"Fortnite is one of the most influential games in history, and it is almost singularly responsible for battle passes that “pay for themselves”, free seasonal content updates, and cross-platform multiplayer becoming industry norms."
Singleplayer.
Co-op Multiplayer.
PvP Multiplayer.
This review focuses on aspects unique to Fortnite Battle Royale. For a comprehensive look at Fortnite as a whole, check out our full review here.
Fortnite Battle Royale feels as fun and exciting in its 8th year as it did when it was new to the market, and a large part of why it feels that way is how often Epic Games makes major changes to the game. There are four major themed seasonal updates each year, a fifth smaller update that remixes a previous chapter, and finally, a new map and mechanical overall each December at the start of each new chapter.
While seasonal updates introduced new weapons, items, points of interest and occasionally seasonal mechanics, it is the chapter updates each December that change up how the game is played by introducing new mechanics such as the ability to swim in Chapter 2, sliding and climbing in Chapter 3, and most recently in December 2024, a complete overhaul of the parkour system, which enable players to perform a variety of manoeuvres such as Ledge Jump, Roll Landing, Wall Kick, and Wall Scramble.
In addition to the features mentioned above, Fortnite has added (and occasionally removed) many more features throughout the years, including the ability to drive vehicles, modify weapons, fly bi-planes, use ziplines, grind on rails, hire NPCs, take over points of interest, and more.
Towards the end of Chapter 1, Fortnite Battle Royale had a serious issue: the loot pool was flooded, and the wide array of items made balancing a near-impossible task, with some items being overpowered and others barely functional in a competitive setting.
Stripping back the loot pool to a much smaller selection of items was the right choice to begin chapter 2, but ever since, Epic has continued to vault the majority of items at the end of each subsequent season; while this does help to keep gameplay fresh, it also strips away the “meme factor” that made Fortnite Battle Royale what it is.
Despite what the loud minority cries, Epic Games has always tried to appease the most vocal members of the community, many of whom are found on r/fortnitebr.
Please understand that the “loud few” are not bad people. They genuinely think their experiences and opinions are the only ones that matter. A prime example of this was the introduction of Fortnite Brutes. Thanks to a few streamers known for being poor losers and their very vocal fan base, Epic Games repeatedly nerfed the Brutes before disabling them all together well before the end of the season.
The problem with Brutes was not that they were hard to defeat, but rather, people were told they were hard to defeat. I am far from a professional Fortnite player, but I destroyed 100s of Brutes while only being killed by them half a dozen times at most during the entire season.
I believe I have been killed more by pickaxes than Brutes, yet no one would call them overpowered or needing a nerf.
The loud minority deserve to have their opinions considered along with everyone else, but no more than anyone else, and certainly in all cases outside diversity, representation and accessibility, never over that of the majority.
Unlike what its detractors would have you believe, the Fortnite community is nothing special. It is not “full of sweaty neckbeards” or “full of toxic children,” but it comprises one of the most diverse gaming communities, attracting gamers of all ages and walks of life.
There are toxic elements of the community, and there are “angry squeakers”, but judging a community of over 350 million players by the actions of a small part of that community is immature and toxic in its own right.
Fortnite, for better or worse, has a consistently inconsistent narrative built upon each season; while it’s sheer madness, this madness makes Fortnite unique, and the lore doesn’t have to make sense. Pirates, spies, aliens, Jedi and superheroes all play a part in the insanity that is Fortnite and honestly, that’s just fine.
While controversial to some, Fortnite’s ability to offer crossovers with so many other franchises is a major driving force behind the longevity and engagement of Fortnite Battle Royale and gaming in general.
Too many games take themselves too seriously, and sometimes it’s good to engage Kratos in a dance battle with a giant banana while Master Chief looks on disapprovingly.
Epic Games has continued to amaze (and anger) many with its frequent crossovers. I cannot wait to see what comes next, especially as part of the Gaming Legends Series, which has already given us many memorable characters.
Fortnite: Battle Royale is a battle royale video game developed and published by Epic Games, it was released on 21 July 2017 and it is Free-2-Play.
Fortnite: Battle Royale is available on the following platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
Fortnite: Battle Royale is very active, with an average of 1.6 million concurrent users across all battle royale sub-modes.
Fortnite supports:
Fortnite: Battle Royale offers the following matchmaking options:
The Fortnite: Battle Royale in-game store sells:
The following peripherals are officially supported:
Fortnite: Battle Royale is rated PEGI 12+ and contains:
Fortnite Battle Royale is one of the most influential games in history, frequently enjoying record-breaking engagement numbers. It continues to be the most active battle royale, seeing off impressive competition from the likes of Apex Legends and Call of Duty Warzone.
While its cartoon aesthetic is not for everyone, frequent new items, mechanics, limited-time modes, and points of interest ensure Fortnite Battle Royale feels fresh well into its 8th year.
