Battle Royale games have been on an upsurge since 2017 and they don’t seem to be slowing down. The two hottest games in this field are; Fortnite Battle Royale and Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG). Like any worthy competitor, they share as many similarities and differences and for some players, even choosing which one to take on proves to be a challenge.

So, let’s break it down and see what each of the games have to offer and possibly which gives you more value for time.

Overview

PUBG

PUBG was first on the scene and was also among the first battle royales to explode to the scene. It’s a slower paced game with realistic graphics and approach. To play, players have to part with about $30 and for the price, you have access to maps and different game modes on Steam.

Unlike PUBG that has taken time to develop, Fortnite was a little rushed. It was developed in two months. It looked (and still does) a lot like PUBG even though it has a faster pace to it. With constant updates and the adoption of the fort-building system, the game now holds its own even though the fundamentals of the game are still the same.

Fortnite

With Fortnite, complex processes like building walls, ceilings and floors are as easy as shooting a rifle. All you have to do is hack down enough trees, metal and brick to make your skyscraper. Unlike PUBG, Fortnite is free to play. So if you’re a little strapped for cash and looking for some adventure, it might be a good place to start.

The games have pretty much the same theme with subtle differences. Both pit 100 players against each other on an island. In each of the games, the player decides where they would like to begin the battle. On Fortnite, the players get there by a bus suspended from a balloon while PUBG uses the more realistic approach of an airplane as a mode of transport.

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Once the ground, players have to scramble for weapons, health boosters and shield portions as they fight the odds of time presented by regular storms on Fortnite and a blue shield on PUBG. The storms and shield tighten the area of the player forcing more and more players to collide until one is left standing.

Which One to Play? Fortnite or PUBG?

Game Modes

The modes are similar in both games. You can decide to go solo against 99 others or pair up with a friend or stranger and stake on the others on the duos mode. There’s also a teams mode in both games where you play in teams or the squad more where you play in teams of four.

The only difference is that with Fortnite, the game is played from a third-person which saves you the trouble of having to build in first-person.

Once in a while, the two games might decide to mix things up to make it more interesting for players by adding new gaming modes like 50V50, an explosives only mode, five teams of 20 players or the sniper-only mode.

Weapons

This is where Fortnite has focused a lot of graphics. Even though the game has a cartoonish approach to the characters and the maps, the weapons look and function like the real deal. They include submachine guns, pistols, sniper rifles, hunting rifles, assault rifles, rocket launchers, grenade launchers, and even crossbows.

Despite the wide range and realistic graphics, the use of the weapons is relatively simple and straightforward. Expectedly, some of the weapons are harder to find than others and the rare ones have better stats. However, you only have limited inventory slots, so you have to know what you want to keep or drop.

PUBG doesn’t hold back on its armoury. Its collection is very similar to what you would find in a real-world military bunker. You can choose from shotguns, assault rifles, submachine guns, and grenades to highlight a few.

You need a bit of practice to use the weapons efficiently and each of them has an ideal bullet spread and drop laid out.

PUBG has an extra advantage in its arsenal. You can have attachments that offer various benefits which range from improved accuracy to reducing recoil and the flash hider.

Vehicles

Fortnite has a small map so it only makes sense that the only motorised vehicles you can get are all-terrain karts. More options are being released with one of the latest being a shopping cart. Not the fanciest way to get across the map but with one player pushing, the other can get busy building ramps to help you get some momentum simply put if a power ride is your fix, Fortnite falls flat on its face on this one.

Interesting read: Has PUBG Fallen to Fortnite?

PUGB, on the other hand, has quite a collection of vehicles and boats to help you get around the vast maps. The downside is, they use up gas and it's a tough commodity to come by. But, they do come with the adrenalin packed option of having the passenger shoot out the window and are perfect for quick getaways.

Maps

PUGB has a few maps to play on. The environments are different and require different survival tactics, so the game is always exciting. The most popular map for instance; the Russian Island is an 8 by 8 kilometre island scattered with cities, farms, forests and swamps. There’s also the Minmar a stretch of a Mexican desert and there’s also the Sanhok, a tropical jungle island.

When it comes to maps, Fortnite is the complete opposite. It has only one tiny map and there's no indication of there being another release.  The map is only a fraction of the size of the largest map on PUGB.

There are hills and forestry scattered around the map to provide different styles of play and there’s a small desert chunk cut out. There’s also the small Pleasant Park which is a suburban neighbourhood. If you’re looking to spark your playing style, Fortnite doesn’t have an awful lot of options to provide you with.

Performance

Fortnite is still in beta mode. Even though performance tends to fluctuate, it will smoothly run on any hardware produced in the last five years. However, better specs do provide better experience and performance. Anything from a Core i3 with a 2.4Ghz speed running on HD Intel 4000 or similar processors and lower will pose some challenges. In terms of performance, there’s room to improve for Fortnite as running it on Epic quality crushes almost all systems.

Since it was first launched, the performance of PUGB has come a long way. That’s not to say there’s no room for improvement. PUBG will run smoothly on most GPUs and CPUs. But, it requires higher specs than Fortnite without a doubt.

Updates

You don't want to be part of a game with no sign of improvements or with a dormant development team. Fortnite has worked its updates to be delivered every two weeks. There are various items and tools expected to be released among them weapons, Launchpad, skins, bush and a variety of other tweaks.

PUBG also has consistent updates that provide new guns, maps, and some much-needed fixes. It’s unfortunate that the game is no longer on Steam Early Access but, that hasn’t prevented the development of the game on a monthly basis which is quite encouraging.

In addition to the regular updates, the developers are also very responsive to any feedback from the community which is quite encouraging.

And The Winner Is...

If you have to pick an absolute winner, PUBG will tick on most of the must-have boxes like diversity, variety, features, weapons, adventure, and even the graphics.

But, Fortnite also appeals to a variety of players. The most significant benefit is that you don’t have to worry about paying to play since the platform is free. What’s more, the development of the game doesn’t make it feel like a free to play. That’s a great plus.

You have to contend with the single map which can make the game boring pretty quickly once you know your way around the map which also happens to be small.

PUBG, on the other hand, is perfect for players with robust machines and don't mind paying top dollar for top quality games and experience. It has the diversity to keep you riveted and coming back and the active development team is a great plus.

All factors constant, if you have to pick one of the two, PUBG is a safer bet. It might take longer to master the weapons, items, and maps but, you have a constant stream of adrenalin to drive your gaming passion and endless opportunities for you to explore.

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