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00:00Over the past decade, the battle royale genre has exploded, making it one of, if not the
00:07most popular genre of video games on the planet.
00:10Of course, one of their marquee features generally involves tossing dozens of players into a
00:15map to scavenge for resources, weapons, and gear, while trying to outlast the rest and
00:20become the last one standing.
00:22While this gameplay is still at the core of most battle royales, many have added additional
00:27features to spice things up, and the best of the best have earned their spot on this list.
00:32To lay down some ground rules, we're only looking at modern battle royales, or games that are
00:37currently still available to play.
00:39So while they were good during their time, we won't be featuring things like H1Z1, Spellbreak,
00:45or Ring of Elysium.
00:46We're also not including any games that feature a smaller battle royale mode as a side dish
00:51to its main offerings, like Fallout 76's Nuclear Winter Mode, or Civilization VI's Red Death
00:58Mode.
00:59So without further ado, let's commence the battle royale of battle royales in our ranking
01:05of the top 10 battle royales.
01:17What began as a parody of PUBG has actually evolved into a fun battle royale in its own
01:22right.
01:23Made by the same team behind Totally Accurate Battle Simulator, Totally Accurate Battlegrounds
01:28is a silly physics-based deathmatch for up to 60 players.
01:33As you wobble around through its uniquely low-poly map, you'll discover 90 different weapons, ranging
01:38from stacks of cash to make it rain on enemies, to a water gun, to a literal hand cannon.
01:45Add that to the amusing ragdoll physics and deceptively good gameplay, and you've got
01:49an experience that smartly toes the line of parody and genuine fun.
01:54Battlegrounds' goofy, nonsensical humor may not be totally accurate to the other battle
01:59royale with battlegrounds in its names, but that's obviously the point.
02:09Before Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines 2 arrived, a spinoff to the long-in-development
02:14RPG sequel was released in the form of a bloodthirsty battle royale, Blood Hunt.
02:20Set in the beautiful European city of Prague, Blood Hunt lets you dart across its moonlit
02:25rooftops and battle through its cobbled streets in order to become the last bloodsucker standing.
02:30A fun combination of both melee and ranged weapons, plus a host of vampiric abilities
02:35to wield, gives Blood Hunt a distinct feel when compared to the other games in the genre,
02:40along with its PvPVE wrinkle, as an AI-controlled vampire hunter roams the map as well as your
02:46opponents.
02:48This also adds an interesting layer of stealth to the mix, as you attempt to mask your true
02:52identity from the humans.
02:54Your time to jump in is limited though, with Vampire the Masquerade Blood Hunt's server
02:59shutting down for good in April 2026.
03:02So sorry if you're reading or watching this after that date.
03:10Tetris 99 finds new life in the perennial puzzle hit.
03:14By pitting 99 players against each other in a race to clear lines, Tetris 99 can be stressful
03:20enough.
03:21But your playfield is surrounded by 98 other players so that you can keep track of every
03:25Tetris game simultaneously.
03:28The anxiety-inducing nature of it all aside, Tetris 99 smartly lets you impact other players'
03:33games with your own Tetramino prowess, sending screen-filled junk blocks to the other players'
03:39games to hopefully knock them out and seek a win.
03:42And despite initially launching as a limited game for the Nintendo Switch Online players,
03:47Tetris 99 has become a permanent staple, receiving a continuous stream of themed events and DLC to
03:54ensure that this new T-spin on an old classic stays fresh.
04:03Guns, guns, guns.
04:04So many battle royales are centered around the idea of firearms.
04:08So while the idea of another battle royale was an initially tiresome thought, Naraka Blade
04:13Point ended up being the refreshing take on the genre thanks to its sharp melee action.
04:18Mastering the intricacies of its combat and movement systems is a challenge by itself.
04:23But throw up another 59 players in its ever-shrinking map, and the skill ceiling gets raised as the
04:29circle gets smaller.
04:30With over 20 characters loaded up with skills, vast arsenals, and tide-turning ultimate abilities,
04:36Naraka Blade Point can take a little time to get your head around, but master its melee-based
04:41combat and pixel-perfect parry maneuvers, and the satisfaction will soon follow.
04:46If you fancy a challenging battle royale free of build wars and machine guns, Naraka Blade
04:51Point provides a genuinely clever spin on the genre's familiar formula.
04:56Okay, who says battle royales can't be hilarious?
05:05Fall Guys draws inspiration from shows like Takeshi's Castle and Wipeout, as 60 players,
05:10or 60 amusingly costumed beans, go head-to-head in an assortment of game show-esque minigames.
05:17Each round sees a number of players eliminated until only one player is left standing, or falling,
05:24and crowned the champion.
05:25Mediatonic's take on the genre was a massive hit out of the gate, but the developers haven't
05:30rested on their laurels.
05:32Each subsequent season of play brings with it new minigames, new twists on existing ones,
05:37and a host of cosmetics to unlock.
05:39Fall Guys is utter, organized chaos in the best way, and whether you've nabbed your crowns
05:44or been consistently knocked off a slime-climb run, it's a consistently delightful experience
05:50unlike any other battle royale.
05:53In theory, the large-scale warfare of the Battlefield series is a perfect match for the battle royale
06:02genre.
06:03Each aspect of the long-running EA shooter, from its verticality, vehicles, and penchant for
06:08environmental destruction, is suited for an ever-shrinking map begging to be navigated
06:14and broken apart as is your want.
06:16But 2019's short-lived Firestorm mode, which launched exclusively to owners of Battlefield
06:225, proved this theory wrong as it struggled to hold a captive player base, with its servers
06:28eventually shuttering.
06:30But Redemption for Battlefield Studios comes in the form of RedSec, the fresh new swing at
06:35a battle royale that rights all the wrongs of its first draft.
06:39Fort Linden is a map brimming with possibilities, and a welcome variety of missions to complete
06:44within it.
06:45Each smartly converting the long-loved Battlefield formula of squad-based objectives and sharp-shooting
06:50into something that works here.
06:53The traditional, last-team-standing offering is also joined by the excellent Gauntlet mode,
06:58which transplants the game's show-like thrills of Fall Guys into the much less colorful, militaristic
07:03surroundings of Battlefield 6.
07:06It's surprising tweaks to the established rules of the battle royale like this that give
07:10Battlefield RedSec a chance to stand out from the rest, especially to the much-compared
07:15Call of Duty Warzone, and gives it a chance to finally prove the theory of being at home
07:20in the genre.
07:27PUBG is the granddaddy of battle royales, and arguably one of the most influential, as it effectively
07:33established the genre as we know it in 2017, spawning dozens of copycats over the past
07:39few years.
07:40Created by Brendan PlayerUnknownGreen as a refined version of his DayZ Battle Royale mod in Arma
07:462, and later, Arma 3, PUBG reached mainstream success and introduced players to many of the
07:53staple concepts of the genre.
07:55It's more realistic than many battle royales, requiring players to carefully manage their
07:59inventory and apply weapon mods and attachments manually while scouring the map for resources.
08:06While it held a reputation for being notoriously clunky and unpolished over the years, we wouldn't
08:11be here without the likes of PUBG.
08:14Given the genre's boom and attention, it's no surprise that one of the biggest shooter
08:24franchises around wanted in on the action.
08:27But Call of Duty's Warzone is not just a quick cash-in.
08:30It's one of the best battle royales around.
08:33Warzone builds on the foundation of Call of Duty Blackout, supporting a staggering 150 players
08:39while exploring unique and interesting gameplay changes with each new season, including a
08:44clever integration of the popular Zombies mode.
08:47Warzone is also a bit more forgiving when compared to other battle royales, as you're
08:52not necessarily sent back to the lobby upon death.
08:55Instead, players are sent to the Gulag, a grimy prison area where they face off against
09:00other dead players in one-on-one combat for a chance to return to the match.
09:05Another feature unique to Warzone is the ability to purchase and use a custom lowdown, allowing
09:10players to regularly access and utilize their preferred guns and perks as they fight for
09:15supremacy in Verdansk and its other maps, which, let's face it, we just don't love as much.
09:22Add all this to the plenty of vertical combat thanks to the massive skyscrapers and vehicular
09:27combat, and Warzone delivers one of the most varied battle royales out there.
09:35Created as a spinoff of Fortnite's cooperative PvE survival mode, Save the World, Fortnite Battle
09:43Royale burst into the scene in 2018 and catapulted the genre into a phenomenon.
09:49Not only is Fortnite responsible for creating the Battle Pass system that so many games, Battle
09:54Royale or not, have implemented since, but it's also paved the way for true cross-play and
10:00cross-progression between consoles, PC, and mobile.
10:05It's hosted massive in-game virtual concerts for Travis Scott, Marshmallows, Steve Aoki, and
10:10more, becoming as much of a social experience as a competitive one.
10:15But Fortnite's biggest, Victory Royale has become its unique storytelling approach.
10:20It's established a narrative for its island that quickly resulted in each new season being
10:25a moment.
10:26Points of interest appeared and disappeared as events demanded it, with many seasons
10:31culminating in massive events that eventually led to the entire in-game island being sucked
10:36into a black hole, putting the game on pause for a few real-world days.
10:41Now in its second chapter, Fortnite has established itself as a consistently unexpected but thrilling
10:47hallmark of the genre that is still a blast to play, and one that features the biggest pop
10:52culture crossovers of all time.
10:55Where else can you see Kratos wearing Thor's cape while fighting Rey from Star Wars with
11:00Hulk hands as she dances to Dua Lipa?
11:07The apex of the genre so far, Apex Legends features unparalleled gameplay, movement, and storytelling.
11:15Released in 2019, Apex Legends dropped out of nowhere, aside from some influencer leaks, and
11:21caught the world by storm, reaching 50 million players in its first month alone.
11:27Here I go!
11:29Building on the legacy of the Titanfall franchise to become something even bigger while expanding
11:34its story to each successive season, Apex has introduced a number of Legends.
11:3916 to be exact, as of right now.
11:42Each with their own backstory and unique movesets that keep the meta fresh.
11:46Above all else though, Apex's movement remains buttery smooth to this day.
11:51With the ability to run, slide, and mantle with ease, nothing even comes close.
11:58But from the big picture of its story to major selling points like its rock solid gameplay,
12:03Apex Legends has also been an innovator in the genre.
12:07Its unique ping system allows players to contextually mark specific locations and loot, revolutionizing
12:13the way players communicate with one another without ever needing to say a word.
12:17If you're looking for a highly competitive, ever-evolving battle royale, Apex Legends is the clear choice.
12:27What did we miss from our rankings of the top battle royale games?
12:30Let us know in the comments.
12:32Single player shooters more your thing?
12:34Then check out our top 10 list of the best Call of Duty campaigns.
12:37And of course, for everything else, shooting games, battle royale games, RPGs, everything
12:42in between, make sure to stick with IGN.
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