The best Multiplayer
Certain games are just better with friends. In an era of social gaming, multiplayer titles have risen to the top of the food chain thanks to games like Call of Duty and battle royale titles like Fortnite. Team up with strangers online or get a group of friends together for an afternoon of fun — the more, the merrier. Plus, as a general rule of life: try to be nice to everybody. Don't be a jerk.
Fortnite
I know Fortnite will be a contemptuous pick on this list. You either love it or hate it with every fiber of your being, and that's fair. However, you can't argue with its popularity. What started as a tower defense game turned into so much more with its battle royale mode. The games industry wouldn't be where it's at right now if it weren't for Fortnite, for better or worse.
In battle royale mode, up to 100 players drop onto a map vying to be the last man standing and earn that coveted Victory Royale. Players have the option to build towering structures as the map slowly shrinks around them. Its new seasons offer pop culture mashups with the latest movies and entertainment. A concert was even held in Fortnite by Travis Scott. Soon, Christopher Nolan will broadcast movies within the game.
Fortnite
You love to hate it and hate to love it. Whatever your feelings on Fortnite are, you can't deny its popularity. This free-to-play battle royale is constantly updated with new content and seasons — sometimes tied into pop culture — to keep players coming back for more.
Apex Legends
EA and Respawn attempted to take on the Fortnite phenomenon with a battle royale of its own, Apex Legends. What sets Apex Legends apart is its use of hero characters that are all different from one another, dramatically changing the game. It also focuses on three-person squads rather than pitting every player against one another.
Apex Legends happens to be set within the Titanfall universe, created by developer Respawn. This means that are certainly opportunities for some crossovers in the future, even if Respawn says that Titanfall 3 isn't being worked on at the moment. All we can do now is cross our fingers and hope for the best.
Apex Legends
Apex Legends is another battle royale meant to compete with Fortnite, and it does so with great success. Respawn focuses more on unique playable characters that suit a variety of playstyles to keep the gameplay experience fresh for everyone, and new heroes are still being added.
Call of Duty: Warzone
Call of Duty: Warzone takes the series' impeccable multiplayer gunplay and throws in a battle royale twist — because everything needs to be a battle royale nowadays. Warzone usually supports up to 150 players, but some special limited-time modes have been known to support 200 players at once.
Since Warzone is free to play, you don't have to purchase Modern Warfare to play it. Solos, duos (squads of two), and trios (squads of three) are all available within the game, in addition to a mode called Plunder. This mode pits teams against one another as they try to collect $1 million across the map.
Call of Duty: Warzone
Warzone is a completely standalone battle royale game set in the Modern Warfare universe. This free-to-play title supports up to 150 players (and sometimes more) across two different modes. If Apex Legends and Fortnite don't scratch that battle royale itch for you, maybe Warzone will.
Rainbow Six Siege
This is the poster child for how a developer can turn a bad game into a good one and some TLC and millions upon millions of dollars. After Rainbow 6: Patriots was canceled, Ubisoft got to work on Rainbow Six Siege, which features no single-player campaign and emphasizes team cooperation in various multiplayer modes.
Rainbow Six Siege currently features around 20 maps across several modes, including Hostage, Secure Area, Bomb, Terrorist Hunt, Hostage Extraction, and Protect Asset. Limited-time modes are added to the game occasionally, like Outbreak, which pitted teams against parasitic aliens.
Rainbow Six Siege
Rainbow Six Siege is the perfect example of how a mediocre game can turn into a great one with the proper support. Ubisoft never gave up on it, and as a result, it's been played by hundreds of millions of people.
Destiny 2: Legendary Edition
Destiny 2 is another game that's come a long way since its launch. It was by no means bad upon release — Bungie listened to players' complaints about the first Destiny — but constant support only means it's gotten better and better with age. Five major expansions have already hit Destiny 2, including the latest Beyond Light DLC.
While a free-to-play version of Destiny 2 is available, it only includes a partial list of content. Things like the Shadowkeep expansion, Forsaken's story, raids, some exotic weapons, and several subclass trees are not included. If you want to play that content, you'll need to buy the Legendary Edition.
Destiny 2: Legendary Edition
Destiny 2 rectified many complaints that players had with the first game, and Bungie keeps on supporting it with expansions that only serve to elevate the experience. The Legendary Edition includes Shadowkeep and Forsaken.
Splitgate
Splitgate is described as "Halo meets Portal." When you play it, you'll find that it's actually pretty accurate. This free-to-play FPS combines the sci-fi shooting of Halo with the Portal's, well, portals, to create action-packed multiplayer matches. What's even cooler is that Splitgate started as a college project between a couple of Stanford students.
It became so popular during its early access release in 2021 that the developer had to bump back its full release to improve server capacity. It's currently available on consoles with cross-play enabled. Developer 1047 Games hopes to support it with additional seasons of content and a battle pass.
Splitgate
"Halo meets Portal" isn't a combination you'd think would work, but somehow Splitgate pulls it off. It's entirely free-to-play on PlayStation 4, so you have no excuse not to try it out.
