Following the rise of Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds and , which cemented battle royale as the largest genre in online gaming, countless contenders emerged only to falter. With competition now diminished, a new battle royale title is undergoing a weekend-long playtest ahead of its launch later this year—one that may just carve out a distinct enough niche to attract its own audience.
Scramble Knights Royale was unveiled during the 2025 , showcasing its player-versus-player gameplay and claymation-inspired art style. While most battle royale games take the form of first-person shooters, Scramble Knight Royale instead draws inspiration from top-down RPGs like , adding a fresh twist to a genre in need of innovation.
Developer Funktronic Labs plans to release Scramble Knights Royale later in 2026, but interested players can try the game early for free during a from January 9 to 11. This playtest is limited to North American players for Funktronic’s initial server test, though the developer notes a global playtest will occur before launch. Participants in this or future tests will unlock in-game rewards when Scramble Knights Royale launches, though specifics remain undisclosed.
I’ve never been a fan of battle royales myself, preferring over competitive titles, but Scramble Knights Royale has already caught my attention. This is partly due to its charming art style, but primarily because of how it merges action RPG fundamentals with its competitive core.
Each round of Scramble Knights Royale begins with 32 competitors arriving on an island by boat. Initially, you’ll lack armor and weapons, forced to defend yourself against the island’s NPC enemies, growing stronger until you can take on human opponents. The island is dotted with caves where you can dodge traps and battle stronger enemies to secure loot that will aid in future fights. Merchants provide a place to spend gold earned along the way on better equipment and magical abilities, meaning building a strong loadout could influence victory or defeat as much as raw combat skill. As with any battle royale, movement is constrained by an ever-shrinking safety circle, eventually forcing survivors into fights until only one remains.
None of this strays far from a typical battle royale, but its RPG elements could immediately make it more appealing to players like me who favor third-person action over first-person shooters. Additionally, the option to spend most of your time looting dungeons rather than fighting other players might make it more accessible to those who don’t thrive on pure competition. Friendly NPCs around the island even offer simple quests, such as slaying a certain number of non-player enemies, indicating the game’s player-versus-environment elements are as important as its PvP side.
Battle royale games can be highly intimidating for newcomers. Entering an established title without refined shooter skills or knowledge of its mechanics often results in being eliminated before you grasp what happened. Scramble Knights Royale could offer a less stressful entry into the genre, with slower RPG-style combat compared to fast-paced shooters, allowing newcomers to gear up by fighting NPCs before facing other players. Of course, joining at launch could also reduce this skill gap, making the upcoming playtest a good opportunity to see if Scramble Knights Royale suits you before it’s open to all.