Battle royale has solidified itself among the best games on Android, along with being a popular genre for a decade. Dozens, potentially hundreds, of players vye for a single prize. But only one of them, usually, comes out victorious, which makes battle royale such a competitive high-stakes affair.

Think of it as a video game equivalent of Hunger Games. Fortnite, PUBG, and even Fall Guys, reside under the genre's umbrella, but there are many more. This list features the best battle royale games that you can play on your Android gaming phone right now.

1 Brawl Stars

A battle to the death doesn't have to be grim. Brawl Stars features dozens of cute brawlers for you to play with, and each one comes with a signature look and abilities. Hence, it goes without saying that Brawl Stars lets you customize your character with various outfits. And the game's vibrant artstyle makes it all the more enticing to do so.

With Clash of Clans and Clash Royale under its belt, the game's developer, Supercell, is no stranger to battle royale. Sure, compared to Fortnite and PUBG, Brawl Stars is a more compact battle royale for up to six players. But Brawl Stars also features multiple game modes, some of which are fairly novel, such as a 3-on-3 game of soccer.

2 Call of Duty Mobile

Published by another gaming industry big-gun, Activision, Call of Duty needs little introduction; it's been the biggest FPS franchise for decades. Call of Duty Mobile features the shooter experience you've come to expect from the mainline series. With Call of Duty Mobile, the series brings a plethora of game modes, including classics like Team Deathmatch and Domination, as well as a massive 100-player battle royale mode.

Call of Duty Mobile allows you to fully customize your guns, including barrels, stocks, and grips, and achieve stats appropriate for different combat instances. Each season introduces new content, with Season 9 bringing the fan-favorite zombies mode to the Call of Duty Mobile universe.

3 Overdox

Never bring a knife to a gunfight. Or so they say. But what if everyone brought a knife? Overdox blends role-playing elements with MOBA and battle royale. More importantly, characters use only melee weapons to fight: knives, swords, spears, gargantuan hammers and oversized fists.

To support your chosen playstyle, you can also take advantage of each character's unique abilities. And you'll need to utilize the game's various mechanics to come out on top in the challenging Royal Rumble mode.

4 PUBG Mobile

PUBG is among the best battle royale games out there, possibly only overshadowed by the unprecedented success of Fortnite. It boasts an ever-growing player base of over one billion players and a battle royale mode for up to 100 of those players per round.

In other words, you won't have a shortage of participants to battle against. PUBG Mobile also offers a multitude of other game modes to select from, including Payload, Arena, and Infection Mode. Seasonal updates, including new cosmetics, weapons, vehicles, and structures, mean that you won't run out of content to enjoy.

5 Fortnite

Epic Games made a name for itself by developing top-notch video game series like Gears of War, Bulletstorm, and Shadow Complex Remastered. But Fortnite is by far the company's most significant commercial achievement to date. Fortnite combines the exhilarating winner-takes-it-all aspect of battle royale with the novel idea of erecting temporary structures to protect yourself from harm or access otherwise hard-to-reach areas. Plus, there's a mode without building for those that prefer a more traditional battle royale experience.

On top of that, Fortnite enjoys frequent crossovers involving characters from other franchises. This means you can play as characters from DC and Marvel, as well as characters from other games and movies. Previous crossovers include Tomb Raider, Uncharted, and The Evil Dead, to name a few. And, even though Fortnite is not currently available for download via the Play Store, the game is still one of the highest-grossing battle royale games out there.

So if you'd like to install the game, you can grab the APK from Epic right here.

6 Free Fire Max

If you're looking for an alternative to Fortnite or simply don't wish to sideload the game through an APK, Free Fire may be your next best option. Much like Fortnite, it's a third-person battle royale game for up to 50 players, although it lacks the fort-building mechanics Fortnite is known for.

However, Free Fire features a ton of character customization options and a choice of other modes to play in and has received frequent content updates since its release in 2021. It's a constantly updated game with new characters and skins, as well as new maps and weapons, so you're unlikely to run out of things to do anytime soon.

7 Happy Zone

Battle royale is a genre with high stakes, and stakes rarely get any higher than in prison. Happy Zone pits cops, inmates, and other ne'er-do-wells in a chaotic battle to the death. There's no such thing as a get-out-of-jail-free card in this game, so you'll have to use other means to escape.

Pick up weapons from defeated enemies. Anything goes: from baseball bats and wrenches to shotguns, rocket launchers, and even airstrikes. As of right now, Happy Zone only features a battle royale mode. But on the bright side, matches last only up to 3 minutes. So if you're after something more bite-sized, Happy Zone could easily scratch that itch.

8 Hunt Royale: Action RPG Battle

Hunt Royale combines battle royale with the monster-hunting mechanics of Monster Hunter. In this feature-packed RPG, you get to choose a hero with unique abilities, set out into the wilderness, and hunt down frightening beasts, yetis, dragons, and even a ginormous kraken.

On top of the competitive battle royale mode, the game offers other PvP and PvE modes. Dungeon, for example, gives you the chance to descend into perilous dungeons to find valuable loot. Meanwhile, the Maze mode ups the ante by adding challenging roguelike elements to the game.

9 Modern Combat 5

Unlike Fortnite and Garena Free Fire, Modern Combat 5 focuses on realism above all else. It could easily compete for the title of the best-looking game on Android. But on top of looking great, Modern Combat 5 plays the part as well.

This first-person shooter features customization options for your character and weapons, both of which affect not only how you look but your potential success or failure. In addition to classic game modes like Team Deathmatch and Capture the Flag, Modern Combat 5 features a proper single-player campaign. And, while it's not at the forefront of the game's offerings, it does feature a free-for-all battle royale mode as well.

10 Fog - MOBA Battle Royale Game

Where most battle royale games tend to be first or third-person shooters, FOG mixes up the formula by being a MOBA. In other words, a multiplayer online battle arena. If you've played other games in the genre, such as the exceptionally popular League of Legends, you'll feel right at home.

In FOG, you'll use melee weapons and magic to stave off enemies, both monsters, and player-controlled. FOG gives you a boatload of options for customizing your characters. And these customizations not only change their appearance but also improve their stats. You're getting a battle royale, a MOBA, and an RPG mixed into one game.

11 Stumble Guys

You've probably heard of Fall Guys. It's a game-show-like battle royale game in which contestants don colorful costumes and participate in various challenges. A portion of players gets eliminated after every round, and only one -- the fastest, the nimblest, or simply the luckiest -- is crowned a champion.

Stumble Guys is pretty much that, but on mobile. In this colorful and family-friendly battle royale game, you'll compete against up to 32 players online. Stumble Guys features vivid characters and costumes to customize them with. Don your favorite, jump online, compete with strangers, or just play around with the game's physics.

12 Super Mecha Champions

Have you ever wanted to play as a Japanese schoolgirl with an electric guitar that doubles as a flamethrower? While it does sound oddly specific, someone at NetEase Games thought of the same thing. That's because in Super Mecha Champions, you can play as that Japanese schoolgirl. In fact, there's a plethora of characters to choose from in this battle royale.

Inspired by Japanese cityscapes, Super Mecha Champions brings the battle royale genre to bustling urban environments. The game features an abundance of towering mechs, both nimble and stalwart. Each mech comes with a set of different weapons and abilities and also handles differently. And the many unique pilots greatly complement their steel companions.

The battle royale genre has more to offer than meets the eye

Several mobile battle royale games have had their servers shut down over the last year. Final Fantasy VII: The Last Soldier closed in January, while Apex Legends Mobile was shut down on May 1st.

Thankfully, to fill in these gaps, Call of Duty Warzone is gearing up for a mobile release. Pre-registration is available right now. Are you looking forward to it? Do you think it will compensate for the absence of Apex Legends? Share your thoughts in the comments below.