Knives Out is a mobile battle royale game for iOS and Android that features 100-player survival matches and squad-based combat.
Product velocity
Active
Daily rank 🇺🇸
#131
▼8Games · grossing
Sentiment
3.9
561k reviews
Nemesis
PUBG MOBILE
The App DNA
What makes this app unique?
Players hire the app for team-based survival experiences that run on budget hardware, serving the need for competitive social play without requiring high-end device specs.
For Mobile gamers interested in competitive, team-based battle royale survival experiences.
What does it look like?
Key features
Large-scale map supporting 100-player survival matches
Seasonal progression system offering tiered rewards and cosmetic items
Multi-player vehicle mechanics for team-based traversal and combat
Cosmetic outfit system for character appearance
How much does it cost?
Freemium model relies on seasonal battle pass cycles and vanity item purchases to monetize a free-to-play user base.
Velocity
Active developmentseasonal eventsnew contentmonetizationShow more...
The app ships approximately 0.8 releases per week, placing it in the active category. Development is heavily focused on recurring seasonal content, specifically battle pass rotations and collaborative events, which drive engagement between version updates. While the release notes for the latest version and its predecessors are repetitive, they clearly signal a live-service model centered on seasonal progression. The development trend is stable, with a predictable rhythm of content-focused updates.
Who built it?
NetEase Games
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Draw MarketUser Sentiment
What do users think recently?
Fresh user feedback skews mixed. Users appreciate smooth battle royale gameplay mechanics provide a compelling alternative to established mobile shooter titles and character customization options offer a standout creative outlet that differentiates the game from competitors, but report technical instability and visual glitches post-update disrupt the core combat experience for many players.
How are ratings & reviews evolving?
What users say, by theme
- Smooth battle royale gameplay mechanics provide a compelling alternative to established mobile shooter titles
- Character customization options offer a standout creative outlet that differentiates the game from competitors
- Accessible performance on lower-end hardware allows a wider range of players to participate
- Technical instability and visual glitches post-update disrupt the core combat experience for many players
100 of 100 recent reviews analyzed · high confidence · Mixed overall
Read the full review analysisUnlock 2 more frustration themes and 2 user requests, each backed by review evidence.
Access the full report for freeCompetition
Competitive landscape for Knives Out
How's the Games market?
Knives Out currently ranks #83 Grossing in the US Games category, trailing the market leader PUBG MOBILE. The gap between its accessibility-driven install base and its grossing rank signals monetization friction relative to its discovery advantage.
Read the market outlookThe rivals identified
By Tencent Mobile International Limited
PUBG MOBILE is the direct market leader in the battle royale genre, sharing the exact thematic niche and audience intent as Knives Out.
- Massive global tournament ecosystem drives long-term player retention beyond core gameplay loops.
- Deep integration of licensed intellectual property collaborations creates recurring seasonal content spikes.
- Advanced anti-cheat infrastructure provides a more stable competitive environment for high-skill players.
Unlock the head-to-head verdict: where this rival wins, and where it loses.
Access the full report for freeThe Analyst's Read
Key takeaways for Knives Out
Where is it heading?
The battle royale market is consolidating around titles with high technical polish and established social networks, leaving Knives Out exposed. Maintenance-mode updates and unresolved latency issues will accelerate player migration to rivals like PUBG MOBILE unless the team shifts focus from cosmetic content to core infrastructure.
- Technical regressions in the latest update (flickering, quits) erode the daily active habit, which compounds the rating drag already visible on Android.
- The lack of regional server support forces high-latency matches, which drives churn among the core competitive player base into the arms of global-scale rivals.
The SWOT
- Stylized aesthetic differentiates from hyper-realistic competitors
- Performance accessibility on budget hardware expands addressable market
- Squad-based vehicle mechanics increase session duration
- Localized language support for international coordination
- Native controller support for precision-focused enthusiasts
- Expansion into hybrid survival-RPG modes
Next best moves
Ship stability hotfix for screen flickering and quits because technical instability is the top complaint → reduce churn
+ 1 more prioritized moveThe counter-intuitive read
The game's accessibility on low-end hardware is a liability, not a strength…
Read the full takeFeature gaps
Real-time regional server selection (available in PUBG MOBILE but missing here) +1
Since the last report: The product has transitioned from a standard battle royale experience to one struggling with technical regressions and competitive latency issues, leading to a decline in user sentiment.
Bottom line
Knives Out retains players through performance accessibility, but technical instability and high latency actively erode the competitive experience, so the PM must prioritize stability and regional infrastructure to prevent churn to more polished rivals.
Unlock 3 critical frictions, 3 market threats, 1 more prioritized move and the analyst’s take.
Access the full report for freeReport last updated