When Fortnite took over gaming, it felt impossible to imagine another title competing with it. The game became more than just a battle royale. It turned into a cultural phenomenon filled with concerts, crossovers and nonstop updates that kept players coming back every season.
But even Fortnite had moments where its dominance looked shaky. Over the years, several battle royale games exploded in popularity and genuinely looked capable of replacing it. Some offered more realistic gameplay, others focused on speed and movement, while a few simply arrived at the perfect moment. These are five battle royale games that came very close to knocking Fortnite off the top spot.
Battle Royale Games That Nearly Took Over
1. PUBG
Before Fortnite fully exploded worldwide, PUBG: Battlegrounds was already becoming a massive success. The game made battle royale feel serious and intense, with realistic gunfights, huge maps and slower survival focused gameplay.
For a while, PUBG looked untouchable. Streamers played it constantly, player numbers kept growing and it became one of the biggest games on PC. A lot of people believed PUBG would stay on top for years, but Fortnite’s free to play model and more casual style eventually pulled in a much larger audience.
2. Apex Legends
The launch of Apex Legends caught almost everyone by surprise. There was very little buildup before release, yet the game immediately exploded across Twitch and YouTube.
Players loved how smooth the movement felt and how fast paced the gameplay was compared to other battle royale titles. The ping system also completely changed communication in multiplayer games. At one point, it genuinely felt like Apex Legends could become the next dominant battle royale because of how quickly players switched over.
3. Call of Duty: Warzone
Call of Duty: Warzone arrived during the perfect period in 2020 and instantly became one of the biggest games in the world. The familiar Call of Duty mechanics mixed with large scale battle royale gameplay created something that appealed to both casual and competitive players.
A lot of gamers who never enjoyed Fortnite’s building mechanics moved over to Warzone instead. Features like the Gulag and custom loadouts helped the game stand out from the competition. During the pandemic era especially, Warzone felt like the closest thing Fortnite had to a real threat.
4. H1Z1
A lot of people forget how huge H1Z1 once was. Before Fortnite and Warzone dominated the market, H1Z1 helped introduce many players to the battle royale genre for the first time.
The game was everywhere on streaming platforms during its peak. Popular creators played it daily, and the intense gameplay created plenty of viral moments online. Although technical problems and stronger competition eventually hurt the game, there was definitely a period where H1Z1 looked like the future of online multiplayer gaming.
5. Fall Guys
Fall Guys became one of the biggest surprise hits in gaming. Instead of focusing on guns or survival mechanics, the game used chaotic obstacle courses and mini games to create a completely different kind of battle royale experience.
Its bright visuals and simple gameplay made it massively popular almost overnight. Social media was flooded with clips, streamers could not stop playing it and for a short period it felt like everyone was talking about Fall Guys. Even though the hype slowed down later, the game came incredibly close to becoming gaming’s next giant trend.
What helped Fortnite survive all these challengers was its ability to constantly evolve. While other games often peaked quickly before slowing down, Fortnite kept reinventing itself with new mechanics, collaborations and live events. Still, every game on this list had a moment where it looked capable of changing the entire battle royale scene.
