Both Fortnite and Apex Legends are the most popular Battle Royale shooter survival games with a huge fanbase around the world. While Fortnite has long been the obsession in the video game arena, Apex Legends is the hottest online shooter out there right now, which amassed a whopping 50 million players in the first month since its release. We pit the two epic games against one another to help you decide which one’s right for you. Here’s a breakdown of some noticeable differences between the two games.
Fortnite
Fortnite is a third-person death-match styled game developed by Epic Games and released in 2017. Fortnite is one of the biggest and most popular Battle Royale games in the world. It’s available on most game platforms, including PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, iOS and Android devices, and can be played by just anyone. The game pits a group of 100 players against one another in a fight for survival. One of the fundamental skills in Fortnite is building; players can build forts, towers, and other structures, and fight off each other in a quest for survival.
Apex Legends
Apex Legends is a fast-paced, first-person Battle Royale game from the Titalfall developer Respawn Entertainment published by Electronic Arts. With tens of millions of players, it is one of the most popular and epic online multiplayer games in the world. It follows the basic battle royale structure of popular titles like Fortnite and PlayUnknown’s Battlegrounds, but what makes the game stand out is the various types of playable characters that each has unique abilities. It’s a team-based game with no support for solo mode, but there are a ton of weapons and tools you can use to battle other players in Apex Legends.
Difference between Fortnite and Apex Legends
Premise
– Fortnite and Apex Legends are two of the biggest Battle Royale games in the world with a huge fanbase. Fortnite is definitely one of the most epic shooter survival games based on the concept of ‘Hunger Games’ that pits a large number of players against each other in a free-for-all ‘last-man-standing’ style game. Players are dropped onto an island and they have to fight their way to the end until one player remains or the team remains.
Apex Legends follows the basic Battle Royale structure of Fortnite wherein teams compete to be the last squad standing. Unlike Fortnite, it’s a first-person shooter game with a huge cache of weapons and other tools players can use to fight each other. Players are dropped onto an island, scavenging for gear in the Titanfall universe and team up to battle for fame.
Gameplay
– Fortnite is set in a world where massive storm are sweeping across the land, scary zombies are rising up and attacking people, and players have to team up to build bases and defend against zombie attacks. This is the ‘Save the World’ mod. However, in the ‘Battle Royale’ mode, up to 100 players compete against each other to be the last one standing, instead of fighting off zombies. Players can build forts, towers, and other structures, and at the same time, attack each other using a variety of weapons, tools and resources in a quest for survival.
Apex Legends is an entirely team-based survival game which takes places after the events of Titalfall 2 in a new area called the Outlands. Every match consists of 20 teams with each a three-player team who battle each other to be the last remaining in a giant battle. The game provides a ton of game tools like communicating with enemies and weapon locations and as the match goes on, players are forced into an area that grows smaller and smaller. Unlike Fortnite, there is nothing on the level of building in Apex Legends.
Characters
– One of the major additions to the Apex Legends is adding characters. Players can choose from eight legendary characters, each with their own unique abilities and special moves. Six are available from the start while the other two need to be unlocked. Apex Legends is more like the hero shooter Overwatch, where you and your squad must think cautiously when picking a team in order for each other’s abilities complement one another.
Fortnite is more like a generic shooter survival game which allows for some serious fun building mechanics but does not have any colorful characters or legends with unique abilities and special moves to begin with. All the characters in the game are interchangeable but the ability to build and collect items with your pickaxe is what sets the game apart from other battle royale games.
Weapons
– Fortnite contains a wide variety of weapons which you need to find and know how each of the weapon works. Other than building, mastering weapons is the most important skill to develop in Fortnite. Every weapon comes in a special color which describes its rarity. There are five different rarity levels – Gray, Green, Blue, Purple, and Orange. Gray weapons are the most common and can be found all over the place, while the Orange weapons are the most difficult to find.
Apex Legends also allows you to find and pick up the best weapons on the map, but it takes the game a level up by allowing you to choose attachments and customizations for your weapons. Weapons range from pistols, shotguns to sniper rifles, SMGs, and assault rifles. Many of these weapons are from Titanfall and feature dozens of different unlockable skins. The best part is the weapon customization which also allows you to customize weapon skins and add weapon charms.
Fortnite vs. Apex Legends: Comparison Chart
Summary
Both Fortnite and Apex Legends are the most successful Battle Royale games of all time which took the world by storm by building their own audiences. However, Apex Legends is entirely team-based and there’s no solo mode for the lone wolves out there. While it follows the basic battle royale structure of the already popular Fortnite, it has class-based hero characters like the ones in Overwatch and it has the first-person perspective. A team of three battles the other 19 teams to be the last squad standing. Fortnite is relatively slow-paced but allows for some really fun building mechanics – building, which is one of its key focal points.