PUBG Mobile is one of the best battle royale games on Android, and the best part about is that it works reliably even on budget phones. But with the Indian government banning PUBG Mobile and PUBG Mobile Lite, fans of the game have to look elsewhere to get their battle royale fix.
PUBG Mobile isn't the only game to be banned recently. Fortnite was removed from the Play Store a few weeks ago for contravening Google's payment rules. The game is still available to sideload on Android phones, and if you're using a Samsung phone, you can install it directly from the Galaxy Store (opens in new tab).
But with both PUBG Mobile and Fortnite facing issues with availability, what are your options if you're interested in playing battle royale games on your Android phone? Thankfully, there's no shortage of similar titles, and we've rounded up the best PUBG Mobile and Fortnite alternatives below.
Call of Duty: Mobile
Call of Duty: Mobile is the obvious choice if you're looking for an alternative to PUBG Mobile. The game has over 100 million downloads, runs fine on budget phones, and takes up just over 1.7GB of storage.
Like PUBG Mobile, CoD Mobile is free-to-play and offers a 100-player battle royale mode along with 5v5 deathmatch and a sniper vs sniper duel. You get the ability to play multiplayer maps from the likes of CoD Black Ops and CoD Modern Warfare, and you can customize your character with various outfits, weapons, and unlock new characters.
Call of Duty Mobile is published by U.S.-based Activision, and with an active community along with regular updates, it is the ideal alternative to PUBG Mobile and Fortnite.
Call of Duty Mobile
Call of Duty Mobile is one of the best battle royale games on Android today, with exciting game modes and plenty of character customization options available. It works on just about any phone, has great visuals, and it is the best alternative to PUBG Mobile and Fortnite right now.
Garena Free Fire
Free Fire is another game that emulates PUBG's playbook. The battle royale game offers a 50-player survival mode, with rounds lasting 10 minutes. Like PUBG, you get to drive vehicles and choose from a variety of customization options for your character, and the game routinely gets new content.
You can also play in squads of up to four players, and there's a shorter 4v4 Clash Squad format that just debuted in August 2020. The best part about Free Fire is that the game takes up just over 500MB of storage, and it is optimized incredibly well for budget phones. Free Fire is made by Singapore's Garena, and with over 500 million installs, it is one of the biggest battle royale titles on Android.
Garena Free Fire
Free Fire has been in the market for several years, and it has a massive userbase. It routinely gets new content and game modes, the rounds last 10 minutes on average, and you can drive vehicles — just like PUBG Mobile.
Battlelands Royale
Battlelands Royale introduces a fun twist to the battle royale genre. The game has fun characters and lets you play solo or create a squad, with each round lasting just three to five minutes on average. The 32-player survival mode follows the same premise as other games in this category: parachute in to a desired location on the map, grab some loot, shoot other players, and be the last one standing.
The game is designed for mobile devices, and runs incredibly well on just about any phone. It takes up just over 200MB of storage on your phone, the visuals are great, and you get plenty of customization options for your character. The game is made by Finland-based Futureplay, and it currently has over 10 million downloads.
Battlelands Royale
Battlelands Royale is a battle royale game, and it has a distinct twist because of the fun characters. You get the same sort of game mechanics as PUBG Mobile with the 32-player survival mode, but it is more relaxed.
Pixel's Unknown Battle Ground
Pixel's Unknown Battle Ground is basically PUBG Mobile with a slight change: the characters and the visuals are pixel-themed. You get a similar survival game mode as PUBG, and there's the option to play as a team with your friends. You can drive various vehicles, the controls are intuitive, and if you're missing PUBG Mobile, this is a decent enough clone.
The game also has loads of skins and customization options, and you can buy weapons and outfits for your character. Pixel's Unknown Battle Ground has over 50 million installs, and it works fine on budget phones with the settings turned down to low or medium.
Pixel's Unknown Battle Ground
What if you take PUBG Mobile and pixelate the characters? You get Pixel's Unknown Battle Ground. The game is a decent clone of PUBG Mobile, and you get a similar set of game modes and character customization options.
What PUBG Mobile and Fortnite alternatives are you interested in?
There are plenty of battle royale titles on Android, and while it's a shame that PUBG Mobile and Fortnite are facing issues, there are fallback choices. What battle royale game are you now interested in playing? Let us know in the comments below.
Harish Jonnalagadda is a Senior Editor overseeing Asia at Android Central. He leads the site's coverage of Chinese phone brands, contributing to reviews, features, and buying guides. He also writes about storage servers, audio products, and the semiconductor industry. Contact him on Twitter at @chunkynerd.
