Over the past few years, the battle royale genre has exploded in popularity thanks to its addictive last-man-standing formula. The biggest games likeFortnite, Apex Legends,andCall of Duty: Warzonehave amassed huge audiences with millions of players. TheNintendo Switchis no stranger to the battle royale hype as it features numerous titles available on the eShop.
However, theNintendo Switchdoes have some hardware limitations and while some of the biggest battle royale games have made it to the console, they often underperform when compared to their PlayStation, Xbox, and PC counterparts. As a result, the best battle royales on the Nintendo Switch are ones that utilize its unique portability to the fullest while retaining strong performance with its hardware.
RELATED:Nintendo Switch User Discovers Joy-Cons Can Be Used as Photo Remote Controls
Spellbreak
Spellbreakis easily the best performing battle royalegame currently available for the Nintendo Switch. Departing from the traditional gun-based gameplay of popular battle royales, it features a unique spellcasting system that fire projectiles. Players are able to select from six elemental classes as they duel with others and navigate massive maps. The hover mechanic works surprisingly well on the Nintendo Switch and the mechanics feel as smooth as they would on any other console. Best of all,Spellbreakis also a cross-platform game so playing on the Nintendo Switch doesn’t prevent players from joining up with their friends.
Tetris 99
WhileTetris 99might not be the first thing players think ofwhen they imagine battle royales, it offers one of the most unique battle royale experiences available on the Nintendo Switch. Combining the classic mechanics ofTetristogether with the competitive nature of battle royales,Tetris 99has players compete in a lobby to knock each other out of the game. As players complete rows, they can send attacks to other players in the form of “garbage rows” which fill up the screen. Much like how arenas shrink in classic battle royale games,Tetris 99slowly increases the speed of the falling blocks as more players are eliminated.
Realm Royale
For fans ofPaladins,Realm Royaleis a spinoff to the popular hero shooterand incorporates many of its mechanics including character classes and unique abilities. Much like any other battle royale game, players are dropped from an airship and must eliminate others in a shrinking arena. However,Realm Royalealso includes a number of interesting mechanics such as forging and mounts. While the framerate remains locked on the Nintendo Switch, the performance itself is fairly consistent and offers a unique battle royale experience for fans of hero shooters likeOverwatch.
Fortnite
WhileFortnite’s performance on the Nintendo Switch can be hit or miss at times, it nonetheless offers one of the best battle royale experiences for the console. Although it obviously can’t be compared to the PlayStation or Xbox,Fortniteruns surprisingly well on the Nintendo Switchand Epic Games has released a number of updates to the renderer so that it makes better use of the GPU. Best of all, the flexibility of the Nintendo Switch allows casual players to takeFortniteon the go while competitively inclined players have the ability to play in docked mode with the Nintendo Pro controller.
