The popularity of the battle royale genre has exploded in recent years, leading to a seemingly endless supply of games aiming to capitalize on this meteoric rise. Many have found success on mobile devices, attracting hundreds of millions of players and generating billions of dollars in the process. However, there are also plenty ofgreat battle royale gamesavailable on PC and home consoles.
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The best battle royale games on the PlayStation 5 offer a healthy mix of mechanics and ideas, with some targetinggritty realismwhile others opt to focus purely on having fun. As a result, most players should be able to find something that’s to their liking, though sorting through the mountains of candidates could prove tricky without knowing where to start.
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A lot of the best battle royale games on the PlayStation 5 tend to adhere to the exact same formula, which can arguably get pretty boring after a while. Thankfully,Super Animal Royaleoffers something a little different, allowing players to take control of acute and cuddly-looking animalrather than a generic army dude. There are still an awful lot of guns though, providing players with plenty of ways to take out the competition.
With its charming character designs and simplistic 2D visuals,Super Animal Royalemay at first seem likea game designed for children, but there’s a lot more depth to it than first meets the eye. A good strategy will be key to securing victory, as too will a bit of luck when it comes to which weapons players stumble upon during the early stages of a match. Some of the firefights can get pretty hectic too, helping to evoke a real sense of excitement in players.
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There have been quite a few titles based on Mark Rein-Hagen’sWorld of Darknessseries of tabletop games in recent years, withVampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhuntbeing one of the more notable. Developed and published by Swedish studio Sharkmob, the free-to-play battle royale game offers an interesting twist on the genre by having players controlling vampires with unique powers and abilities rather than humans.
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Interestingly, there are human NPCs in the game as well, with players able to feed on them to heal up, enhance their powers, or unlock temporary buffs. Sadly,guns do still play an important role inBloodhunt, but the setting, abilities, and well-realized resonance system do more than enough to help set the game apart from some of the crowd.
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Given the franchise’s success in the FPS space, it was only a matter of time beforeCall of Dutydecided to throw its hat into the battle royale ring. Initially, this came in the form of the Blackout mode inCall of Duty: Black Ops 4, which blossomed into what would eventually become known asWarzone.Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0is the latest iteration and has come an awful long way since those early days.
ThoughWarzone’s combat and core mechanics are arguably nothing special, its integration with themainlineCall of Dutygamesand the regular updates that it receives make it a solid option for fans of the genre. Whether or not it is the best battle royale game on the PlayStation 5 will ultimately depend on the player, but most will likely agree that it at least deserves to be a part of the conversation.
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Brendan Greene has had a huge impact on gaming, with his work as anArma 2modder having played a pivotal role in the development and popularization of the battle royale genre. With this in mind, it seems somewhat fitting that Greene’s first standalone title,PUBG: Battlegrounds, would go on to become one of the very best battle royale games on the PS5, or indeed, on any console or platform.
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PUBG: Battlegroundshas been incredibly successful since its initial release in late 2017, with the game generating billions of dollars in revenue and being played by hundreds of millions of people all over the world.The game’s transition to a free-to-play modelin early 2022 actually led to an increase in profits and has ensured that there’s always a sizable pool of players at any given time.
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Fall Guysserves as a great reminder that a battle royale game doesn’t need guns and shooting to be great. Itsfast-paced knockout roundscan be enjoyed by people of all ages and its bright and colorful graphics make for a welcome change from some of the gloomier titles in the genre. Since going free-to-play,Fall Guyshas gone from strength to strength, with each subsequent season offering a wealth of new rounds and cosmetics.
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Initially released in early 2019,Apex Legendswas a little late to the battle royale party, but it didn’t take too long for it to catch up. Inspired by many of the great hero shooters that came before it, the game’s squad-centric combat proved to be a big hit with players, with more than 25 million people downloading it in its first week; a number which would go on to rise above 50 million by the end of the month.
Unlike a lot of its peers,Apex Legendslaunched as a free-to-play gamerather than becoming one in the months or years following its release. This placed it at a big advantage, as it meant that the game was designed with monetization already in mind rather than having aggressive microtransactions awkwardly shoehorned in at a later date. As a result, its monetization feels far less intrusive, allowing players to better focus on the fantastic gameplay that’s on offer.
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Given the size of its player base and the ungodly amounts of revenue that it generates, it would be very hard to argue againstFortnitebeing the best battle royale game on the PlayStation 5. Granted, its cartoonish graphics and ridiculously unrealistic build mechanics may not be to everyone’s tastes, but the game is still a lot of fun and remains right at the forefront of what the genre has to offer.
Fortnitegets an awful lot of things right, from its logical level design to its balanced gunplay, all while keeping its players engaged witha near-constant stream of updates. Better still, those put off by the aforementioned build mechanics can now enjoyFortnite Zero Build: No-Build Battle Royale!, which does exactly what it says on the tin. Whichever version players choose, they’re almost guaranteed to have fun, particularly when playing the game with friends.
