Although there have been quite a lot of opinions - positive and, most importantly, also negative about Battle Royale. One thing we cannot deny is that it’s going to be a part of the gaming industry from now on. A very new genre, 2018 is a pretty big year for the multiplayer format with popular games like PlayerUnknown’s Battleground (PUBG) and Fortnite continuing on solidifying their stance, improving their gaming formulae, and new entries such as Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s Blackout and Ring of Elysium continuing to bring new flavours to the online action.
There’s no reason to believe that 2019 is not going to be the same. With a stream of new Battle Royale games like Apex Legends rising rapidly to great popularity in February. Drawing in millions of new players and motivating other developers to also take an example and try their hands with a game mode similar to its kind. With so many new titles taking the scene, here is our own curation of the best Battle Royale games you could dive into if you’re interested.
What We Expect
In this list are Battle Royale games that are still relevant and active: With a large player base, regular updates and improvements through new features, maps, events, and such. Although we do know for a fact that there will be newer games in the future, for now these are the best Battle Royale games to play in 2019.
Apex Legends
If you were to take Overwatch and combines it with PUBG or Fortnite, you will have Apex Legends. Having a list of heroes you can choose from with their own unique abilities, as well as the usual last man standing formula native to the Battle Royale genre. The game became an overnight hit as millions take to the battles.
Respawn’s announcement of the free-to-play game was quite dramatic: The game can be played at the moment it launched. Just six months after it launched in February 2019, the developers have added a ninth character to the hero’s roster as well as several new, novel features. Apex Legends quickly became a game not only to play but also to watch through live streams in 2019.
PUBG
When it comes to Battle Royale, PUBG is a monument. It’s so great a monument that there might be a PUBG movie in the future, although we don’t know whether this is serious news or not. Still, the game has seen quite a busy year in 2018, with two new major maps Sanhok and Vikendi. New features such as dynamic weather and better bullet penetration also came out to enhance the experience. The game has no signs of slowing down and will continue to be a force to be reckoned with in the Battle Royale landscape with new updates, features, and maps rolling out frequently every once in a while.
Battlefield V Firestorm
Despite lackluster sales and a bunch of controversies to its name, Battlefield V got something right by introducing a pretty interesting take on the Battle Royale mode through Firestorm. The stunning visual and fantastic sound design both work in tandem with a map supporting up to 64 players at once can be one hell of a fight for players to partake in.
Firestorm takes place in what probably is the largest map to ever be featured in a Battlefield game. With destructible buildings, environments, as well as historical vehicles like the Panzer tanks. Though for me personally, it is not that great of a proposition to spend my money on Battlefield V, if you have already owned it, it’s going to be a pretty frantic and entertaining experience.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 - Blackout
One thing that I lament the most about Black Ops 4 is that it lacks completely a traditional single-player mode. However, one thing I do have to admit that the game has an especially great multiplayer mode with Blackout - the term that Treyarch created for the game’s Battle Royale mode. With an expansive arsenal of futuristic weapons like the grappling hook and even ray guns, the game creates a fast-paced, yet nostalgic gameplay experience through the combination of the ‘new’ Call of Duty and the old map design.
Ring of Elysium
Tencent reigns supreme in the video game industry in China. Though we probably know it best in the Battle Royale circle as the official distributor of PUBG in mainland China. Recently the company has made a move to cease its reliance on PUBG by creating its own spin on the Battle Royale mode.
Through a series of new additions like real-time dynamic weather, transportation like snowboarding and snowmobiling, Tencent has more or less succeed in their attempt to modify PUBG’s formula of success. Although up to four players can escape the blizzard via a single rescue helicopter, all of us know that everyone will try to kill one another out of habit. Furthermore, it’s free, so we really want to see what the game has in store for 2019.
Fallout 76 Nuclear Winter
Fallout 76 is not exactly a popular game among gamers after its rocky launch and controversy-filled lifespan. But Bethesda is still trying to save the dying game with the release of Fallout 76-style Battle Royale mode, called Nuclear Winter. Although we have quite a lot of reasons to doubt, it actually is better than we initially expected.
The formula of the game is still the same: Through the course of an entire match, a circle of nuclear fire will close in onto a full server of 52 players, separated into teams of 4. The plotline behind everything is that this is a fight to the death for the title of the Overseer of Vault 51. While the majority of the other Battle Royale games don’t exactly have a sensible plot to them (Or at all), Fallout 76 actually had a pretty fitting plot. The premise fits with the series lore being each nuclear bunker, called Vault, was only a front for a series of illegal and morally bankrupt social experiments.
In term of gameplay, Nuclear Winter still puts forth quite a lot of elements from the traditional Fallout experience. Like hacking a computer to reveal your enemies’ positions, for example. Each match is a combination of both PvP as players run into each other, and PvE against the ordinary radiated critters and monstrosities of the Wasteland. This makes me quite hopeful for the series, as Nuclear Winter actually feels like a good spin on the Battle Royale format rather than a bland, hasty job with a Vault Tech sticker on top.
Battle Royale Games to Look Out For
With the other half of 2019 still yet to come, we’re expecting quite a lot of games to come out that might be able to sate your needs for Battle Royale. If you want to know what you’re up against for the rest of 2019, read on.
Survivor GameZ
DayZ is a pretty popular title in term of realism, simulating the kind of ruthless and true to life combat, physics, and environment of Bohemia Interactive’s infamous ARMA series. Survivor GameZ is a spin-off of the original game towards a Battle Royale feel. Several years before Battle Royale is officially known as a legitimate game mode, Survivor GameZ tournaments were held in the DayZ mod for ARMA 2 which is quite similar to today’s Battle Royale.
In comparison to the other games of the genre, GameZ might feel a little bit different. The game has a ‘phase’ system which blocks out multiple regions of the map at the very beginning. And as the match gradually progresses to the end, the region will be unlocked one after another. But the players will have to interact with a certain object within the game so as not to take continuous damage.
Right now you can sign up for the alpha program.
Planetside Arena
Planetside Arena most distinctive feature is that each match can hold up to a total of 150 players at once who can fight against one another solo or group up into teams of three. The game is class-based, and of course, its most popular multiplayer mode is Battle Royale, although the game still has a couple of other modes to offer the players.
Even though the game was scheduled to come out in January 2019, it did not go through and the developers are promising a Summer 2019 release without an exact date to go with it.
This new game from the developers of Planetside will also include in the game a pretty streamlined looting system. Which means instead of having to modify your weapons one by one, you will find equipment with attachments already in place. In term of vehicles, you will find personal transports and team transports that can carry the whole team into battle. XP earned during the game can be used to unlock new blueprints, and currency to actually ‘buy’ these weapons and put them to use.
Pavlor VR
Pavlor is heralded by many as the CS:GO of VR, and from what I’ve seen, they’re not wrong. A multiplayer, VR game currently in Early Access tailored specifically for the HTC Vive, it’s the closest you can get to a competitive shooter in VR. Although the developers of the game have teased the appearance of a Battle Royale mode all the way back in 2017. We still haven’t seen it all the way til today.
During an update in March of 2019, davevillz - a developer - mentioned that there is a community server hosted by someone that’s running a Battle Royale mod for the game. For now, that’s the best thing you’ll get for this game in term of an actual Battle Royale mode.
Mavericks (Cancelled)
Mavericks was on the way of becoming the biggest Battle Royale game ever created, with plans to allow for up to 400 players to partake in grand, open combat. The unfortunate thing is that the game will never be able to see the light of day. The developer behind the game - Automaton - has released a statement saying that the development has halted since they don’t have enough funding to continue.
It’s quite a shame since the game truly has potentials. During a demo at GDC 2018, you can actually track other players through their muddy footprints where they walked through.
Spellbreak
Although the traditional formula of Battle Royale genre is still largely the same, Spellbreak departs from the normal weaponry you’d see in Battle Royale games with actual spells. Players will be allowed to sling magic fireballs at one another, mixing up several spells to deal damage to others and take out the enemies.
The game is currently in alpha, but you can go to the developer’s website to sign up for closed alpha access. Or you can get the founder pack through the Epic Stores to gain early access to the game if you feel like it’s a worthy investment.
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
This is a pretty great departure from the ultra-violence theme of most Battle Royale games. When Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout was announced by Devolver Digital at E3 this year made by Mediatonic, the game looked quite funky from the very first start. Colorful, with cartoonish, Gang Beast-like characters and a gameplay mechanic similar to that of Ninja Warrior. Your ultimate task is to be the only one out of 99 other colorful, little creatures to get through a series of strange and ridiculous obstacle courses.
Some Other Battle Royale Games
There are some other … types of Battle Royale games out there. Some are still in Early Access program, a couple in full release, and there are some that are free to play. You will still be able to find games that have the correct flavors to fit your needs.
Ghost Recon Wildlands: Mercenaries
With Ghost Recon Breakpoint heading rapidly towards its release date in October, Ubisoft has made a grand final gesture for Ghost Recon: Wildlands with the release of Mercenaries mode. Technically, it’s a Battle Royale spin to the game. A large scale, free-for-all PvPvE game mode. Each player begins the match unarmed and alone, and you will have to start scavenging for weapons to survive in the Cartel-influenced Bolivia. The job is to go around the map activating radio transmitters that would eventually point out the location of an evac chopper. The first person to get to the chopper wins.
Mordhau
Mordhau arrived this year with impressive and robust gameplay mechanics. Visceral and extremely brutal combat that’s quite a good foundation for a Battle Royale title. Furthermore, it’s a pretty popular game with a large player base. So you probably won’t find a lot of troubles finding a good match.
CS:GO Danger Zone
The paywall for CS:GO was officially taken down at the end of 2018. The update also comes with a new game mode called Danger Zone. While most other games boast matches that can hold up to 20-40 people at once. Danger Zone only holds about 16 to 18 players, and the matches are quite short at only about 10 minutes each. But as a trade-off, each map is quite large by CS:GO standard.
Danger Zone still has all of the weapons that CS:GO is known for, familiar characters and gameplay elements such as hostage rescue are still there.
Z1BR
After a while of operating under the Early Access guise, H1Z1 finally left the part in 2018. Only after a week after its relatively uneventful launch, the game broke down the paywall and made it free to play for all. In addition to this, the developers also added a vehicle-only game mode called Auto Royale. Although the game’s player base has been dropping quite significantly since last year, the game continues to be updated and held a core player base. The game has been renamed to Z1BR.
The Culling: Origins
The Culling has seen quite a hard time since its release. Released in 2016 as an independent Battle Royale title focusing on the craft and combat mechanics. The game received some positive comments here and there as well as finding itself a dedicated, but small community surrounding it. However, the sequel The Culling 2 was a complete disaster. In fact, it tanked so bad the game was pulled off shelves in just about a week after it was released. Instead, Xaviant - the developer-focused their attention back to the original, more popular title with new updates and making it a free to play game.
Surviv.io
Although many people would be turned off by the simple and rudimentary graphic, this browser-based game actually has quite a lot to offer. The players are represented with as simple as circles, viewed from the top down. The game is all about speed: By clicking space, you’re instantly put into a match, and each rounds only last a couple of minutes at best. Aside from the fast-paced game, the weapons are pretty vibrant and gears are all fun to toy with.
It’s free, too.
Islands of Nyne
With the massive success that is PUBG, many developers out there are trying to replicate its success with new games and modes. But there are a couple of Battle Royale games that were in the work even before PUBG became a thing. One of them is Island of Nyne, a first-person shooter in a Battle Royale-like format. The game was crowdfunded via Kickstarter even before the advent of PUBG. Although the game is now free to play, it’s no longer developed (No new updates).
Darwin Project
Darwin Project is a pretty interesting take. The formula is the same: Eliminating everyone until only one player is left standing, but there are many things that set it apart from the average Battle Royale title. The game is set in a frozen wilderness, where players are pitched against one another as the surrounding circle shrinks and pulls them toward the center where the end game will be played. But before that, you can track down your enemies by following their footsteps in the snow, finding clues to know where they were heading, and there are even maps hidden around the area that can show you the location of every other player.
Even though it has an interesting concept, the game struggled even during its Early Access phase, not gaining a lot of players. The developers have tried to switch the game over to a free to play format with the hope of cutting down the elongated waiting time it takes to find a match.
Battlerite Royale
Escaped from the chains of Early Access in 2017, Battlerite was a pretty well free to play MOBA game. In 2018, the developer Stunlock Studios took another step by releasing Battlerite Royale into the Early Access program. The map this time is 30 times larger than the old version, and each match supports up to 20 people trying to kill off one another with Battlerite’s usual roster of characters. Although the game is not free in Early Access, it would be once it’s finally launched.
Dying Light: Bad Blood
Several fans have requested the developer Techland to create their own spin on the Battle Royale trend to expand the popular zombie survival plus sandbox game Dying Light. Bad Blood won’t support hundreds of people, instead, each match is only about 12 players.
Since this is a zombie-theme game, your first order of business probably shouldn’t be killing everyone else. Rather you’d probably want to team up with them for the time being. It’s pretty similar to The Division, actually.
The game’s currently in Early Access, you have to pay $20 to be in. But it’s going to be free once it has come out.
Super Animal Royale
Cute wild animals won’t be exempted from the bloody fight. You - like a furry, adorable animal - will be dropped into the map via a giant duck as a carrier. Your job then is simple, gather weapons, find a vehicle (Like a gigantic hamster ball), and destroy everyone else. This is a great take on the traditionally visceral Battle Royale genre, so you might want to look into this one for a change. The game recently added a demo you can take up free of charge.
Rapture Rejects
Cyanide and Happiness is a morbid, yet hilarious webcomic series. Rapture Rejects is a game with the same kind of art style familiar to anyone who ever saw Cyanide and Happiness, with an isometric, top-down Battle Royale gameplay. The game is set in a place called Rapture - and you’re one of the poor souls who were left behind. 100 players will converge, collect weapons, and gun down one another down to the last person alive. And he/she will be (Purportedly) be accepted into heaven.
Last Tide
This game is quite similar to Steam’s phenomenon Depth just about a couple of years ago. It’s technically Battle Royale … just, under the sea. 100 players equipped with scuba tanks are launched into the merciless depths by mini-submarines. Everyone will try to eliminate one another using harpoons, for whatever reasons. Jets will drop down depth charges to weed out the careless divers, and the ‘circle’ in this case are hundreds of sharks that will have a good meal on the player if they don’t move quick enough into the center of the map.
Great thing is that there are even chum grenades for you to chuck at the enemies to lure sharks their way.
Fear the Wolves
Survarium and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. are both amazing game associated with Vostok Games - the developer behind Fear the Wolves. The developers plunged the players back to the grim, radioactive waste of post-nuclear Chernobyl, a stark reminder of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. world. But the dangers extend far beyond the 99 hostile players. Radiation, anomalies in this hell-scape, and mutated monsters are just some of the dangers that the players will have to face on their way to the extraction point, hoping to be the only one to escape.
Although the beta is still quite rough, it’s not a bad game to play.
Fractured Lands
If Mad Max and PUBG have a baby, Fractured Lands would be it. This is more or less Battle Royale on wheels. You will battle other players both on foot and on vehicles. The spin on the ‘circle’ this time around is a radioactive storm. Throughout the game, you will be able to loot weapons, gears, and even upgrades to your own vehicle.
Early Access program for the game has been active since August of 2018.
Realm Royale
Paladins is a free to play shooter and the game has announced its own take on Battle Royale during Hi-Rez Expo, called Realm Royale. It is currently in Early Access. Although the game was quite popular at first, the game begins to dwindle in both popularity and player-base. The game came under even heavier fire as the class-based system that set it apart from other was removed.
Cuisine Royale
The game first started out as a ridiculous April’s Fool joke. However, it gained so much traction that the game actually becomes an actual … game. The joke is all about how your gears aren’t actual military-grade wares. Rather, salvaged kitchenware like pots, pans, colanders, e.t.c. is stitched up into comedic armors. Loot boxes are refrigerators out in the wild. All silliness aside, the game is quite a fun and beautiful game to play. Most of the usual tropes of Battle Royale were set aside, like lobby, or an airplane ride. Instead, the game pushed you straight into battle so there’s no waiting around until you can start looting and shooting.
The game is free and currently in Early Access.
Egress
The game’s ‘feel’ is actually quite sophisticated. It is a combination of: “the Victorian era, Lovecraft's mythology, and Restrowave”. It’s like Dark Souls made into a Battle Royale game. Instead of the traditional circle, with each passing second, the water level of a flood rises throughout the city that forces players to climb to higher places in order to survive. Egress will also be class-based with a multitude of different characters with different skillsets. The players can both play solo or team up with one another to survive.
Maelstrom
The scene this time is the sea. Unlike Last Tide, the setting of Maelstrom is on the surface. Players will take up the role of naval ships and compete to be the last ship sailing. The players can pick from a range of different fantasy races like dwarves, orcs, and humans, each with their own ships, design quirks, and weapons. Straying too far from the safe zone of the map, and your ship will be swallowed up by sea monsters.
The game’s quite unique a take on Battle Royale. It’s currently in Early Access. One thing about this game is that it’s still not quite popular so you may have to wait a while before being able to find a match.
Stand Out: Battle Royale VR
It’s a pretty rocky proposition bringing a Battle Royale game to VR. After all, there are two really difficult requirements: You need players who actually own an expensive VR headset, and two, you need to keep them engaged. While I’m quite the skeptic, seeing the game for myself I’m quite sold on the game.
Survival Games: Battle Royale
Survival Games: Battle Royale features the voxel graphics that’s made Minecraft so unique and popular. With a couple of twists to blend in the Battle Royale formula. Procedural maps, for example, give the game a completely new map each time you enter a match so there’d be no fear of repetitiveness geographically wise. A map editor is also available if you want to craft your own playground Minecraft-style, as well.
Comments