Before Fortnite: The First Battle Royale Game

I get asked a lot about the first battle royale game, usually by folks who came into the genre through Fortnite or PUBG. Makes sense. Both games blew up so fast that it’s easy to think the idea started there. But it didn’t. The roots go back farther, with small steps that shaped the games we now play every day.

How the Whole Thing Started

When people ask what was the first battle royale game, I tend to laugh a little. Not because it’s a bad question. It’s just that the answer isn’t a neat one-liner. If you say what is the first battle royale game, you expect a single title. But the truth has twists.

My own work in game communities started around the old mod days. You learn fast that big genres don’t appear out of nowhere. They grow from small experiments. Some messy. Some rough. But each one adds a piece.

Back then, survival shooters were already picking up interest. Players liked the stress of losing everything. They liked the open fields. The slow hunt. Many early survival games set the stage for the origins of battle royale games.

The Idea Before the Name

If you want the real starting point, you look at the early battle royale history. And that history sits inside a mod. A mod made by one person. Brendan Greene. Most people know him as PlayerUnknown.

His idea came from the “last person standing” feeling. Not complex. Just honest. Drop in. Find gear. Keep moving. Pressure builds. This idea created the battle royale game evolution we talk about today.

Greene used Arma 2 battle royale roots as his base. Arma 2 was slow and clunky to some players, but it gave full freedom for modding. That freedom mattered.

The DayZ Link That Many Forget

Before you had Fortnite. Before PUBG. You had DayZ battle royale mod scenes. A lot of players forget how vital DayZ was. It gave us the feeling of pure survival. Hunger. Fear. Long walks with no sound except your boots. Seems simple now, but it shaped many early survival game mechanics.

DayZ didn’t start as a battle royale game. It was about zombies. But the open world, the scavenging, and the permadeath gave the right base for what came next.

Some folks ask me what was first battle royale game in a release sense. They want a clean date. But you can’t skip the DayZ link if you want first battle royale game history to make sense.

H1Z1: The Game That Brought the Mode to the Main Crowd

Now, if you’re asking what was the first battle royale game to come out as a full package with a “battle royale” label, most players point to H1Z1 origins and impact. I played it during launch week. It was rough. Lag spikes. Strange bugs. But it had charm.

H1Z1 turned the once-niche mod idea into something people watched on streams. That was big. It brought real attention to the genre and made studios notice the demand.

PUBG: The First Huge Commercial Hit

A lot of younger players assume is PUBG the first battle royale game. It isn’t. But it was the first major hit that defined the modern shape. The PUBG early development days had a strong push. It was built around Greene’s vision again, but with cleaner design and better systems.

When people ask who made the first battle royale game, the person you look at is Greene. He didn’t make every game. But without his mods, the rest doesn’t roll out the same way.

PUBG also locked in things like:

• shrinking circle pressure
• fast loot spread
• simple guns
• open maps
• easy to understand rules

These shaped the evolution of the battle royale genre and influenced even Fortnite later.

Fortnite Steps In and Changes Everything

When players ask me how Fortnite changed the battle royale genre, I always point to two things: speed and building. Fortnite wasn’t the first. Not even close. But it changed how kids and newer gamers saw battle royales.

Before Fortnite, the tone was heavy. Dark. Almost military. Fortnite made it bright and quick. It added ramps, walls, and weird movement tricks. That pulled a new crowd. This shift also pushed devs to rethink the genre. It’s why we see faster games and shorter rounds now.

Let’s Answer the Straight Questions

A lot of people look up things like:

• when was the first battle royale game
• when did the first battle royale game come out
• when was the first battle royale game made
• first battle royale game ever made

So let’s put it down simple.

First Battle Royale Game Timeline Table

That table covers the timeline of battle royale games from the roots to the boom.

The First Battle Royale Game: The Real Answer

Now let’s answer the big one. If someone asks you:

• what’s the first battle royale game
• which was the first battle royale game
• what was the very first battle royale game
• very first battle royale game
• first battle royale game ever

The answer is:

Arma 2: PlayerUnknown’s Battle Royale Mod (2013)

That’s the true starting point of the full ruleset we know today.

• Not Fortnite.
• Not PUBG.
• Not H1Z1.

It was a mod in Arma 2 made by one person.

The Mobile Side

People ask sometimes about the first battle royale game in mobile. Many think PUBG Mobile was first. Not true. Some small titles hit phones earlier, but none hit big. PUBG Mobile was the first huge one. It pushed mobile shooters into the mainstream.

What These Games Took From Each Other

When I look back at pre-Fortnite battle royale titles, it’s clear each added a block:

• DayZ added tension.
• Arma 2 mods added rules.
• H1Z1 added speed.
• PUBG added polish.
• Fortnite added style and pace.

These became the base of the rise of multiplayer survival shooters later. Even modern games copy pieces of these early ideas. The history of online multiplayer shooters has many trends, but battle royale stands out because every round feels like a small story. You land with nothing. You end with too much or with nothing again.

A Quick Look at Game Design Choices Back Then

A lot of new players don’t know how basic things were. The game design behind early battle royales wasn’t shiny. Mods were hacks patched together. Guns broke. Servers crashed. UI looked like old office tools.

But these raw parts shaped many design choices we still see:

• wide open maps
• random loot
• shrinking zones
• one life
• small gear sets

These small things kept players coming back.

Why Fortnite Didn’t Replace the Others

People like to say Fortnite killed other games. It didn’t. The pre-Fortnite gaming trends were strong already. Fortnite opened a new door, but players still want the slow, tactical pace of PUBG or even the old Arma feel. Every style fits someone.

The Question People Still Mix Up

Some folks ask who was the first battle royale game, which doesn’t quite make sense as a question. But they mean who made it or which game started it. And again, the answer always points back to Greene and his Arma 2 mod.

And Now?

The genre keeps changing. But the roots stay the same. One player wins. Everyone else watches the screen fade out. Simple idea. Still fun after all these years.

The story of the first battle royale game isn’t a clean one. It’s a pile of old mods, broken servers, and one clear vision that kept growing. And that’s kind of why it stuck.

FAQs (from People Also Ask)

1. What was the first battle royale game ever made?
The first one with full rules was the PlayerUnknown’s Battle Royale mod for Arma 2.

2. Is PUBG the first battle royale game?
No. PUBG came later but made the genre global.

3. Who created the first battle royale game?
Brendan Greene, who goes by the name PlayerUnknown.

4. What was the first battle royale game to come out as a full title?
H1Z1: King of the Kill is often seen as the first big standalone release.

5. When did the first battle royale game come out?
The Arma 2 mod appeared in 2013.

Kashif Amin

Kashif Amin | Your source for Esports, Battle Royale, Role-Playing, Retro Games, and Gaming Gear. Let’s Enjoy!