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Why mobile is the best place for battle royale games

The real battle royale has always been on mobile

Why mobile is the best place for battle royale games

Do you know how many battle royale games there are on iOS and Android? In fact, forget about battle royale games - what about all of those games that include battle royale as a separate, understated, mode? There are lots, okay? Loads. Like, a truly inconceivable number.

Garena's Free Fire, PUBG Mobile, Fortnite, Call of Duty Mobile, Knives Out, Rules of Survival, Modern Combat 5. Those are just a few of the many games available on mobile which can include a big battle royale component. So yes, that's lots, an insane amount actually, and it keeps growing, with games like Apex Legends making their way to mobile before we know it.

And so mobile is quickly becoming one of the best places to play battle royale games, despite touch screen controls, questionable online connections, small screens, and a host of other small issues which prevent people from seeing mobile gaming as "real" gaming, even now, in 2019. Madness.

Face facts, guys: mobile is one of the best places for battle royale games already, and to prove it, I have a list of questionable reasons. Hey, if you've got anything better, you're welcome to leave it in the comments below…

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This is a simple beauty. Just being able to start playing wherever you are, at any time. Just, doing it. Sitting at the bus stop, waiting on a train, falling asleep in the back seat of a car - whatever you're doing at the time, you can start playing a battle royale.

Call of Duty Mobile and PUBG Mobile have been great for this, and the more dedicated battle royale players usually find that Fortnite is suited to them, as they continue their battle pass progress while on PC, Switch, console, mobile, whatever suits them.

Portability is a massive advantage to mobile gaming in general, and as long as you have an internet connection, it's the perfect way to play battle royales.

The great equalizer

Touchscreens are truly the great equalizer - we are all equal before a touch screen. Without precise controllers, or even more precise gaming mice, we are all equal, and it's the touchscreen that brings us all down.

We can consider ourselves professional and talented as much as we want, but the fact is that when on a touch screen, we could very get obliterated by a small child. And that's beautiful, in a way.

On mobile, there is no judgment. Unless you play with one of those controllers which maps touch screen inputs to buttons. Please don't. That's how I win.

Better with friends

Any game is better with friends, so this feels pretty self-explanatory, but there are more reasons why mobile is best.

I mean, for one, pretty much everyone has a mobile device, right? A smartphone, or a tablet? You can play games like Fortnite on any of them, and when it comes to Fortnite specifically, it makes things far more interesting.

For example, I can turn on my mobile, my tablet, my Nintendo Switch, and my PS4, and start playing with a full four-man Fortnite team, and all I need is the stuff I already have lying around nearby. Sure, I'd probably also need four accounts, but simple, single-screen multiplayer like this is hard to come by, and mobile makes it so much easier.

Always online

Mobile phones are pretty much always online. Unless you've managed to go into a 4G blackspot, gone underground, or turned flight mode on, then you will basically always be able to play a battle royale no matter where you are. That's good because unlike many other game genres, battle royales really need to remain online no matter what.

Is this a bad reason to say mobile is the best place for battle royale games? By itself, I'd say yes, but then you have to take all of the other reasons listed here, with the sheer variety of battle royale titles you have to choose from on mobile. And need I reiterate that Apex Legends is coming to mobile?

Sorry, I'm just excited about Apex Legends.

Dave Aubrey
Dave Aubrey
Dave is the Guides Editor at Pocket Gamer. Specialises in Nintendo, complains about them for a living.