Fortnite, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Apex Legends, are some of the names that first come to mind when we talk about battle royale games. However, the genre is more than just the big four. In fact, there are some pretty good underrated battle royale games out there you should give a shot.
Below, are some of our favorite underrated battle royales that definitely deserve a bit more love from you and other players. Also, make sure to let us know in the comments if we missed any hidden gems!
CRSED: F.O.A.D
CRSD: F.O.A.D. (formerly known as Cuisine Royale) is the perfect example of “don’t knock it until you try it.” This free-to-play battle royale describes itself as featuring “realistic weaponry, mystic traps, and demonic rituals”, which is quite accurate . What makes the game stand out is the way it doesn’t take itself too seriously.
There’s gambling for loot, you can turn into a rampaging wolf-man, and you can protect your buttocks with a frying pan. It also features surprisingly solid gunplay, and decent graphics.
Worms Rumble
We’ve all heard of the Worms franchise, right? Well, now up to 32 customizable worms can battle it out in Worms Rumble. The game features fast-paced real-time combat with the classic side-scrolling gameplay from the iconic tactics-based video game series.
These psychotic worms will bring you nostalgia if you’ve ever ventured into one of their previous releases. It’s like a mix of modern and nostalgia and we applaud the Worms franchise for staying alive for this long! Come to think of it, even back in the day Worms kinda was a battle royale game, though turn-based, yet an underrated one at that!
Civilization 6: Red Death
The battle royale genre has become so popular that even turn-based strategy games like Civilization now has a BR-spinoff. Civilization 6: Red Death is Firaxis Games’ take on the genre but with a turn-based twist.
Instead of featuring dozens of players on a single map, only a total of 12 players will play in a post-apocalyptic map as their military factions battle it out against each other as the threat of a radioactive net closing in on them hangs over their heads.
Dying Light: Bad Blood
You’d have to hand it to Techland. They really know how to jump on the hype train while also curbing the trend. After releasing the parkour-based open-world zombie title Dying Light, Techland decided to give it an official battle royale twist in the form of Dying Light: Bad Blood.
However, while it would’ve been tempting to use the game to drop in dozens of players onto a huge map, Techland limited the player count to 12 while giving players relatively primitive weapons and adding in some PvE elements.
And, oh, because this is a Dying Light game, there are tons of zombies roaming around the map.
Unlike the other battle royale titles, the goal in Dying Light: Bad Blood is to use your creative parkour skills to traverse the map in any way you can as you frantically harvest blood samples until you’re either the last man standing or you escape via the helicopter. Because of how the game revolves around escaping from zombies and other players, Bad Blood effectively forces players to play this one a little differently, and therefor, one of the more underrated, innovative battle royale games out there.
Rules of Survival
Going above and beyond with a 300 player battle royale, here we have Rules of Survival by NetEase Games. Speaking of, our friends at NetEase Games have rolled out a new Pudding Pay option for those looking to top up on their in-game currencies! Now, you might think that 300 players is bound to cause some problems like a lag or an overcrowded map. Somehow Rules of Survival makes it all work smoothly though!
There are two maps mainly, the Ghillie Island map which could hold up to 120 players, and the Fearless Fiord with up to 300 players. There are several modes in the game but favorite is the Blitzkrieg mode. In Blitzkrieg, players are only allowed to land in a certain part of the map, equipped with a basic gun, backpack, and basic armor. Here, they will have no choice but to take other players head-on and get to killing to survive.
Realm Royale
We wouldn’t blame you if you thought Realm Royale was Fortnite. The games look suspiciously similar. However, where Realm Royale separates itself is the lack of a building mechanic.
Depending on your view on Fortnite’s iconic mechanic, it’s a real treat that it’s not in Realm Royale. Not only that, but the game also throws in magical abilities. For example, you can summon mounts, and even forges for some quick crafting.
Because players have unique abilities that they can use however they want, Realm Royale plays a lot like arena shooters. But, at the same time, it’s not afraid to make fun of the players. If you’re downed, players don’t crawl on the floor. Instead, they turn into giant chickens that revive automatically after 20 seconds, provided no one bothers to kill them right away.
Blazing Sails
Most battle royale titles take place on an island, surrounded by water. Blazing Sails turns the formula on it’s head by sailing out onto the ocean. In Blazing Sails, you’re a pirate, battling against other rapscallions at sea and on small islands.
Instead of conventional weaponry, Blazing Sails puts squads in control of their own ships as they ready their cannons and fire at other enemy ships in hopes of blasting them to oblivion.
One of the most comical aspects of the game is that ships have a literal drain below deck. Enemies can hijack your ship and just pull out the corck to sink your ship.
Then again, you can return the favor. With the developers intent to continue providing support for the game for the foreseeable future, Blazing Sails might just be the most underrated battle royale title out there that you’ve never heard of.
Totally Accurate Battlegrounds
Lastly on our listo of the most underrated battle royale games out there: Totally Accurate Battlegrounds. Most battle royales take things a bit too seriously. Because of that, it can be hard to find one that doesn’t take things too seriously without necessarily upending the proven winning formula.
If you’re one of those looking for the proverbial breath of fresh air, Totally Accurate Battlegrounds might be worth a try. From its hilarious, pop-culture inspired art style, to it’s intentionally wobbly physics engine, and a character customization engine that’s surprisingly detailed to the point of borderline absurdity, there’s plenty of reasons to pick up Totally Accurate Battlegrounds and very few to stop playing once you’ve started.
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