Chris Jecks
Here, we’ll be running through the pros and cons of PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS5, Nintendo Switch and PC, so you can figure out where you’re best grinding out those levels for your Battle Pass and earning your Victory Royales!
PS4
Which Platform Should You Play Fortnite On?
Let’s start off with the most dubious of the platforms you should be playing Fortnite on. Let’s get all the obvious positives out of the way. Fortnite on PS4 contains both the free Battle Royale PvP mode, as well as the paid early access Save the World PvE mode due to release for free later this year. This is the same across all but one platform, which we’ll specifically later. In terms of your Fortnite experience on PS4, it’s fairly standard. It gets the updates at the same time, the general online experience is solid, and you’ve got cross-platform play with PC and mobile players. However, there are some areas holding back the PS4. These are primarily based around loading times, performance and visual fidelity of the game, however. As the PS4 has an traditional hard drive disk, rather than and SSD found in the PS5 and Xbox Series X, load times are a lot longer, meaning you’ll be waiting around a lot while the game initially boots up and in between matches. Due to the PS4 also being fairly old now, you won’t get the best performance out of it. The graphics themselves won’t be quite as polished as they’ll look on the PC, Xbox Series X|S and PS5, and the game may struggle to run at 60fps consistently. Generally speaking, playing Fortnite on PS4 is fine, but there are a few rough edges showing up now which don’t make it a perfect platform to play Epic’s Battle Royale title on now.
Xbox One
Which Platform Should You Play Fortnite On?
Moving onto the other major player in the console space when it comes to Fortnite, the Xbox One has a few advantages over the PS4. Not only are we, as usual, receiving the full-fat Fortnite experience with both PvP and PvE modes available (if you’re willing to pay for that Early Access to Save the World), but depending on what version of the Xbox One you have, you could be getting some impressive performance out of Fortnite on console. The Xbox One X reigns supreme, delivering the best average framerate and resolution in Digital Foundry’s 60fps mode breakdown a few months ago, despite being a little less stable. Though, if you’re playing on the original Xbox One, performance is the worst of all the consoles. It’s not so bad you’re going to be at a disadvantage, but it might not look quite as good. On top of that, you’re also free to link your Epic Games account to multiple platforms by playing on Xbox One. That means you could get in some squad Victory Royales with your friends at home on Xbox, before using your Switch to grind out some challenges on your commute on the train the next day. Or maybe you just want to play on PC or mobile when you can’t reach your Xbox. Well, all of your Fortnite account progression will carry over, and you can play against all of these different platforms as well. If you’ve got both the PS4 and Xbox One, we’d recommend playing on Xbox One (as long as you’re happy taking a slight performance dip for original Xbox One owners). You’re getting the very same experience, but you can play with friends and players from PC, Switch, and mobile. Oh, and Xbox Live is an incredibly stable online network, so it’ll be very rare that you can’t play because the network is down.
PS5 & Xbox Series X|S
Which Platform Should You Play Fortnite On?
It may seem very strange of us to combine the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S on the same page here, but it’s actually a good thing for players who have either of these current-gen consoles, because the experience is near identical. Both consoles have an SSD, so Fortnite benefits from ultra-fast load times that’ll have you dropping onto the island in seconds. They also have far more computational ‘horsepower’ so to speak, meaning that you’ll be able to run the game at 4K resolutions and 60fps, or if you want to, you can up that framerate to 120fps for super smooth gameplay. Wrap that up with all the usual crossplay and cross-progression functionality, improved lighting and texture assets and a smaller install size thanks to that SSD and you’ve essentially got a near-perfect Fortnite package.
Nintendo Switch
Which Platform Should You Play Fortnite On?
Fortnite on the Nintendo Switch is a bit of a double-edged sword. While its portability makes grinding out challenges for a few games before bed, or on your commute to work a possibility without having to sit in front of a giant screen or play on your tiny smartphone screen. It’s that perfect middle ground, but in order to get the experience running on the less powerful Switch, some cuts have had to be made. The Nintendo Switch is the only platform of these four that does not and will not be getting the Save the World PvE mode. If you’re just bothered about playing the Battle Royale mode, this won’t matter much to you, but who knows how popular this mode could get when it releases for free sometime later this year. Further, the Switch version’s performance is considerably worse, with notable framerate issues, a shorter draw distance, and muddier-looking textures than the other platforms. This can come as a detriment when playing against other platforms (more on that in a second), as it can make seeing distant enemies far more difficulty. It’s also something you need to keep in mind if you’re going to play Fortnite on the small tablet screen, as distant objects become far, far more difficult to spot. On the plus side, the Nintendo Switch version is cross-platform compatible with all versions of the game. If you’ve got a Switch and play Fortnite on PC or Xbox One already, we’d highly recommend downloading it on your hybrid, too. You can grind out challenges that don’t require as fast reactions such as searching chests or interacting with specific items around the map, before dropping it in the dock for a big-screen experience when things get serious. Would we recommend playing Fortnite primarily on the Nintendo Switch if you have access to other platforms? No. But it’s certainly an exceptional option to have at your disposal.
PC
Which Platform Should You Play Fortnite On?
And finally we have Fortnite on PC. This is the same core experience you’re going to get on the PS4 and Xbox One, with both PvE and PvP modes available if you’re willing to pay the Early Access fee for Save the World. However, the PC has a number of unique advantages that you simply cannot get on the other platforms. First and foremost, there’s something to be said about the skill level of players you’ll find on PC. Due to mouse and keyboard being an incredibly fast and accurate method of control, you’ll likely find that players are far more capable of building at insane speeds, or nailing that sniper headshot from hundreds of meters away on PC than they are on console. This isn’t to say everyone on PC is some Ninja-esque genius, but it’s something to be wary of when contemplating playing Fortnite on PC. It goes both ways, though, as if you’re also competent at playing mouse and keyboard already, you’ll have an advantage over any players from other platforms. It’ll also allow you to build far faster and more confidently, so if you’re looking to take on the best of the best, you’ll likely want to play on PC. Further, due to the upgradable nature of PCs, this version of Fortnite is capable of running at 4K resolutions with exceptional framerates and other graphical options maxed out on the right rig. Even lower-end PCs should be able to run Fortnite comfortably at decent resolutions, but always check before trying to play.
Conclusion
Which Platform Should You Play Fortnite On?
Honestly, there’s not a whole lot of difference when it comes to deciding what platform you want to play Fortnite on. But, to give you a definitive winner, we’ll break things down for you on this conclusion page here. For us, the last platform we’d recommend playing Fortnite on right now is the Switch. This is predominantly because of the game’s performance on Nintendo’s hybrid system. At five years old, it struggles to keep up with the PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, and even the PS4 and Xbox One to a lesser extent, too. Easily the best platforms on the console front are the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S respectively. Both offer a 4K resolution and up to 120 FPS, rapid load times thanks to their SSDs and all of the cross-progression and crossplay goodness that’s now standard across all versions of the game. There’s really nothing separating the two current-gen consoles, which is great for players around the world. The Xbox One and PS4 versions of Fortnite offers up largely the same experience as the Xbox Series X|S and PS5, save for some improved performance and far faster load times on the current-gen consoles. They’re a great option if you’re looking to play Fortnite on consoles, but haven’t got around to picking up a PS5 or Series X|S yet. If you’re confident enough to take on the slightly more advanced players on the PC version of Fortnite and you have a fairly powerful system, this is definitely the best place to play the game. Mouse and keyboard make aiming and building far faster, and currently it’s where the competitive scene is budding the most, if that’s something you’re interested in jumping into. Before we go, though, we want to make it completely clear that no matter what platform you play Fortnite on, you’re still getting the same great core experience. As long as you can get the Victory Royale, that’s all that really matters!
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