The 10 Best PvP Games To Keep You on the Edge (2024)

Video games often test your reflexes through a variety of skill sets. Diving into the best player-versus-player (PvP) games is a great way to prove your mettle against other players, and there’s no other genre as competitive and appealing for gamers. These games match you against other human players based on the specific game mode’s objectives.

Across several platforms, there are endless PvP games you can try. Each competitive online game has a unique skill ceiling that requires you to master different mechanics. That’s where this article comes in — we cover the 10 best PvP games with different subgenres and live-service experiences. By the end, you’ll get a better idea of which game should test your skills next. 

The 10 Best PvP Games

1. Apex Legends

• Genre: Looter-shooter, battle royale
• Release date: February 4, 2019
• Platforms: Windows, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch
• Gameplay features: Hero-based abilities, several PvP modes, more than 25 unique guns to loot, mobility-focused gameplay
• Developer: Respawn Entertainment
• Payment model: Free to play (with in-app purchases)
• Rating: 79/100 on Metacritic
• Best for: Players who want fast-paced gameplay that focuses on unique weapons and character abilities in a battle royale environment

Building on the universe of Titanfall 2, Apex Legends takes players into an arena-based experience. It’s one of the best online PvP games that blends multiple game genres, like battle royale, looter-shooter, and hero-based action.

Players in a team (or solo) drop into the map without any weapons. As the match progresses, you search for loot and equip yourself with guns of varying types and attachments that pair with them. Additionally, each Legend (character) has unique abilities that help you fight against opponents in your own way. Apex Legend’s regular content updates make it feel like a new game every season.

2. Rust

• Genre: Survival, open world 
• Release date: December 30, 2013
• Platforms: Windows, PlayStation, Xbox
• Gameplay features: PvE mixed with PvP gameplay, base-building, crafting elements, melee and ranged combat
• Developer: Facepunch Studios
• Payment model: $39.99 on Windows, $49.99 on consoles
• Rating: 69/100 on Metacritic
• Best for: Players looking for a challenging survival-crafting experience set in a dangerous open world with PvE and PvP elements

Starting from nothing, players in this online game build a life that revolves around finding resources, crafting tools, and building shelters. In doing so, you’ll focus on survival mechanics like thirst, hunger, and health. The open-world exploration also introduces PvE elements such as wildlife and harsh environmental conditions.

Once you’ve built a strong sense of survival, you can form alliances with other players or fight one another. Raids are a strong part of Rust, where you can loot and destroy other livelihoods, becoming the very thing you feared the most in the beginning: a fearsome survivor. 

3. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege

• Genre: Tactical shooter, strategy
• Release date: December 1, 2015
• Platforms: Windows, PlayStation, Xbox
• Gameplay features: Hero-based gadgets and abilities, close-quarters battle, multiple PvP modes
• Developer: Ubisoft
• Payment model: $19.99 on Windows and PlayStation, part of the Xbox Game Pass subscription
• Rating: 73/100 on Metacritic
• Best for: Players looking for a highly challenging PvP shooter that involves special abilities, gadgets, and weapons in a tactical espionage environment

Over the years, Rainbow Six Siege has quickly become one of the top PvP games that features close-quarters combat and tactical espionage as its key components. As part of a five-member squad, you are tasked with gathering intel and outsmarting your proponents as you focus on shared objectives within realistic scenarios.

Its unique game engine allows for highly realistic encounters like destructible environments, detailed ragdoll physics, and gadgets and weapons that remain unique based on the operator you play. 

4. Destiny 2

• Genre: Looter-shooter, action-adventure, RPG, co-op, live-service
• Release date: September 6, 2017
• Platforms: Windows, PlayStation, Xbox 
• Gameplay features: PvE, PvP, narrative-driven exploration and combat, class-based abilities, co-op dungeons and raids
• Developer: Bungie
• Payment model: Free to play 
• Rating: 85/100 on Metacritic
• Best for: Players looking to explore a live-service title spanning across a vast universe filled with class-based abilities, weapons, and quests

Destiny 2 tells the tale of Guardians who are keepers of peace in the galaxy, and the supernatural abilities they possess as well as fight against. The game’s narrative alone makes it an action-adventure game with PvE elements like raids, dungeons, and other co-op activities.

Once you’ve leveled up enough and have your preferred abilities and weapons, you can fight against other players through different game modes. This makes Destiny 2 one of the top PvP games with a sci-fi backdrop. 

5. Throne and Liberty

• Genre: MMORPG, action-adventure
• Release date: September 26, 2024
• Platforms: Windows, PlayStation, Xbox
• Gameplay features: Open-world exploration, fantasy elements, 
• Developer: NCSoft
• Payment model: Free to play (with in-app purchases)
• Rating: 74/100 on Metacritic
• Best for: Fans of the fantasy genre looking to explore a vast open world with PvP and PvE elements

Mixing the elements of a massively multiplayer online game with RPG mechanics, Throne and Liberty boasts a large open world focused on an intricate combat system with supernatural abilities and an environment with dynamic day-night cycles. The game’s complex open world offers an array of possibilities for PvP encounters, thanks to a blend of quests and weapon-based class systems.

Throne and Liberty features cross-platform gameplay, opening the possibility of crossing paths with players across different platforms. Characters can transform into animals as you navigate the world and unlock new quest lines as you progress through the game.

6. Counter-Strike 2

• Genre: Competitive PvP, co-op, tactical shooter
• Release date: September 27, 2023
• Platforms: Windows
• Gameplay features: Team-based objectives, precise and realistic gunplay, competitive matchmaking 
• Developer: Valve
• Payment model: Free to play
• Rating: 82/100 on Metacritic
• Best for: Players looking to sharpen their gunplay and tactical strategy in a competitive environment

As a spiritual successor to the previous games in the series such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive,  Counter-Strike 2 became one of the best PvP games in 2023. It builds on the best features of the series: highly precise gunplay, mobility that requires map awareness, and a skill ceiling that may take years to master.

The game’s core gameplay loop revolves around Counter-Terrorists fighting and stopping Terrorists. You’ll play alongside others in an attempt to plant or defuse a bomb. Each round involves a strategic use of different weapons and map knowledge, making the game a tough but rewarding entry point for beginners in the competitive shooter experience.

7. Hunt: Showdown

• Genre: Extraction shooter, RPG
• Release date: February 22, 2018
• Platforms: Windows, PlayStation, Xbox
• Gameplay features: Bounty hunting, atmospheric sound design
• Developer: Crytek
• Payment model: $29.99
• Rating: 81/100 on Metacritic
• Best for: Players looking for a deeply immersive PvEvP experience

Two things set Hunt: Showdown apart from other games: its player-versus-environment-versus-player (PvEvP) gameplay and deeply woven sound design. Every match of the game will have your heart beat a little higher than usual as you seek out terror in a Western-themed landscape. The game is famous for having a “permadeath” feature, which means that if you lose a match, you lose everything.

Unlike other shooter games in the genre, Hunt: Showdown asks you to listen carefully. You need to be aware of not just footsteps but the sounds of howling dogs, gunshots, melodies, and more. Your survival depends on these factors as you hunt enemies (real players as well as AI). 

8. Dead by Daylight

• Genre: Survival-horror
• Release date: June 14, 2016
• Platforms: Windows, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch
• Gameplay features: Asymmetrical map design, character-based abilities and perks, environmental hazards 
• Developer: Behaviour Interactive Inc.
• Payment model: $19.99 on Windows, $29.99 on consoles
• Rating: 64/100 on Metacritic
• Best for: Fans of the survival-horror genre looking for an asymmetrical multiplayer experience

Playing either as a survivor or a ruthless killer, you strategically plan your actions while navigating a dense, terrifying map in Dead by Daylight. The game draws inspiration from many franchises, like “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “Scream,” and gives you a chance to play iconic characters from different universes.

The game’s asymmetrical map design keeps the gameplay loop rich by making every match feel unpredictable and fresh. Each round opens the door for new possibilities, where killers can be creative executioners while survivors can outsmart psychopaths or die trying — whichever comes first.

9. Sea of Thieves

• Genre: Action-adventure
• Release date: March 20, 2018
• Platforms: Windows, PlayStation, Xbox 
• Gameplay features: Sea exploration with a pirate theme, co-op play alongside PvP, naval combat
• Developer: Rare
• Payment model: $39.99
• Rating: 69/100 on Metacritic
• Best for: Fans of the pirate theme looking to explore an open world with a group of friends

Sea of Thieves boasts a massive open world (or open sea) for players willing to brave treacherous oceans as they play the role of a pirate. There’s a large focus on exploration and naval combat, where you team up with other players to achieve mutual objectives.

While exploring the seas, you’ll encounter mythical creatures and other pirates (just like you). Depending on your fight or flight response at that moment, the PvP experience in Sea of Thieves can often be a matter of luck, wit, and strategy. 

10. Sid Meier’s Civilization VI

• Genre: Strategy, turn-based
• Release date: October 21, 2016
• Platforms: Windows, PlayStation, Xbox
• Gameplay features: Historical fiction, resource management 
• Developer: Firaxis Games
• Payment model: $29.99
• Rating: 94/100 on Metacritic
• Best for: Players who want to rewrite history within a turn-based game about strategy

If you’re a history buff, Civilization VI is one of the most fun PvP games you’ll ever play. Depending on the leader (and civilization) you choose, you start the game from scratch, where early builders find resources and purpose to grow as a people. As the game progresses, you build cities, towns, machines, and more.

You win the game when your civilization takes hold against others, making significant progress in science, military, or religion. Cultural and philosophical pathways also open up possibilities for new strategies in the game, making it a journey that lasts several hours.

The Best PvP Games at a Glance

The best PvP games allow you to prove your skills against others. Depending on the game, the skill ceiling and mechanics may change, giving you new experiences every time you play. Here are the best titles at a glance.

How To Choose a PvP Game

The best PvP games are built on a balance between engaging mechanics, flexible skill requirements, and ease of access. These tips can help you pick a PvP game that’s best suited for you:

• Balance between skill-based mechanics and strategy: An engaging PvP game has mechanics that may seem repetitive after a while but offer a steep learning curve. As you play the game, opportunities to strategize in new ways open up gradually. 
• Check the game's competitive scene: A popular game such as Rainbow Six Siege will already have a large community of players. An active and entertained player base is a good sign, reflecting the quality of the game.
• Look for diverse character classes or combat styles: PvP games that fall into the MMORPG category are often filled with a diverse range of characters and abilities to choose from. These are best for players who want to commit to a game for the long haul.
• Evaluate the matchmaking system: Most PvP games require fast and seamless matchmaking. For this, make sure you have the right region selected in the settings and that the server’s latency is below 90-120 ms. For MMORPGs, it can be a little higher. 

Dive Into the Thrilling World of PvP Gaming

Competitive, demanding, and entertaining — these games are designed to keep you hooked. As you explore PvP games across different platforms, you’ll find a range of mechanics and playstyles to try.

The best PvP games are usually easy to get into but difficult to master. Based on your playstyle, you may end up trying multiple games in a matter of days. As you play the different games on this list, take your time before deciding which title is best for you. 

FAQ

What Are the Top PvP Games Right Now?

Some of the top PvP games right now are Counter-Strike 2, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, and Apex Legends. 

What Strategies Can I Use To Improve My Performance in PvP Games?

As a newcomer, take your time to learn the game’s mechanics, and don’t worry too much about mastering the game within a few hours of playing. Each game has a unique learning curve and will likely require you to play multiple matches or rounds to improve.

How Do Matchmaking Systems Work in PvP Games?

Most PvP games match players based on their rank, performance in recent matches, and matchmaking rating (MMR). These factors analyze a player’s kill-to-death ratio or win/loss record for a fair gameplay experience.