The Best Battle Royale Games for 2024 (2025)

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These top battle royale games drop desperate players into ever-shrinking battlefields, and challenge them to scavenge for weapons. Will you be the last person standing?

ByJeffrey L. Wilson

Jeffrey L. Wilson

Managing Editor, Apps and Gaming

My Experience

Since 2004, I've penned gadget- and video game-related nerd-copy for a variety of publications, including the late, great 1UP; Laptop; Parenting; Sync; Wise Bread; and WWE. I now apply that knowledge and skillset as the Managing Editor of PCMag's Apps & Gaming team.

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&Jordan Minor

Jordan Minor

Senior Analyst, Software

My Experience

In 2013, I started my Ziff Davis career as an intern on PCMag's Software team. Now, I’m an Analyst on the Apps and Gaming team, and I really just want to use my fancy Northwestern University journalism degree to write about video games. I host The Pop-Off, PCMag's video game show. I was previously the Senior Editor for Geek.com. I’ve also written for The A.V. Club, Kotaku, and Paste Magazine. I’m the author of a video game history book, Video Game of the Year, and the reason why everything you know about Street Sharks is a lie.

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UpdatedApril 10, 2024

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The Best Battle Royale Games for 2024 (3)(Credit: René Ramos; Electronic Arts, Epic Games, PUBG Corp, Iron Galaxy Studios)

Table of Contents

Battle royale. It's currently the hottest video game genre, having exploded in popularity and revenue since PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds 2017 debut. According to Market Research, battle royale games generate billions of dollars per year, and are poised to amass nearly $18 billion in revenue by 2027. Even if you aren't a genre fan, you can't dismiss the category's impact.

A battle royale game is a title that combines last-man-standing gameplay with weapon gathering and a shrinking playfield that drives player characters ever closer together. That shrinking playfield also eliminates those who find themselves on the wrong side of it.

The Best Battle Royale Games for 2024 (4)

The Best Battle Royale Games for 2024 (5) PUBG, Fortnite, and Apex Legends: What’s the Best Battle Royale Game?

The battle royale genre's popularity has seen video game publishers rush to get a sweet slice of that multiplayer pie. As a result, many battle royale games—or related modes attached to other games—have emerged. You can't play them all. Youshouldn'tplay them all, as some are hot garbage. Instead, bring your skills to a battle royale game that's of known quality and has a strong player base. The PC games listed below will do you good.

If you're ready to begin, check out these excellent battle royale games.

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Call of Duty: Warzone

4.0

$0.00 at Blizzard EntertainmentSee It

What a timeline we find ourselves in, one in which an incredibly hot video game is free to play, published by Activision, and based on one of the most popular franchises. Yet, here we are. Call of Duty: Warzone has entered the competitive battle royale fray, with a few tricks up its sleeve to shake up the formula.

Call of Duty: Warzone is a game based on Modern Warfare's 2019 reboot. Warzone introduces unique battle royale elements, such as loadout kits and respawn matches, that separate it from the competition and greatly impact how the game plays. These additions are hit-or-miss, but the overall package is highly polished. Warzone has enough meat to attract traditional first-person shooter fans regardless of its battle royale designation.

Call of Duty: Warzone (for PC) Review

Fortnite

3.5

$0.00 at Epic GamesSee It

Epic Games'Fortnite, which is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Mac, and mobile, has no walls between its player bases. That's right, Fortnite lets you play with strangers and buddies regardless of the platform on which they play. Combine that with Fortnite's incredibly affordable price tag (free!), and it's easy to see why the game has become the face of the battle royale genre. Oh, andNinjastreaming Fortnite helped skyrocket the game's popularity, too.

Like PUBG, Fortnite airdrops you into a map either alone, with a duo, or as part of a three- or four- person crew. Then, the mission is to survive the wilds using the weapons, vehicles, and other items you find. Fortnite goes the extra mile by letting your scavenge the land for materials to build protective structures that'll safeguard your character from weaponry.

Fortnite (for PC) Review

PlayerUnknown's Battleground (PUBG)

4.0

$26.99 at Green Man GamingSee It

Available on PC, PlayStation 4 Xbox One, Android, and iOS, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, colloquially known asPUBG, has the most interesting origin story of all battle royale games. The game that would become PUBG has its roots as a Arma 2 and Arma 3 mod, before being licensed by Sony Online Entertainment for use in H1Z1. PUBG became PUBG when its creator, Brendan Greene, became the Creative Director at Bluehole Studio.

In terms of gameplay, PUBG supports up to 100-person sessions in which you can play solo, as a duo, or in a four-person squad. It's of utmost importance where you land after you parachute from a passing plane to start the game, as you must scour the environment for armor, weapon, vehicles, and other objects that'll keep you alive when you encounter other players.

Sadly, PUBG lacks cross-platform play, a feature that its biggest rival happily boasts.

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (for PC) Review

The Best Battle Royale Games for 2024 (9)

The Best Battle Royale Games for 2024 (10) Why You Should Game on a PC

Beyond Battle Royale Games

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About Jeffrey L. Wilson

Managing Editor, Apps and Gaming

Since 2004, I've penned gadget- and video game-related nerd-copy for a variety of publications, including the late, great 1UP; Laptop; Parenting; Sync; Wise Bread; and WWE. I now apply that knowledge and skillset as the Managing Editor of PCMag's Apps & Gaming team.

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About Jordan Minor

Senior Analyst, Software

In 2013, I started my Ziff Davis career as an intern on PCMag's Software team. Now, I’m an Analyst on the Apps and Gaming team, and I really just want to use my fancy Northwestern University journalism degree to write about video games. I host The Pop-Off, PCMag's video game show. I was previously the Senior Editor for Geek.com. I’ve also written for The A.V. Club, Kotaku, and Paste Magazine. I’m the author of a video game history book, Video Game of the Year, and the reason why everything you know about Street Sharks is a lie.

Read Jordan's full bio

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