10 Must-See Battle Royale Moments, From Fortnite To Warzone

If you ever needed a reminder that pushing the offensive is sometimes what makes the difference between failure and triumph, there are few greater examples than this excellent display of positioning and marksmanship from TaySon in the 2021 FNCS All-Star Finals. As someone who’s far too guilty of holding back at critical BR moments, this is a match worth taking notes on.

Kotaku’s own Alyssa Mercante (who’s featured in this very list!) broke out the figurative telestrator to explain just what the hell is happening here, so if like me you’re not sure what’s going on, I’ll do my best to relay that info. Essentially our protagonist here has a self-revive…which is not known by their opponent who, foolishly, chose to pop their finisher as some kind of display of showmanship. Well, maybe they should’ve paid attention to where the damn ring was, or actually, I dunno, just finished the damn kill.

It’s tough to locate the original clip of this divine kill from superrugby12, which is a shame because it’s fucking hilarious. With success in battle royales hinging so heavily on critical shots and timing, it’s easy to forget not just the utility vehicles can provide, but the lethality and absurdity.

Sometimes you can get away with just taking-your-sweet-fucking-time™. This clip is not one of those moments. Capped from the perspective of the defeated (the whole sequence is viewable at 1:52 in this PUBG compilation video) it deserves all of the memes slapped on it because, dude, your opponent was literally taking a coffee break in your crosshairs. Hard to tell which is more impressive, the victory or the defeat.

Aside from simply solid Fortnite play on display here from Wrigley during 2021’s NAE competitive series, there are two particularly awesome things about this victory: One, his comeback after dipping to just three hit points and two, just how much fun the building element of Fortnite is. I love how well this clip showcases the dynamic environmental puzzle sandwiched right in the midst of intense third-person shooter combat.

This clip from player hazard16 gets more satisfying to watch each time. Honestly, it belongs on r/ThingsFittingInThings. But it’s also a pretty important reminder of the situational awareness required to do well in a battle royale. Sometimes picking up the pace and getting back in that ring negates needing to out-shout your opponent.

If your teammates ever felt you were overreacting when you yelled at them to make sure they finished off the foe you just downed, show them this clip as justification for your anxiety. It’s also a critical lesson in learning to read the scoreboard. The opponent here threw away certain victory. Instead of confirming their last kill, they turned away and started plating up for some reason (??), giving their would-be victim time to heal, pop up, and steal the win. Folks, finish your kills.

When that circle starts moving, things get hectic. Taking any amount of time to stop can quickly get you killed by the gas, or tripped up by opposition looking to take advantage of the chaos. But as Kotaku’s own Alyssa Mercante demonstrates in this excellent double-kill to the finish line, moving before it’s too late keeps you where you often need to be during these moments: on the offensive. Also, it’s another perfect example of why you need to finish your kills. Any number of the three opponents she drops here could’ve had a self-revive, and that could’ve easily ruined this solid sweep.

When you consider how much time biccfrai gives their foe here, it’s not hard to imagine this going poorly. But how can you not love moments like this? We’ve all been there before: Your foe clearly doesn’t see you while you have a wide open shot…so the question really is how long you’re willing to toy around with them. Not sure I would’ve given them a full 30-ass seconds here, but the theater of it all is delicious.

Warzone’s gulag is an intense showdown between two fallen opponents. But, you know, the game does give us spectators the opportunity to screw with whoever’s desperately fighting to get back out onto the battlefield…and with rocks, no less! So why not take that opportunity to do some mischief? This beautiful moment of ruining someone else’s fun is the kind of delightful playfulness I’ve come to love from battle royales.