Which Battle Royale Games Should We Be Looking Out For This Year?

Battle Royale is a hugely popular style of online multiplayer game. It offers a mix of last man standing and survival elements to create a unique style of gameplay. Despite the genre’s loyal fan base, smaller titles have always struggled to break out from under the shadow of more well-known competitors like Fortnite, Call of Duty: Warzone and Apex: Legends. What makes these games so hard to break away from, and will we finally see a new Battle Royale title claiming a top spot in 2022? Despite the frustration that a lot of indie title fans feel at the larger games, they’re hugely popular for a reason.

Apex: Legends

Apex: Legends is a free to play game published by one of the biggest names in the gaming industry - Electronic Arts. With a big name comes accessibility to some of the most popular consoles alongside the traditional desktop setup, meaning you’ll find Apex: Legends on PlayStation, Xbox and Switch. It makes the game portable and truly universal. EA’s generous budget allows the developer the opportunity to spend time fine-tuning, resulting in a game that has incredibly fluid controls, unique characters and interesting design features. Additionally, unlike a lot of Battle Royale games, the players are able to control their own characters in first-person. This merges the genres a little and makes for a more interesting gaming experience.

Call Of Duty: Warzone

Call of Duty: Warzone is Activision’s take on the Battle Royale style of game. It’s free to play on PlayStation, Xbox and Windows as well as offering a mobile version which makes it truly portable. Warzone is one of a series of COD games; it followed on from Modern Warfare which is one of the most popular COD instalments ever. Warzone moves, plays and shoots very similarly to Modern Warfare which makes for excellent gameplay with an updated story arch.

Fortnite

Fortnite is one of the most popular Battle Royale games on the market. Its free-to-play model broke the internet and it remains popular even several years after launch - Business Insider called it the most important video game of the last decade. Fortnite is known for being hugely flexible - it’s updated on a weekly basis and the developers regularly release new game modes, customisable items, and special events which keeps the game relevant and keeps older players active.

The Battle Royale genre is dominated by three games, and there isn’t a lot of choice for gamers, unlike the vast array of options found on these slot sites, however, there are some smaller names that are being released this year that will be hoping they can make a name for themselves this year.

Some of the smaller releases fans will be looking forward to this year include:

Rumblers

Despite Battle Royale being a hugely popular genre, many games have struggled to break out from under the ‘big three’. However, one unlikely competitor comes in the form of Rumblers. IGN described it as Fortnite meets pro wrestling and, despite being several months late to release, gamers are already excited to get their hands on this unique mash-up. While it’s not strictly a direct competitor to the big 3, it might be unique enough to stand out in this monopolised game genre.

The Cycle

The Cycle: Frontier is set to release some time this year (no specific date yet) and could be a great contender for the top spot in the Battle Royale genre. Rather than directly fighting each other, you’re fighting to acquire the same materials to craft objects and fight the native creatures of Fortuna III. The unique spin on the standard Battle Royale game and the fact that it’s created by hugely successful developer YAGER might make it popular enough to join the big leagues.

GRIT

It isn’t clear when GRIT will be released, but what is obvious is the amount of hype surrounding the (delayed) launch. What makes GRIT such a unique Battle Royale game is its unique setting. Taking place in the Old West, you’ll need a horse, some ammo and a gang to fight competing gangs of bandits as you collect treasure across the map. GRIT takes just enough inspiration from COD: Warzone that it feels familiar, yet somehow also brand new. GRIT truly stands out from the crowd which makes waiting for the delayed release completely worth it.

There are loads of Battle Royale-style games being released this year, in part thanks to the popularity of the big three titles. Everyone is ready to cash in, in the hopes of finally de-throwing the reigning champions. It's unlikely, but there might just be a few titles to rival the long-standing favourites.

The Future of Battle Royale Games

You only have to look back a few years to see how much the Battle Royale genre has changed. Advances in technology have helped games within this sector improve their offerings massively and that’s something fans have lapped up. We already know that the likes of VR technology and online spaces such as Metaverse are proving popular so it could well be that these become much more at one with the Battle Royale genre in the future. The gaming industry has always been keen to stay on top of changing technology and ensure that it keeps fans happy with what it offers and 2022 is certainly going to be no exception.

One thing about gaming fans is that they’re not afraid of publically talking about their feelings if there is a game release or piece of news that they’re unhappy with. In fact, there are gaming forums with sections dedicated to discussing gaming disappointments and what gaming fans are unhappy with. Even if they don’t publicly acknowledge these forums there is no doubt that gaming designers and software developers will be paying attention to these posts – it’s a great way to keep on top of feedback and ensure that they’re doing everything they can to keep gaming fans happy with whatever the next gaming release they’re putting out is.