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Play OverviewPlay Overview

Fortnite (2017) is an online multiplayer shooting game where 100 people compete to be the last player standing. You stealthily traverse the world to collect weapons, out-maneuvering and out-gunning your opponents, while a storm gradually shrinks the playable area. It stands out not only for popularising the battle-royale all-against-one genre but for how intelligent base-building and fieldcraft are just as important as quick reactions and fast shooting.

This simple play mechanic creates knife-edge finales when just a few players are left in the eye of the storm. Along with an ongoing commitment to adding narrative, geographical, weapon and outfit enhancements, the developer has built a huge audience of online players.

Although often bemoaned in the press, Fortnite is a healthy game that encourages "soft" skills like smart thinking, social interaction, planning and strategy as well as "harder" skills like quick reactions and hand-eye coordination.

Fortnite also includes a wide range of other activities as well as shooting gunplay. There are online concerts, building games and other modes like Prophunt where players can transform into items in the world (bushes, doors, toilets, tractors) and then have the seeker players try and find them.

Our examiner, Rich Adams, first checked Fortnite 4 years ago. It was re-examined by Jo Robertson and updated 10 weeks ago.
Kids not old enough for this yet? There are lots of games similar to Fortnite. Here are some similar younger-rated games:

Play StylePlay Style

This is a Shooting and Traversal game with Action, Collecting, Creative and Fighting elements. This is a 100-player online game. Split-screen is available for two players to compete in online matches on PlayStation and Xbox.

Cross-Platform: You can play against people on different systems: PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC and Mobile.

 
You can play this game in the following styles:

DurationDuration

Play Time: It takes between 5 minutes and 20 minutes to play a round of this game. Players are encouraged to quickly jump into the next game which can result in extended play sessions. You can set time limits on consoles, and on Xbox for the Fortnite game specifically, and encourage them to play other games when the time is up.

BenefitsBenefits

This game is good if you want to:

 
This game has helped players develop their Behaviour, Knowledge and Skill as part of the following pathways:

This game has been the inspiration for the following activities:

Age RatingsAge Ratings

Content Rating

Rated PEGI 12 for frequent mild violence. Violence consists of you using whatever weapons you can find or make to defeat the other players with damage being dealt by numbers and life bars. The players disappear in a blue light when defeated.
 
User-Generated Content: This game includes content created by other players, such as maps, outfits and items, that are not reflected in the game rating.
 
Users Interact: The game enables players to interact and communicate with each other, so may expose players to language usually associated with older rated games.

Fortnite provides Parental Controls in the game in addition to those on the console you are playing on. They enable you to filter swear words in text chat, disable friend requests, require a password to make in-game purchases and turn off voice or text chat. You can also turn on Playtime Reporting for the game, which provides weekly play reports via email. These settings are protected by a PIN code.

Skill Level

8+ year-olds usually have the required skill to enjoy this game. Still, it's important for parents and guardians to consider the maturity required to process the game content. It's also important to ensure children understand in-game purchases and have spending limits set-up. Although you need good reactions and aiming skills to do well, the game aims to match you against players of the same ability. When you first start as a newcomer there are often easy-to-beat computer players in the matches to help you get started.

Our Game Pathways reveal how 9 - 12 year-olds play this game:

Account Rating

Account required for online play that has 12 years old as minimum age. The age of your PlayStation account for the player of the game needs to be 12 or older. It's not possible to change the age of a PlayStation account after it has been created, and moving to a new account will lose items and progress in the game. The solution is to get Epic customer support to unlink the Epic account from your PlayStation account so you can link it to a new PlayStation account with the appropriate age.

You also need to enable Communication and User Generated Content in the Network Features section of Parental Controls for the PlayStation account wanting to play the game. This grants access to see other player's content and is required to play Fortnite. Otherwise, you will get the error: "The PlayStation network account does not meet the minimum age requirements to play."

Alternatively, as Family Manager you can make an exception and allow the use of in-game communication features for a specific game, even if Communication and User-Generated Content is set to Not Allowed. If your child tries to use the in-game communication features during a game, a screen appears. From here, your child can send a request for you to make an exception for the game.
 
You don’t need a platform subscription to play this game online.

CostsCosts

Fortnite

XBox Store Xbox One Free
PlayStation Store PS5 Free
PlayStation Store PS4 Free
Steam Store PC Free
Switch Store Switch Free
App Store iOS Free
Android Store Android Free
This game is free to play, but there are other costs associated with this game:
  • In-Game Purchases: Additional in-game purchases are offered for items that enhance the experience.
  • In-Game Pass: Purchase a season/battle pass to gain access to limited in-game purchases, reward items and other aspects of the game.
 
You can buy Loot Llamas using V-Bucks, these offer unseen items when opened. Recently these have been changed to show players what is inside them before purchase. However, if you earn the Llamas by playing the game rather than purchasing you can't see inside beforehand.

You can purchase the Fortnite Crew subscription for £9.99/$11.99 a month. This provides a Battle Pass for the full season, 1,000 V-Bucks each month and an exclusive "outfit bundle" each month. 
 
It's important to set up your accounts and devices appropriately. More information is on our Financial Resources page.
 

DetailsGame Details

Release Date: 25/07/2017, updated in 2018

Price: Free

Out Now: Android, PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One and iOS

Skill Rating: 8+ year-olds

Players: 100 online

Genres: Shooting, Traversal (Action, Collecting, Creative and Fighting)

Accessibility: 25 features

Components: 3D Third-Person, Cartoon and Open World

Developer: Epic Games (@EpicGames)


Taming Gaming Book Written by parents for parents, the database complements the in-depth discussion about video game addiction, violence, spending and online safety in the Taming Gaming book. We are an editorially independent, free resource without adverts that is supported by partnerships.

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