Fortnite: Battle Royale and PlayerUnknown’s Battleground (PUBG) are two of the most popular games of 2019. Both have more than 200 million registered accounts, and both of these games are online player versus player (PVP) battle royale games. Also, both Fortnite and PUBG are extremely successful games. But when it comes to Fortnite vs PUBG, which one is better?

Overview

Battle royale games are games where players land on the ground, gather materials and try to be the last one standing. In battle royale, respawning is not a thing, so players have to be extra careful about the things they do.

Fortnite

Fortnite is currently available on Windows, MacOS, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android. Although Fortnite is a battle royale game, it is famous because of its special feature – building. In Fortnite, players can build walls, floors, ramps, and ceilings. Players can also edit them to make it easier for them to hide from opponents, snipe, or heal themselves in buildings.

Fortnite is more of a fast-paced game compared to PUBG because of its small maps and the fast moving storm – a mechanism that pushes players into one small space faster which automatically makes the game pace faster.

Fortnite is also more “arcadey” and immature compared to PUBG. The animations and effects especially make it arcadey. For example, the smoke produced by a rocket launcher looks like something that will appear in a cartoon, which makes the game more cartoony. Overall, the vibrant colors in the game make the game appeal to a younger audience.

PUBG

PUBG is available on Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, iOS, and Android. PUBG also costs $20 (600 NTD) to purchase. PUBG is one of the first super popular battle royale games, and it’s more of a realistic game compared to Fortnite.

PUBG has a lot of real military weapons, and the characters and the vehicles are all more realistic and mature compared to Fortnite. There’s also blood in PUBG which makes it extra mature.

Game modes

In Fortnite, there are a few choices for battle royale game modes: solo, duos, and squads. All these game modes only support third-person perspective. In every single game, 100 players drop down and try to be the last one standing. Special modes are available as well, like “Cash Cup” which opens every Tuesday. Cash Cup is a competitive tournament where players try to gain as many points as possible to earn real life money.

PUBG also has solo, duo, and squad choices as battle royale game modes. In contrast with Fortnite, however, all these game modes support both first and third-person perspectives. The gameplay works the same as Fortnite. 100 players drop down into a map and the goal is to be the last person or team standing. There are also maps for training and custom games. Another game mode is the Zombie Mode. In Zombie Mode, players try to cooperate and kill as many zombies as possible.

Vehicles

Fortnite has always added and removed new vehicles from the game. Player favorite vehicles like the hamster ball, golf cart, and shopping cart have been removed. Almost every single vehicle has functions other than driving. For example, the boat in the game can shoot missiles. Vehicles also contain boosts to go faster.

Similar to Fortnite, PUBG has also been adding vehicles. But unlike Fortnite, PUBG’s vehicles are more realistic and military based, like the van, motorbike, and buggy. Vehicles are more useful than just fun to drive. It helps with transport around the large maps of PUBG. PUBG’s vehicles also contain small boosts to make the vehicle go faster. Overall, the vehicles in PUBG are helpful and realistic.

Weapons

Weapons in Fortnite are very different from PUBG. Although most of the weapons are inspired by real-life weapons, the developers made them more cartoony. For example, when players shoot a rocket from the rocket launcher, the smoke behind the rocket is very unrealistic. Weapon rarity is also a thing in Fortnite. In Fortnite, there’s common, uncommon, rare, epic, and legendary weapons.

Compared to Fortnite, PUBG’s weapons are realistic and detailed. Almost every weapon in PUBG is inspired by real military weapons. For example, players can find the Scar-L, AKM, and P1911 guns. Weapons in PUBG are very detailed, and players can see that they put a lot of effort into designing the guns. Although rarity of guns is not a thing in PUBG, weapon attachment is a factor. Players can put attachments on the guns, and make the guns better, like by doing more damage or having longer range.

Maps

In Fortnite, there’s only one map that players can play on. Although Fortnite only has one map, the map is often updated and new things are very often added to it. The map in Fortnite is smaller compared to PUBG. This makes the game pace faster because there’s more possibility of players landing in the same place. A small map isn’t the best for a battle royale game, but it definitely suits players that like fast-paced gameplay.

Unlike Fortnite, PUBG has several maps, but the maps are often forgotten and not updated. PUBG’s map environment is a lot more realistic compared to Fortnite. It makes players feel like they are actually in the battleground fighting for life. The big maps in PUBG lead to a slower-paced game experience. The bigger maps suit the theme “battle royale” better.

Microtransactions

Fortnite is a free-to-play game. V-bucks, the in-game currency in Fortnite can be bought from the shop or earned from the battle pass. With V-bucks, players can buy skins for their avatars, tools like pickaxes, and other extras like emotes. Unfortunately, skins can only be purchased with V-bucks because they are unavailable in the free (not upgraded) battle pass. On the bright side, players can try out Fortnite without taking any risks because they can just delete the game if they don’t like it.

On the other hand, PUBG is not a free-to-play game; it costs $20 USD (600NTD). The in-game currency in PUBG is called BP (battle points). The only way players can earn BP is by playing the game. This is good because spoiled rich kids aren’t able to get the best item in five minutes. Also different from Fortnite, there are crates players can buy to get items. This is one thing that players hate, because it’s luck based. Some crates in PUBG are free, but there are crates that cost $2.50 USD (75 NTD) to open. On the bright side, PUBG is also not a pay-to-win game.

Which is better?

When it comes down to which is the best game, it really depends on the player. For a player that likes a fast-paced, arcadey, and creative game, they should go for Fortnite. But if the player likes a slow-paced, realistic, and skill-based game, they should choose PUBG instead of Fortnite. Either way, both games are very well designed, but when it comes down to which to play, it all depends on what type of game you want to play.