Editors’ Note, December 12, 2025: With this update, our lineup of recommended battle royale games remains unchanged. The existing picks have been vetted for currency and availability.
A battle royale game is a title that combines last-man-standing gameplay with weapon gathering and a shrinking playfield, driving player characters into close-quarters combat. That shrinking playfield also eliminates those who find themselves on the wrong side of it. The genre’s popularity has prompted video game publishers to rush to capture a 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, and you shouldn’t, as some are subpar. Instead, bring your skills to a battle royale game that’s of known quality and has a strong player base. We’ve been covering games at PCMag for more than 20 years, so we know the ones listed below will do you good. If you’re ready to begin, check out the best battle royale games we’ve played on PC.
Recommended by Our Editors
After developing two excellent, but overlooked, Titanfall games, developer Respawn finally achieved the success it always deserved thanks to smash-hit, battle royale shooter Apex Legends. Set in the Titanfall universe, Apex Legends lets you control nimble mercenaries instead of hulking robots. Fortunately, these colorful characters come equipped with many unique abilities. For example, you can travel between dimensions as Wraith or cloak yourself and create holograms as Mirage.
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 set it apart from the competition and significantly impact how the match flows. 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
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Fortnite airdrops you into a map either alone, as 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 you scavenge the land for materials to build protective structures that’ll safeguard your character from attacks. That said, Fortnite is best known for its numerous pop culture collaborations, letting you pop rivals as Goku, Marge Simpson, or Superman over the years.
Fortnite (for PC) Review
PlayerUnknown’s Battleground (PUBG)
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, weapons, vehicles, and other objects that’ll keep you alive when you encounter other players.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (for PC) Review
PUBG, Fortnite, and Apex Legends: What’s the Best Battle Royale Game?
