Review: Is Battlerite Worth Playing?

Game Overview.

Battlerite has not been in active development since 2019 and this review will receive no further updates unless development resumes.

Battlerite Royale.

While it would be hyperbole to attribute Battlerite’s current state entirely to the developer’s attempt to chase the battle royale trend, it undoubtedly helped to hasten the inevitable, with Battlerite losing roughly 30% of its already diminished community in the days and weeks following the launch of Battlerite Royale.

While losing a large part of the community undoubtedly did Battlerite no favours, the true problems with Battlerite began much sooner. The fledgeling MOBA lost over 90% of its players within six months of its free-2play launch. This situation was worsened by the developer reassigning much-needed development resources to another title (Battlerite Royale).

While I do not blame the Stunlock Studios for taking a gamble on the battle royale genre, doing so when Battlerite was already showing signs of withering on the vine was a mistake, especially when Battlerite, for all of its flaws, still maintained an abundance of community goodwill and a relatively solid reputation, with an average 92% of reviews being positive.

Faced with the prospect of maintaining two failing titles indefinitely, the Stunlock announced that both Battlerite and Battlerite Royale would be entering maintenance mode following the conclusion of season 3 in late 2019, and while there were vague promises of both gaming returning to active development sometime in the future, as of May 2023 that is not the case.

Cancelled Console Port.

In 2017, Stunlock Studios announced that Battlerite would be coming to console, and many were excited; while there have been MOBA on the console before, none of the big names in the genre has yet to make their way to console in any meaningful way. Players were hopeful that Battlerite would not only do well but attract competition from other more established titles, bringing the PC-centric Moba genre to console in a big way.

Unfortunately, despite receiving a trailer and a tentative release date, Battlerite’s console port was never heard from again, and the dreams of a console-centric MOBA were swiftly washed away.

It Needed Crossplay.

Battlerite would have faired much better as a crossplay-supported multiplatform title, with its vibrant art style, attractive characters and fast-paced yet easy-to-pick-up combat mechanics; it would have attracted a substantial crossplay and eventually a comprehensive multiplatform competitive community.

Unfortunately, that was not the case, and as a result, Battlerite has continued to diminish. In contrast, the casual competitive genre has continued flourishing, with well over a dozen free-2-play titles enjoying the benefits of a large and passionate multiplatform community.

Revival.

While many in the remaining community hope and pray that Stunlock Studios will return to Battlerite and active development will resume, this becomes ever more unlikely with each passing day in light of Stunlock Studios’ newest title, V Rising, which not only more than tripled Battlerite’speak active user count but has continued to thrive during its early access journey, which sees its peak at around 5k players each day, a number that swells considerably following the release of a major update.

Battlerite FAQ

Battlerite is an free-to-play action game developed and published by Stunlock Studios, it released on 8 November 2017, and is available exclusively on PC.

Is There Group Finding/Matchmaking Support?

Battlerite offers the following matchmaking options:

• ☑ Region-Based Matchmaking
• ☑ Solo Matchmaking
• ☑ Group Matchmaking

Are There In-Game Microtransactions?

The Battlerite in-game store sells:

• ☑ Premium Currency Bundles

What Peripherals Are Supported?

Battlerite supports the following peripherals:

• ☑ PC - Mouse and Keyboard

Is There Any Mature Content?

Battlerite is unrated and contains:

• ☑ Violence

Final Verdict.

Battlerite was a good game, but there is no reason to play in 2023, especially with the developers having moved on to other projects and the community having all but vanished after 3+ years without content updates.

Is Battlerite Worth Playing?

We found Battlerite to be a mediocre game, meaning that while it has some redeeming qualities, it's held back by noticeable flaws that prevent it from being truly enjoyable.