While 2018 was the year that the battle royale genre really hit it big with Fortnite and PUBG dominating the gaming sphere, 2019 is shaping up to be its golden year. This is thanks to a maturing Black Ops IIII Blackout scene alongside the new kid on the block and the one that rocks the boat, Respawn Entertainment’s own take in the battle royale genre, Apex Legends.

No longer confined to the PC realm, battle royale games have amassed a significant number of players on home consoles thanks to more stable builds and player-friendly game design making it more accessible than ever to those who never bothered in dabbling in it before.

The real deal.

But which one is right for you? Which one should you invest in this year? The only ‘battle royale’ you’re familiar with is the manga written by Koushun Takami and your mechanical skill are limited. This query leads us to a battle royale face-off for titles available on consoles.

We decided to focus on the big four and at that, comparing them in several preset categories to determine which one is the best title for you. The contestants are:

• The self-proclaimed (albeit misleading) grandfather of the battle royale genre, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds a.k.a Plunkbat a.k.a PUBG a.k.a Crawling Simulator a.k.a Doctor Disrespect’s claim to fame.

• The plucky Fortnite who snatched PUBG’s crown and ran away with it thanks to brilliant use of Twitch influencers while simultaneously polluting our radar with dances *allegedly* used without their originator’s consent a.k.a the game Doctor Disrespects hates.

• The old geezer who successfully reinvented itself in the shape of Black Ops IIII’s Blackout (or just Blackout for this feature). Who said you can’t teach old dogs new tricks? Blackout came into the scene dripping with pedigree and their final product shows. A.k.a the one Doctor Disrespect moved to but ended up being overshadowed by Shroud.

• The one you never saw coming. Apex Legends who although dropped in unexpectedly, came bearing gifts we never knew we wanted a.k.a the one Doctor Disrespect went to, and still, got overshadowed by Shroud.

Ready for drop off? Go, go, go!