Both PUBG and Fortnite are absolutely killing it right now, but there can only be one true winner. We’ve taken the time to compare the two games to find out who wins. This might the be most hotly debated topic right now, but which game remains the true king?
We’ll compare both games across a variety of different categories. We’ll be basing it solely on gameplay and won’t include things like platform availability, price, or microtransactions, as these don’t impact the game in anyway. Think you know differently? Let us know.
The Graphics
Let’s start with the graphics. Both games have very different art styles, so it’s difficult to compare the two. Fortnite has gone with stylised assets that are easy on the eye and, for a game like this, work incredibly well.
PUBG, on the other hand, has gone for realistic graphics. It’s hard to say which looks objectively better, but when it comes down to it, there are a few things that PUBG’s graphics struggles to do in comparison to Fortnite.
Firstly, the graphics in PUBG are hard to make perfect across a wide variety of machines. Low end PC owners that put their graphics on low will find a pixelated mess. The game has some issue with render distance, too.
If you can run on ultra without any frame issues, you could argue that PUBG looks nicer, sure, but in comparison, Fortnite is so much easier to navigate with your eyes – players pop out at you, there’s a clear difference between the different types of scenery in game. There’s no confusion anywhere.
The Winner: Fortnite
The Gun Mechanics
This argument depends on your style of play. Fortnite has hitscan for most weapons, which essentially means it’s point and click. Your bullets will always hit where you are aimed, no matter what.
This makes it an easier game to pick up, but it can’t compare to the range of bullet mechanics used in PUBG. For open world Battle Royale games, we think players should be rewarded for learning how to use weapons more effectively by understanding their pros and cons, and rarer weapons should have some level of benefit to them.
In PUBG, players have bullet velocity to think of – this can impact the time it takes for bullets to hit the player and the amount of spread a weapon may have. Weapons also have different recoil patterns and different effective ranges. Mastering these takes patience and skill, but overall it’s far more rewarding.
The Winner: PUBG
Playing Solo
Playing Solo
Playing solo in both PUBG and Fortnite can be a great experience, but only when things go right. In solo play, you don’t have a teammate to get back you up, so you have to work extra hard not to get killed.
From our experience, playing PUBG is not only harder in solo, but it’s far more frustrating. Whilst players are rewarded by staying alert, it’s far too hard to keep an eye on all locations at once – this is easier when you have more eyes on your team.
This isn’t different in Fortnite, per se, but Fortnite gives players the opportunity to place down walls – this gives players the chance to recover from a stray bullet and re-engage the enemy. In PUBG, you’re often left clueless and when you’re out of cover, you’re given little opportunity to recover from a stray sniper shot.
The Winner: Fortnite
Playing As A Team
If you throw other players into the mix, the playing field changes completely. Even just playing with a duo partner in either Fortnite or PUBG can change the gameplay experience massively.
With two or more players, you have the ability to keep track of more of the surrounding environment at once. This applies to both PUBG and Fortnite.
With more than one player, you also have a little room for failure – if you get killed, you’ll get downed and your teammate can get you back up again. With this in mind, we think PUBG becomes the better game here. Players can work together on strategically engaging with enemies, and if a player is downed, the team can work on a solution to get him back up.
The team fights in PUBG are far more intense, in my opinion, and they give a lot more room for strategic play.
The Winner: PUBG
Performance And Bugs
Performance And Bugs
Well, there’s only one clear winner here. PUBG needs to get its act straight when it comes to performance issues and bugs, especially on console. Whilst optimizations have been made across the board, Fortnite still sits as a far more fluid, polished title.
Work needs to be done to PUBG before it can even begin to compete against Fortnite here. We’ve got to give props to Fortnite on the other hand – it runs like a dream on PC, Xbox One, and PS4, and there’s rarely any issues or bugs – especially not game breaking ones.
The Winner: Fortnite
Map Design
This is going to create some discussion, I’m sure. It’s a hard choice to make, but I’d lean towards saying the PUBG map design is better. Before you shout your insults, let me explain why.
I’ve heard the argument a lot that Fortnite has cleaner-cut maps that are easier to navigate, whilst PUBG has maps with too many buildings and too much cover to keep track of.
It’s true that PUBG has more buildings and more cover, but I think that’s a good thing. You can get to grips with the Fortnite map within a few hours. The PUBG maps take far longer to learn about.
Fortnite doesn’t offer that level of strategy and there’s a far smaller learning curve when it comes to map design.
The Winner: PUBG
Skill Curve
Speaking of PUBG, this will lead to my next category. The skill curve in games is always important. Being able to improve yourself as a player gives you more chance to feel a sense of progression without the need for surface level things like player leveling.
The skill curve in PUBG is different to Fortnite. In Fortnite, it’s often about using inventory management learning how to use the base building mechanics to your advantage. There’s a bit to master when it comes to movement, and it takes some time to train your aim, but that’s it.
PUBG, on the other hand, has a skill curve that’ll keep you engaged for far longer. Base building mechanics aren’t a thing, but you still need to learn how to engage players within buildings. You need to learn how to engage players at long-ranged distances, and also close-to-mid range – all of these different distances require a different set of playstyles that must be mastered because of the more in-depth weapon mechanics
PUBG also has a far more complex map design that means players must learn how to navigate different areas of the map more efficiently.
You always need to keep in mind where a player may be able to shoot you from and where you may need to move to get cover from the shots. Fortnite removes this element by giving players building tools.
The Winner: PUBG
Summary
I’m sure we could go on for hours, but in this personal comparison, I’d say that PUBG is the winner. It’s not the clear winner forever, though. There are things Fortnite does better. If you’re after a battle royale game that doesn’t have a steep learning curve, for example, Fortnite is for you.