Battle Royale games are HOT right now. Players love the excitement of being on a battlefield with dozens of other players all searching for loot and looking to come out on top. But these survival games are different than a normal first-person shooter where skill mostly determines the winners and losers. Game developers have added variations to each game, like different types of loot and playable characters which makes them more about strategy than ability. Here is our guide to the most popular battle royale games at GameTruck Richmond.

Fortnite

Fortnite: Battle Royale started out as an internal game developed by Epic Games. It might look a little different from the original concept of the game that was announced in 2011. Fortnite: Battle Royale pits you against 99 other players that airdrop onto an island from the “Battle Bus”. A storm slowly engulfs the island which forces the players into a smaller and smaller area. Your goal: be the last player standing. In order to compete, you must search your surroundings for traditional weapons that are color coded. The colors indicate the item’s power and rarity. The game features a third-person, over-the-shoulder perspective. It gives you a better view of the environment, but it can also make it harder to aim.

Once you land, you have no weapons – you start with a pickaxe to demolish your surroundings and find items. The building mechanics and ability to destroy are what set this game apart from other battle royal games like Apex Legends and Blackout. Just about everything in the game can be destroyed, and as you break structures down, you gain materials to build walls, floors, roofs, and stairs that protect you from or help you to get over your enemies.

Fortnite: Battle Royale is free to play, and Epic Games makes two player-versus-environment editions: standard and deluxe.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4: Blackout

Blackout is the battle royale extension of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. It builds on the already successful Call of Duty franchise, so players will find familiar locations and scenarios, for example, zombies appear in its player-versus-environment mode. Blackout has a greater sense of realism than Fortnite or Apex Legends. It’s $60 price tag might be a little hefty compared to the other games on this list – especially because the other two are free to play. But if you already are a fan of the Call of Duty franchise and own Black Ops 4 then it’s a welcome addition to the game.

While some of the maps, characters, and weapons are from Call of Duty, this game is no slouch in terms of excitement and playability. In this battle royale, you fight against 99 other players in the same field. There always new modes being added like Team Death match and Close Quarters Frenzy.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is available for purchase, or you can download it from your console’s store.

Apex Legends

EA and Respawn Entertainment’s free-to-play battle royale is Apex Legends. Set in the Titanfall universe, players form squads of 3 battle against 19 other teams each match. In Apex Legends, you’ll see the same sci-fi weapons from Titanfall. You can add attachments to those weapons to make them better, and it enhances the gameplay. These attachments come in three levels of quality: common, rare, and epic. For example, if you find a rare magazine attachment it will add higher capacity and faster reloads to your weapon.

What separates Apex Legends from other games is that it’s essentially a hero shooter. When you form your squad, you choose a character, and each character has its own unique characteristics and abilities. Therefore, playing to the characters’ strengths, and strategically forming your team are essential when playing this game.

Apex Legends is free to play, and it can be downloaded from the official website here.

Up the Action with GameTruck Richmond’s Online Game Package

With GameTruck Richmond’s online gaming upgrade, you can experience Fortnite, Apex Legends, and Call of Duty: Blackout for up to 20 of your friends. You’ll also get to try out other cool multiplayer games like Roblox, Splatoon 2, and Battlefront 2. For pricing and options, book here or call (866) 253-3191.