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The 7 best battle-royale games available on mobile
Get your chicken dinner on the go with these great phone-friendly battle-royale games.
The term 'genre-defining' is a bit of a cliché and, particularly in the games industry, often a huge misnomer. Every once in a while though, a title comes along by which all other games in its genre are judged. These yardstick releases don't necessarily have to be the first of their kind, they don't even have to be the best – but they do have to have a unique, lasting impact on the industry and the market.
Once such game is PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, a 100-player Battle Royale that took the PC community by storm in 2017 and spawned a whole sub-genre of 'battle royale' shooters, as well as its own esports league, in the years since. Everyone from the creators of Apex Legends to Call of Duty wants a piece of the action.
Not got a PC or console though? Someone else hogging the big screen right now? Not to worry. Here's how you can play PUBG, as well as several other amazing variants, right now on your tablet or phone.
1. PUBG Mobile
The game that started all isn't just a PC, Xbox One and PS4 affair. The full fat experience is also available to play on Android and iPhone. Frankly, it's one of the most remarkable ports we've ever seen: this is the same core game, the same amazing maps, ported to the tiny touchscreen in your pocket. If you're not sure what the fuss is about, get stuck in – even after two years, the developers are still dropping regular new content to keep everyone coming back for more.
2. Rules of Survival
Play by the rules
© NetEase Games
Comparatively speaking, Rules of Survival is at the top end of the spectrum in terms of looks and gameplay. It’s very similar to PUBG, and allows for solo, duo, or team games. It uses a virtual thumbstick for movement, which makes some people want to eat their phone in frustration, but if you can handle the control scheme Rules of Survival is certainly one of the better options.
It’s also free to play, although micro-transactions abound both for cosmetic augmentations and booster packs. Gameplay can be a wee bit janky, and there isn’t much variety in the character models, but 100 players going at it on a mobile with such a huge variety of weapons and vehicles is no mean feat.
3. Grand Battle Royale
Get your blocks off
© OneTonGames
For those of you who prefer your games with a blockier quality, Grand Battle Royale mixes Minecraft-style visuals with the classic Battlegrounds set-up. You don’t air-drop in, and instead simply spawn on the island next to one another. Once the buzzer goes, it’s a mad dash for weapons and carnage as you converge on the centre of the map.
Random airdrops create more points of contention, as they contain things like weapons, armour and first aid kits. There’s something oddly pleasing about charging around as a little block man, earning money to buy new skins and switching to first-person mode for extra precision. The cartoon-ish visuals are a great touch, and work really well in contrast to the inherently violent nature of the gameplay.
4. Black Survival
Survival not guaranteed
© ARCHBEARS
Another free-to-play game, Black Survival stands out by combining the battle royale mentality with a visual-novel style. Instead of shooting, you’ll travel around static environments until you come across another player, whereby better stats and quick reflexes will see you victorious. Instead of a decreasing live zone, certain areas of the island will become more and more dangerous over time, forcing you to move on, and funnelling you into engagements with the other nine players.
You can choose an item to take to the island with you, including a lunchbox to heal you or a toolbox to help upgrade your gear, which lends each match a tactical edge. An RPG-style crafting system allows you to create and augment your weaponry by following upgrade paths and finding materials scattered around the island. The hand-drawn backdrops are highly detailed, which is great for creating an oppressive, eerie atmosphere. If you’re after a more cerebral, less blatantly bloodthirsty Battle Royale experience, Black Survival is worth a look.
5. Guns Royale
Cartoon violence
© Wizard Games Inc.
Like Grand Battle Royale, Guns refuses to take itself seriously. Offering an isometric perspective, it's a brightly-coloured, highly stylised eight-bit action game with its tongue firmly in its cheek. It’s not as nuanced as some titles on this list, but the fast pace and cartoony style help it to stand out from the crowd.
While it only supports 15 players, it does allow for some AR effects which, sadly, don't work with anything but the clearest surface. As a result, you'll probably ignore them, though at least the option is there. Your characters area highly customisable but be warned: there's a strong pay-to-win element in Guns Royale, and you may find yourself up against players who have purchased speed and damage boosts or bottomless magazines.
6. Garena Free Fire: Kalahari
Free to play, fire to win
© 111 Dots Studio
Conversely, Garena Free Fire: Kalahari looks beautiful for a mobile game and is easily one of the most visually pleasing titles on this list. Smoother and cleaner than most other entries, it nonetheless adheres to the same playbook – although it does support teams and vehicles.
If there's a complaint to be made it's that Free Fire's map is often too big for the relatively small player counts, and so until the safe zone shrinks sufficiently you might find yourself feeling a little lonely. Of course, the moment you find a friend they'll try to kill you, so don't complain too much.
7. Pixel Gun 3D (Pocket Edition)
Pixel madness
© Pixel Gun 3D
Considerably older than many entries on this list, Pixel Gun 3D (Pocket Edition) is still remarkably feature rich. A first-person shooter with a Minecraft-aping aesthetic, it includes base building, weapon-crafting, guns with colour-coded reality and loot chests. The community is an older one, too, which raises the difficulty for newcomers but at least ensures there’s always someone to play with.
Still, there's so much going on here that it's almost impossible to get bored. A port of the PC version, it only supports 10 players per match, but the maps (of which there are 35) are smaller and the variety of weapons, items and modes more than compensates.
