Erangel is the BEST Battle Royale Map: Here's Why

We’ve had a lot of different maps within the battle royale genre. Much to the chagrin of many, but still, one of the most important aspects to this style of game is the map; the literal terrain you are going to cross as you play. It needs to feel good to move around the map, have distinct points of interest and not feel like any part of it is more powerful than the rest. And while many maps have tried, only one, to me, has achieved this level of success. And that’s PUBG’s first map they created: Erangel. It’s the best battle royale map we’ve gotten.

That’s a loaded statement, but in my eyes, I feel it doesn’t even compare. The only other map that feels like it should be listed is COD’s Alcatraz map. But even then, that map is fun more because of the mode attached to it. This already has a ton of contradictions to it, I know. I have scatter brain trying to figure this out. The actual layout of the map is spot on. Tons of points of interest, the map is fun and engaging to explore. Even if they reuse lots of the buildings, it’s forgivable. The main attraction for people first looking at it is the military base. Located at the bottom of the map, and while it may house powerful gear (doesn’t always do that), there are only two ways to get in and out under normal circumstances. Long and exposed bridges that separate it from the mainland of the map. Sure, you can swim, or find a boat and get across, but if you plan of trying to go across the road, you are going to get contested and have to fight your way out.

I’m also a fan of the green landscapes as my preferred terrain to play on. The deseret isn’t so fun, and snow, while certainly interesting, hampers overall visibility. Green may be overdone, but it’s the safe route, and the developers have drastically improved the visual quality overtime. Plus, some of the locations across Erangel are iconic at this point: the Mil base, Pochinki, Rozhok; and who can forget the ThunderDome of the map: the school. I’ve had games that started and ended their faster than some Tarkov raids. And that’s saying some shit. I know personally I have little memes with my friends with all these different places. It's awesome. The terrain of the map is varied enough, especially with altitude that it doesn’t all feel the same, even though the general theme of the map is largely identical across it. And because the map has a balance across it as a whole, where the final zones end up being means the end game always feels different. It could be at the top of a hill, in a dense urban area, or isolated at the corner of the map.

Now, the map isn’t perfect; no map is. One of my personal gripes is how the terrain, if you’re not on an actual road is very bumpy. To the point, that if you’re in a bike, you can very easily flip it by accident, ending your game before it really got started. Believe me, I’ve done this more times than I’d like to admit sadly. And there are some locations that I personally have barely ever explored. The two that pop up to me are Mylta Power, in the bottom right, and Stalber in the top right. Although, Stabler is an awesome spot for the game to end on because it’s so high in the air. I also appreciate that the water is usable and isn’t just there for show. You can find a boat and move around the perimeter of the map should you desire. And there’s even a river that cuts into the map that you can use to get you at roughly the halfway point on the map.

Now, again, I’m trying to think of other maps other games have done that really stood out to me. And maybe I’m stupid, but I can’t think of any. Apex’s first map wasn’t bad, day one Warzone was cool, but a lot of urban areas, and even H1 back in the day was pretty urban as well. This map just strikes the right balance or tight close combat, and moments where you’ll be running and just shooting the shit with your friends, or at least have a moment of reprieve by yourself. I’m trying to take my nostalgia glasses off for this, and to me, Erangel was a definitive map to play on. It always felt good, the games were always fun (unless you died at the start but that’s every BR), and BlueHole at the time really knocked it out of the park. To this day, I would use this map as a foundation for looking at what makes br maps work. It truly is the best we’ve gotten in the genre.