Battle royale officially became the next “big thing” in gaming thanks to the likes of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and Fortnite. Judging by the rapid initial growth of PUBG in 2017 and the unstoppable force that is Fortnite in 2018, it’s safe to say the battle royale genre isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
In response, numerous companies have begun scrambling to create battle royale games and modes of their own to entice fans of the genre over to their product. Now, we have a hearty offering of new battle royale games to look forward to in 2018 and beyond. T
hat said, the vast majority of battle royale players have devoted their time to Fortnite with the rest remaining loyal to PUBG. This means that new titles will need to offer something fresh and different in order to convince gamers to take a momentary step away from the Fortnite fray. So, are any of these battle royale newcomers worth checking out? Let’s take a closer look!
Fear the Wolves
Developer Vostok Games (Survarium) plans to release Fear the Wolves to Early Access on PC sometime later this summer. Set in the hazardous wasteland of Chernobyl, Fear the Wolves pits you against 99 other players in classic battle royale fashion. However, enemy players aren’t the only threat you’ll need to worry about.
Fear the Wolves also throws mutated animals, radiation, and other dangerous scenarios your way as you work to make your way to the game’s extraction point and snag the coveted title of last man standing. Think you have what it takes to survive? Check out the official website for Fear the Wolves for more information on the game’s Early Access launch later this summer.
As for whether or not it’s worth checking out, we feel that while the battle royale gameplay isn’t inherently new, the other dangers added to the battlefield give Fear the Wolves enough of a twist to make it worth a few playthroughs. Well, for PC gamers, as Fear the Wolves doesn’t appear to be releasing on console.
Rapture Rejects
Who knew battle royale could be so... hilarious? The art style may ring a few bells as the game comes courtesy of the team behind the delightfully dark web comic Cyanide and Happiness. Developed by Galvanic Games, Rapture Rejects is different from other battle royale games in every conceivable way possible from its top-down isometric gameplay all the way down to its sarcastic tone.
Of course, you still have the 100-player deathmatch and last man standing theme from other battle royale games in Rapture Rejects. However, the rest of the game feels so different from every other battle royale game on the market that we honestly can’t recommend the game highly enough. Rapture Rejects doesn’t have an official release date just yet, though it’s projected to launch on PC sometime later this year.
Despite the fact that you can’t enjoy the madness of Rapture Rejects on console, we still feel the game is one to keep your eye on. Especially if you’ve been feeling a bit burned out by the battle royale genre as a whole. For more on Rapture Rejects, be sure to sign up for the game's alpha!
Islands of Nyne
Interestingly enough, Islands of Nyne from developer Define Human Studios has been in the works for quite some time (before the release of PUBG). The game is a crowdfunded effort that includes first-person only battle royale gameplay with a sci-fi setting and interesting tech.
Similar to other battle royale entries, though, Islands of Nyne features a 100-player deathmatch setting where players have been whisked away to a remote arena by aliens (there’s that sci-fi flair). The game is currently in closed alpha with a Steam Early Access release coming as of July 12.
Once Islands of Nyne releases to Steam Early Access, it’ll definitely offer something new to the battle royale genre courtesy of its sci-fi aesthetic. Whether or not this is enough to convince battle royale players to check out it remains to be seen. From what’s visible in the trailer, we definitely feel Islands of Nyne is worth checking out.
Mavericks: Proving Grounds
If you want battle royale but on a much larger, much more chaotic scale, look no further than Mavericks: Proving Grounds. Developed by Automaton, Mavericks: Proving Grounds is currently shaping up to be one of the biggest battle royale games on the market thanks to its ambitious 400-player matches.
Of course, there’s still a lot we don’t know about Mavericks: Proving Grounds aside from the fact that you’ll be able to track players through the brush kind of like “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell. It’s set on a huge 12 km squared map, and Automaton even has plans to expand the game into an open world MMO in 2019 complete with a hub city named The Capital.
We hope Automaton can deliver on their battle royale goals, as the concept itself sounds pretty damn cool. It’s not exactly “different” beyond the tracking capabilities, but despite this, the major scale of the game makes it worth keeping an eye on. Plus, you can sign up for the game’s closed beta to get an early look at Mavericks: Proving Grounds on PC!
Realm Royale
We have a feeling the Fortnite crowd may be particularly interested in Realm Royale thanks to its aesthetic. If the game style looks a little familiar, that’s because it’s set in the same “universe” as Hi-Rez Studios’ other popular free-to-play title, Paladins. In fact, Realm Royale was originally known as “Paladins: Battlegrounds” before the studio decided “Realm Royale” was a better fit.
The game is available right now on PC, and seeing as how Paladins is available on console (including Nintendo Switch) it’s almost certain that Realm Royale will get a console release later down the line. This, in addition to the game’s free-to-play nature, makes Realm Royale the most “worth it” battle royale game on this list.
Additionally, we’ve played through Realm Royale ourselves, and it definitely has a different feel to it from the horseback riding to varied classes on offer. If you need to add another battle royale game to your list of favorites, you really can’t go wrong with Realm Royale!
Without a doubt, we haven’t seen the last of the battle royale craze just yet. For fans of the genre, the five aforementioned games are definitely worth looking into, especially if you game on PC. What do you think? Did any of the games grab your attention, or would you prefer to stick to what you know in Fortnite or PUBG? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments below!