There are plenty of brilliant Battle Royale shooters (and even some non-shooters) out there. They’re certainly not all alike, even if they are built on the same premise. For those that don’t know, this is a genre of games spawned with a play style inspired by the Japanese novel and subsequent 2001 movie: “Battle Royale”.

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A large group of players tends to be dropped from an aeroplane onto a large island or map, where they then need to scavenge for loot and weapons while battling it out with each other until there’s a final survivor or winning team left.

To add to the tension and ensure the game doesn’t end up full of campers, a randomly generated shrinking area of doom often forces players closer and closer together. Any gamers who fail to stay within the confines of this area will find their health being drained until they reach the safety of the centre. These games are not just a battle against other players, but a race against the clock. It makes them frantic, fun and highly appealing too.

We’ve rounded up the best and explained why each is worth a look.

Top Battle Royale games we enjoy

Warzone is now a huge name on the battle royale scene. It’s a superb entry, too, with 150 players battling across a massive map. Gas closes in slowly over time, to constrain the playing area in classic style.

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There are vehicles to get around in, and a huge range of weapons to fight with. The gameplay is super smooth and gunfights are responsive and feel fair. There are also millions and millions of players right now, making it a really quick process to find a game and get started.

Warzone also brings some smart little changes, like the option to win a second airdrop after dying if you win a one-on-one gunfight, and giving you the option of contracts to complete as you move around the map to give you more to do than just loot and shoot. It’s a great package that looks set to be a big player in the battle royale genre for a long time to come.

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, AKA PUBG, is often seen as the original Battle Royale game. However, it was actually a mix of Day-Z and H1Z1 that spawned the idea, but PUBG brought the concept more into the mainstream.

This game was created by Brendan Greene and started life as an early access game on Steam before moving to a proper PC release. As PUBG gained traction it made its way onto console and mobile as well.

PUBG is far more serious than other Battle Royale games and it’s that tactical gameplay and team-based fun that people love. It pits 100 players against each other either in solo, duo or squad modes all fighting it out for the inevitable chicken dinner for the victor.

Riding on the coattails of PUBG, Fortnite smashed its way into mainstream popularity with surprising speed and ease. Its launch certainly wasn’t without controversy as the makers of PUBG tried to sue Epic Games for copyright infringement, but it seemed nothing could stop the game on its path to success.

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Fortnite took the already loved Battle Royale genre and improved upon it with some simple additions.

It was immediately appealing thanks to being free-to-play, but had much more to offer beyond that. The game lets players gather resources for building that can be used to create defensive walls to protect fallen comrades, crafted into giant bases or quickly positioned into makeshift platforms in the sky to get the height advantage. This simple mechanic makes Fortnite even more frantic and interesting than other Battle Royale games.

Cartoon graphics, emotes, outfits and much more besides make it appeal to a wider audience too. Fortnite is also regularly refreshed with new content and includes a “Battle Pass” system to unlock rewards and keep players engaged.

If you want the thrill of Battle Royale gameplay without the stress and violence of shooting, Fall Guys is a new sensation that could help you out – it’s a gameshow-style set of levels that 60 players start playing. A certain number will be eliminated at the end of each round, though, so it’s a race to survive.

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The gameplay is cutesy, raucous fun, and the challenge to win Crowns overall is fiercer than you might think. It’s taken the streaming world by storm, and we’re having a great time playing it, too.

Apex Legends is another in a long line of Battle Royale games, but it’s also one that came out of nowhere and surprised many.

This is a Battle Royale shooter created by the team behind Titanfall. It quickly proved to be one of the most popular shooters in the genre and in the world. Like Fortnite, it’s free-to-play, but also stands out from the other games with some unusual features you don’t see elsewhere.

In Apex Legends, you have the ability to not only rescue downed friendly players but also to revive dead teammates as long as you can stay alive long enough to get their data chip and take it to a respawn point.

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It also has a game mode that only allows you to play with a squad of three players for the sake of balance. But, its main appeal is a hero class system that includes various “Legend” characters with different abilities and skills. This is certainly unusual as these games usually set out to put players on a level playing field, so Legends need to be carefully balanced to ensure no one player has the upper hand before the game even begins.

Like Fortnite, Apex Legends also has a Battle Pass system with seasonal content to keep players interested. Cosmetic items, new legends to unlock and more are all designed to ensure the game stays interesting for months to come.

How to pick your next Battle Royale game

There are countless Battle Royale games on the market right now – picking one to play can be a challenge. Here are some handy questions to help you narrow things down.

Is it free to play?

A lot of Battle Royale games have attracted big audiences by making sure that people don’t have to pay a price to gain entry to their ecosystems, including the likes of Warzone and Fortnite. If you want to try some new Battle Royale titles without risking any of your hard-earned cash, choosing a free game is the way to go.

How challenging is it to learn?

Some of the games that made Battle Royale so popular are nonetheless punishing to learn, so picking a game with a gentler learning curve might be a good idea. Fortnite makes things a bit easier with more relaxed modes to practise in, while Warzone’s Plunder modes are similarly more relaxed.

What genre is it?

Do you want to play a hardcore first-person shooter? Or are you open to other genres, like action games and driving ones? This could be a big factor in deciding which game is best for you, since Battle Royale titles have popped up across a wide range of genres.