PUBG vs Fortnite: Which battle royale game is king?

In 2025, Fortnite and PUBG are still going strong. The free-to-play battle royale games have become two of the most popular esports games of all time, creating careers for prolific players and enriching Epic Games and PUBG Studios, respectively, with huge profits thanks to in-game purchases.

Since their 2017 debut, they’ve evolved into brands that others are working to appear in. From Power Rangers to Lego, there seems to be no limit to what’s possible for these games. However, despite PUBG falling second to Fortnite in player count, there are still a few factors where both games are winners.

With this in mind, we’re breaking down how they fare against each other and scoring them out of 10 to see whether Fortnite or PUBG wins out on top.

When gameplay is considered with PUBG vs Fortnite, both share similar gameplay traits. Both are in a third-person perspective, both have a Battle Pass, and both have players in a contained map with 99 other players.

Fortnite focuses on a comic-book aesthetic that appeals to players of almost all age ranges. Nothing feels like it’s for children or adults; the game simply feels like an open playground to have fun with friends and family. With PUBG, everything looks more mature and realistic, with an army-focused theme that may alienate some.

However, if you play both games right now, you’ll see how the Fortnite collabs define certain mechanics, compared to what’s absent in PUBG. Granted, there have been some crossovers before, such as Resident Evil, Tekken, Monster Hunter, and other franchises in PUBG Studios’ title, but it’s never seemed to stick with PUBG. These mostly consisted of skins and nothing more, while Fortnite leverages its collabs with constant content throughout its seasons.

When it comes down to deciding between the two, it will likely depend on whether you want a game that focuses more on realism and combat with PUBG, or one that leverages its collabs and different modes that appeal to many more players with a comic-book art style.

PUBG score: 6/10

Fortnite score: 9/10

There are some significant differences between playable characters in Fortnite and PUBG. In PUBG, players can create their characters down to the skin tone and hairstyles. With the crossovers over the years, ranging from Resident Evil to Dragon Ball, characters from these franchises can be picked as well, but with fewer choices to customise them, compared to Fortnite.

Fortnite has its own take on this, called outfits, but more commonly called skins. When you start the game for the first time, your character is a standard avatar that looks like a casual soldier. But once you rack up levels over various seasons, you collect these skins that transform your character into others from different franchises. From Dr Doom in Marvel to Lara Croft in Tomb Raider, you can also customise them with capes and different effects to personalise your character further.

But it’s these collabs and customisation options that nudge Fortnite ahead. It gives more individuality than PUBG, and the recent Power Rangers collab, where teams would become each of the five superheroes, only elevated this collab even further.

PUBG score: 6/10

Fortnite score: 8/10

Unfortunately for PUBG, it’s a clean sweep for Fortnite in the popularity contest. Despite both launching in 2017, Epic Games’ take on the battle-royale genre has won out, mostly thanks to its ever-changing content and maps that have refined the gameplay mechanics almost every time. With these being spread out across new seasons every few months, it’s resulted in a consistent playerbase, as of 2025, in the region of 1.5 million, compared to PUBG’s 700,000, with rumours that it’s a figure set to drop further.

But it’s important to mention PUBG Mobile, which is accessible on Android and compatible iPhones and iPads. In countries like Asia and the Middle East, the PUBG vs Fortnite player count pendulum swings to PUBG Studios’ title, with around 33 million monthly active players.

PUBG score: 8/10

Fortnite score: 9/10

For two games first released in 2017, their strong presence in esports still stands to this day, which says a lot about their longevity and appeal with players worldwide.

For Fortnite, developer Epic Games directly funds the title’s esports scene, with plenty of tournaments players can enter without being in a team. There are yearly events like the Fortnite World Cup, but others are hosted at different events worldwide, too. Much of this focus is on solo and group sessions, mostly available to all, so the entry level is very low.

PUBG has two esports scenes — the desktop space and the mobile space. Both have franchised leagues and sponsored events like the PUBG Global Championship. Instead of focusing on individuals and different groups, most PUBG esports events focus exclusively on the four-player groups, which have been a staple for years. But, like Battlefield 6, there’s more of a focus on tactical decisions and positions, amping up the tension for players and viewers alike. But the scene is ultimately smaller compared to Fortnite.

But as mentioned, PUBG Mobile has a huge presence in esports, especially in regions like Asia and the Middle East. Events like the PUBG Mobile Global Championship draw in huge crowds and viewership, and the next one in October is set to do the same. With Fortnite barely available on Apple’s devices worldwide, PUBG stands out in the mobile esports scene, as it’s available on iPhones and iPads globally. This means new and existing players don’t need a powerful PC or a streaming service like GeForce Now to access PUBG — it’s a simple download away. This narrows the Fortnite vs PUBG battle significantly for mobile gaming.

If we were going to compare both games on consoles and PC, Fortnite would be the clear winner. But with PUBG Mobile being very popular in certain countries, as well as being easily available on mobile devices compared to Fortnite, Epic Games’ title just scrapes through.

PUBG score: 7/10

Fortnite score: 8/10

When we tally up the scores, Fortnite is the clear winner, scoring seven points more than PUBG’s total of 27. When you consider the partnerships, the ever-changing gameplay, the new mechanics, and the quality of the trailers released to mark a new season, Fortnite has PUBG’s number.

However, it should be mentioned that it’s not as clear when you consider its popularity and esports presence. PUBG Mobile is PUBG Studios’ trump card here, with several international markets easily beating Fortnite’s monthly viewership and player count. With that being said, when adding up all the factors and criteria, Fortnite wins the battle here.