danger Zone
Click to enlargePlatforms: PC
Taking the snappy gameplay of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, CSGO: Danger Zone is a tight-knit and fast-paced take on the battle royale, where just 18 players will face off in a shrinking zone. While the basic formula hasn't changed all that must, the far more focused maps and player count, mean that Danger Zone won't have you wandering for minutes on end without the slightest whiff of another enemy. This is a straight to the point battle royale, and that's why it stands among our best battle royale games.
Best Battle Royale Games: Fortnite
Click to enlargePlatforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android
Fortnite might not have been the one to start it all, but it certainly caught our - and the entire worlds - attention. This bright and colourful third-person shooter has gone from strength to strength with impressive maps and even more impressive cross-seasonal storytelling. While building has become a bit of a meme in recent times, the building mechanics really helps it stand apart from other battle royale titles, as it opens up traversal, while also throwing another layer of skill into the mix.
Best Battle Royale Games: Tetris 99
Click to enlargePlatforms: Nintendo Switch
If you are tired of guns and giant maps to explore, you may want to pick up Tetris 99 as one of our best battle royale games. This hilariously large scale take on the classic Tetris experience is not for the faint of heart. You will be sweating over every missed row and messed up placement. With another 98 players facing off, you will have to keep the pressure on as you are threatened with attacks from other players, as well as the increasing speed within your own round of Tetris. This is a surprisingly sweaty game that we'd have never thought could be so invigorating.
Best Battle Royale Games: Naraka: Bladepoint
Click to enlargePlatforms: PC, PS5
While guns are often the go to for most of the best battle royale games on this list, Naraka: Bladepoint turned its nose up at the stereotype and switched it out for third-person melee combat. Naraka features some excellently dynamic traversal mechanics, where you will be grappling to ledges and running up walls. And with a breadth of hero-like characters, there is an insane depth to Naraka, that will draw out tense combat encounters where everyone is trying to out-skill the other.
Best Battle Royale Games: Apex Legends
Click to enlargePlatforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch
Respawn Entertainment took the fluidity of its first-person shooter series Titanfall, and placed it in the midst of a colourful battle royale hero-shooter. There are now 19 legends to choose from, each with their own tactic and playstyle, making this one of the most diverse and skill-based battle royales out there. And with four expansive maps under its belt as well, no wonder Apex Legends makes it into our ranking of best battle royale games.
Now you know our list for the best battle royale games, why not read up on our picks for the best PS5 games?
