Last man standing (video games)

Last man standing (LMS) or last team standing (LTS) is a multiplayer deathmatch gameplay mode featured in certain computer and video games, particularly, but not exclusively, first-person shooters, and is also the basis of battle royale games. The aim of a player in a last man standing match is to neutralize their opponents and remain the sole survivor. The basic rules followed are generally the same as a regular deathmatch mode, with one important difference being that respawn is limited or not allowed at all. Each player is assigned a specific number of lives per match (or just one when there is no respawn). Once these lives have been expended, the player is no longer able to return to the current match and remains as an invisible spectator until there is a winner and the LMS round is over. In some games, the player is allowed to buy or pick up items before spawning, while other titles have the player spawn with full weapons and ammo and there are no powerups available on the map.

Several different variations of the last man standing mode exist, with the most common being team LMS. The rules are the same as the standard LMS, the winning team being the one that eliminates all members of the opposing teams while keeping at least one of its members alive.

The first last-man-standing video game with a shrinking play zone was the 1983 action game Bomberman.