Fortnite vs PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds: which is the game for you?
Towards the end of 2017 it was abundantly clear that 'battle royale'
was the game genre of the moment, with Fortnite Battle Royale and
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds being the most popular games in that genre.
Now
that 2018 is well underway, we're only seeing the popularity and scope
of both titles increase, but which game is best for you?
PlayerUnknown's
Battlegrounds was the first of the two games to be released, and it
took the PC gaming and streaming worlds by storm. Its growth has been
nothing short of astounding, and towards the end of 2017 it was boasting
an
Xbox One port and 3 million concurrent players.
Of
course, any fan of battle royale games knows that you don't get to be
alone for long, and PUBG's competition soon came along in the form of
Epic Games' Fornite. With similar gameplay it's proven to be tough
competition, and in the last month alone it's increased its playerbase
by an incredible 10 million.
And so the battle royale of the battle royales continues.
On
the surface, Fortnite and PUBG share many similarities but they have
significant differences in content and style which make them feel
notably different to play.
To help you decide which game is best
for you right now, we've compared the different offerings of Fortnite
and PUBG below. Which will be the last game standing
Graphics
PUBG and Fortnite are both battle
royale games with similar mechanics, but when it comes to visuals
they’re very distinct. Which one you find is better, however, is largely
down to personal preference.
While PUBG goes for a gritty
militarism that feels more realistic, Fortnite is much more colorful and
cartoonish – kind of in the vein of titles like
Overwatch. It’s really down to you which kind of world you prefer to play in.
PUBG
Fortnite
Maps
First things first: PUBG's maps are larger than Fortnite’s.
But bigger doesn't always mean better, and there are positives and negatives to both games' maps.
Being
so large, vehicles are required for traversal in PUBG, particularly if
you're unlucky enough to land far from the safe zone. Unfortunately,
using vehicles tends to draw the attention of other players, so if
you're forced into using one, getting across a PUBG map can sometimes
feel like a tense dash that'll leave you reaching for some deodorant.
Fornite’s smaller map means you have less space to play but it’s much easier to traverse ,and matches tend to be much shorter.
A
big plus in PUBG's favor is that it offers two maps – Erangel and
Miramar. And there's a third coming later in 2018. The map you play in
is random, but the variety here does keep things interesting and forces
players to stay on their toes.
PUBG
Fortnite
It’s worth noting, however, that Fortnite has recently received an
update which adds five new locations to its map. These new locations
range from underground mines to built-up cityscapes, and these force
players to take different approaches to combat thanks to their different
layouts.
Each game, then, takes a different approach to offering variety.
While PUBG prefers to opt for large individual maps, Fortnite has
decided to expand and improve its existing map. Fortnite's developers
have, however, said that more maps will be added to the game, just “not right away”.
It’ll
take some time to determine which game is taking the better approach.
But at the moment it seems fair to say that that those looking for
long-lasting tense matches with plenty of risk-taking on sprawling
varied maps should opt for PUBG, while those looking for something a
little more contained and faster-paced may prefer Fortnite’s single,
densely-packed island.
Gameplay
Both
of these games are battle royales, and as a result they feel pretty
similar in terms of gameplay and goal: do whatever it takes to survive
as the map shrinks around you. Whether you like to play solo, with a
friend, or with a group of your friends, both titles will give you this
option.
But
there are big differences, the first of these being weapons and items.
In any battle royale game weapons and items are key, but Fortnite and
PUBG take slightly different approaches to them.
Befitting of its
gritty realistic visuals and large maps, PUBG has far more items and
weapons than Fortnite. That’s not to say Fornite is
short on
weapons — there are a range to choose from, and Epic Games has stated
that it'll be adding more in the future; in fact, only recently it added
a minigun to the mix. But its system is less full, complex and deep
than PUBG's and fans of serious shooters may find it less satisfying.
Another big difference between the games is that Fortnite includes
construction elements – something which is probably much more achievable
and workable thanks to the game’s contained map and shorter game
times.
When
the game map shrinks to the point where things are coming to a close,
Fortnite players can use all of the construction items they’ve picked up
over the course of the match to build structures which will afford them
protection or vantage points. It is worth noting, though, that all
cover in Fortnite can be destroyed.
In
some ways this encourages players to face up to one another in the end
and finish things. It’s hard to hide when you’re building something,
especially on a small colorful game map, so finding other players and
being found can be much faster. You could, of course, not build
anything, but then you run the risk of being at a disadvantage if other
players have gained the higher ground.
Because of its construction mechanic, Fortnite matches tend to be more direct in their closing moments, though not always.
Fortnite
PUBG
In PUBG, when the map has shrunk down, players must use the world
around them to move to higher ground or duck for cover. Generally, PUBG
matches are much more tense and stressful affairs.
Because you
can’t build your own vantage point or protection, you have to move to an
advantageous position fast or you'll end up dead. And because you can’t
use player-made structures to safely pin-point the locations of other
players, the chances of someone hiding in an abandoned house waiting to
ambush you are much higher.
This tends to mean PUBG players are
far more cautious and matches can last far longer, while feeling far
more intense in their final moments.
Update frequency
Both
games are well-maintained and updated, but in recent months PUBG has
been much slower than Fortnite to add new things to the game. While
Fortnite has been rolling out changes and adding features pretty
consistently every few weeks, PUBG has been far slower lately.
Though
some of this is perhaps down to a small development team, it's not
helped by the fact that much of the team's focus in recent months has
been on banning cheaters from the game. So far more than one million
players have been banned.
Bluehole has
apologized to
PUBG players for this and asked for understanding, promising that a
2018 roadmap detailing exciting new features will be released in March
Which has more players?
When you’re playing online multiplayer games, naturally you’re going to want to see a highly-populated lobby.
At
a certain point, though, specific numbers are kind of pointless. As
long as the game is popular, you’re going to encounter players to fight
and run from. That’s where we’re at with PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds
and Fortnite at the moment. No matter which game you go into, you’re
going to find an active and large playerbase.
However, it’s perhaps worth noting how trends are swinging at the
moment. Fortnite has recently seen an explosive growth. Between December
2017 and January 2018 it’s managed to
gain another 10 million players,
taking its playerbase to 40 million. In early February 2018, it emerged
that the game has amassed 3.4 million concurrent users. There’s also
been an upswing in the number of streamers turning to Fortnite and away
from PUBG.
In December 2017, though, PUBG managed to hit
3 million concurrent users,
and in January 2018 it emerged the Xbox One version of the game has
more than 4 million users. You’ll understand, then, why we’re saying
player numbers and popularity probably shouldn’t be the driving force
behind any final decision you make.
At the moment PUBG is available on PC and
Xbox One while Fornite can be played on PC, Xbox One and
PlayStation 4.
Performance
seems to be fairly consistent across console and PC for Fornite
(probably down, at least in part, to Fortnite’s larger budget and
development team), PUBG has
been criticized for its performance on Xbox One and the Xbox One X.
It
should be noted, though, that patches are being issued to address this
so the game’s console performance should improve over time. Whether or
not PUBG will ever be ported to PlayStation 4 hasn’t been confirmed but
it’s not an impossibility.
PC is a good option for either game,
but those who prefer console gaming should almost certainly look to
Fortnite first at the moment.
Price
If you’re a complete battle royale novice, then you might be glad to know that Fortnite’s
Battle Royale base game is free-to-play on all platforms, so it’s a good way to dip your toes into the genre.
Epic
Games has taken a service approach to its title – the game is
free-to-download and updates are frequent, with many of the changes
being based on player feedback.
With
the base game being free, there are, of course, options to pay. Players
can buy season passes which give in-game rewards and offer cosmetic
loot rewards to players who complete daily challenges.
The
battle pass is really only worth the money if you're willing to plug
some time into the game, as the more you play, the more rewards you
unlock. However, it doesn't give any kind of advantage over other
players as Epic Games has promised that no items that can be purchased
will ever offer any competitive advantage.
PUBG
takes a loot crate approach, allowing players to purchase crates
containing random cosmetic items which vary in their rarity. You can buy
these crates using either in-game money earned through play. Some
crates require keys to unlock and these keys can only be bought with
real money.
Some recent changes to the game have made this system
more palatable. Where once the random weekly crate drop had a 40
percent chance of being one of those you have to purchase with real
money, Bluehole has reduced that to 20 percent. Now players have more
chance of receiving a free-to-open crate, but they'll also be given the
chance to buy a new paid Fever crate if they so wish.
PUBG can be purchased on Steam and on Xbox from £24.99/$29.99/AU $39.95.
So, which one should I play?
On the surface Fornite and PUBG are very similar games. They’re both
battle royales, they both allow you to play alone or with others, they
both feature shrinking maps and the ultimate goal is to be the last
player standing.
However,
on closer inspection they offer very different experiences and it
depends entirely on player preference which one is better. Both have
massive playerbases, so you could hardly call either of them bad. They
simply have different appeals.
If
you’re looking for colorful aesthetics, accessibility and fun on
console then Fortnite is the one to choose. For those unfamiliar with
the concept of battle royales it’s certainly a good initial option – not
only is it free, it’s easier to get to grips with and its shorter
matches make it a more casual experience.
PlayerUnknown's
Battlegrounds on the other hand is for those looking for something a
little more serious. Its grittier visuals, longer match times, larger
maps and more complex weapon and item system mean it’ll take more of
your time to learn and play. For serious shooter fans who prefer realism
and accuracy, PUBG takes the chicken dinner.
Whichever one you choose, just prepare yourself for a lot of stress and know that any victories will be hard-earned.