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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
00:37that are currently 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.
01:17It began as a parody of PUBG has actually evolved into a fun battle royale in its own right.
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 tows 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 rooftops
02:26and 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
02:47opponents.
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, but your play field is surrounded by 98 other players so that you can keep track
03:25of every Tetris 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, Tetris
03:4799 has become a permanent staple, receiving a continuous stream of themed events and DLC
03:54to ensure that this new T-spin on an old classic stays fresh.
03:59Guns, 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.
04:19Mastering the intricacies of its combat and movement systems is a challenge by itself,
04:24but throw up another 59 players in its ever-shrinking map, and the skill ceiling gets raised as the
04:29circle gets smaller.
04:31With 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.
04:40But master its melee-based combat and pixel-perfect parry maneuvers, and the satisfaction will
04:45soon 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.
05:01Okay, who says battle royales can't be hilarious?
05:05Fall Guys draws inspiration from shows like Takeshi's Castle and Wipeout.
05:09As 60 players, or 60 amusingly costumed beans, go head-to-head in an assortment of game show-esque
05:16minigames.
05:17Each round sees a number of players eliminated until only one player is left standing, or falling,
05:23and 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
05:37ones, and a host of cosmetics to unlock.
05:39Fall Guys is utter, organized chaos in the best way.
05:43And whether you've nabbed your crowns or been consistently knocked off a slime-climb run,
05:48it's a consistently delightful experience, unlike any other battle royale.
05:53In theory, the large-scale warfare of the Battlefield series is a perfect match for the battle royale
06:03genre.
06:04Each aspect of the long-running EA shooter, from its verticality, vehicles, and penchant for
06:09environmental 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
06:235, proved this theory wrong as it struggled to hold a captive player base, with its servers
06:28eventually shuddering.
06:30But, redemption for Battlefield Studios comes in the form of RedSec, the fresh new swing
06:35at a 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 sharpshooting
06:51into 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 shield-like thrills of Fall Guys into the much less colorful,
07:03militaristic surroundings 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.
07:21PUBG is the granddaddy of battle royales, and arguably one of the most influential, as it
07:33effectively established the genre as we know it in 2017, spawning dozens of copycats over
07:38the past few years.
07:39Created by Brendan, PlayerUnknownGreen, as a refined version of his DayZ Battle Royale
07:45mod in Arma 2, and later, Arma 3, PUBG reached mainstream success and introduced players to
07:52many of the staple concepts of the genre.
07:54It'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.
08:05While it held a reputation for being notoriously clunky and unpolished over the years, we wouldn't
08:11be here without the likes of PUBG.
08:19Given the genre's boom and attention, it's no surprise that one of the biggest shooter
08:23franchises around wanted in on the action.
08:26But Call of Duty's Warzone is not just a quick cash-in.
08:29It's one of the best battle royales around.
08:32Warzone builds on the foundation of Call of Duty Blackout, supporting a staggering 150
08:38players while exploring unique and interesting gameplay changes with each new season, including
08:43a clever integration of the popular Zombies mode.
08:47Warzone is also a bit more forgiving when compared to other battle royales, as you're
08:51not necessarily sent back to the lobby upon death.
08:54Instead, players are sent to the Gulag, a grimy prison area where they face off against other
09:00dead players in one-on-one combat for a chance to return to the match.
09:04Another feature unique to Warzone is the ability to purchase and use a custom loadout, allowing
09:09players to regularly access and utilize their preferred guns and perks as they fight for supremacy
09:15in 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.
09:36Created 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,
09:54Battle Royale or not, have implemented since, but it's also paved the way for true cross-play
09:59and cross-progression between consoles, PC, and mobile.
10:04It's hosted massive in-game virtual concerts for Travis Scott, Marshmallows, Steve Aoki,
10:10and more, becoming as much of a social experience as a competitive one.
10:14But Fortnite's biggest, Victory Royale, has become its unique storytelling approach.
10:19It's established a narrative for its island that quickly resulted in each new season being
10:24a moment.
10:25Points of interest appeared and disappeared as events demanded it, with many seasons culminating
10:31in massive events that eventually led to the entire in-game island being sucked into a
10:36black hole.
10:37Putting the game on pause for a few real-world days.
10:40Now, in its second chapter, Fortnite has established itself as a consistently unexpected
10:46but thrilling hallmark of the genre that is still a blast to play.
10:50And one that features the biggest pop culture crossovers of all time.
10:54Where else can you see Kratos wearing Thor's cape while fighting Rey from Star Wars with
10:59Hulk hands as she dances to Dua Lipa?
11:03The apex of the genre so far, Apex Legends features unparalleled gameplay, movement,
11:13and storytelling.
11:14Released in 2019, Apex Legends dropped out of nowhere, aside from some influencer leaks,
11:20and caught the world by storm, reaching 50 million players in its first month alone.
11:26Here I go!
11:28Building 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.
11:41Each 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, with the ability
11:51to run, slide, and mantle with ease.
11:54Nothing 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.
12:06Its unique ping system allows players to contextually mark specific locations and loot,
12:11revolutionizing the 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,
12:21Apex Legends is the clear choice.
12:26What did we miss from our rankings of the top battle royale games?
12:30Let us know in the comments.
12:31Single player shooters more your thing?
12:33Then check out our top 10 list of the best Call of Duty campaigns.
12:36And of course, for everything else, shooting games, battle royale games, RPGs, everything in between,
12:42Make sure to stick with IGN.
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