With the release of v6.10, Epic Games are excited to introduce In-Game Tournaments which will be located in the new ‘Events’ section of Fortnite Battle Royale.  

In-Game Tournaments are open to everyone and provide an opportunity for every player to compete directly alongside the pros for prizes and glory. Note that all players must opt-in for crossplay to participate in competitive events.

What are In-Game Tournaments?

Each tournament has a series of scheduled dates and times during which the competition will be run. Each of these scheduled sessions is a completely clean slate – all players will begin with the same score and compete over several hours of intense competition to earn as many points as possible. Players can earn points by either achieving high placements or eliminating multiple opponents.

Matchmaking during a tournament session will pair players with similar point standings, so if you’re playing well within the session you’ll find yourself matched with stronger opponents. If you’re struggling then you should find an easier time the longer the session goes on.

Tournaments will feature a target score to strive towards – reaching this score will award you with a shiny pin celebrating your accomplishment. In the future, earning a pin may advance you to the next round of a tournament or qualify you to win prizes.

Mouse vs Controller vs Touch

During tournaments, players from all platforms will compete against one another as equals, regardless of if they are on a Mouse, Controller, or Touch input device.  Every player will participate in the same competitions from start to finish, with equal opportunity to rise above the competition.

Epic Games have been observing the performance of controller players in their Summer Skirmish, PAX West, and Fall Skirmish tournaments while playing against mouse and keyboard players at the highest levels of competition. Competitors such as NickMercs, Ayden, KamoLRF, and AmarCoD have shown that controller players can be successful while competing against some of the best PC players in the world.

Combining everyone into a single competition will allow for players to compete with their friends regardless of platforms and will allow us to place a single shining spotlight onto the world’s best players, increasing prize pools and player exposure from our competitions. 

The team at Epic Games will be continuing to assess this throughout the 2019 competitive season and are evaluating offering some tournaments restricted to specific input devices or platforms.

Initial Schedule

On release, the following tournaments will be scheduled in NA*, EU, BR, ASIA, and OCE regions.  Scheduled times will vary by region – check the tournament inside the client for details.

• Alpha Tournament (Solo)
  • Dates: October 16 – October 21
  • Description: Participate in the first in-game tournament, spanning across several days of daily competition!
• Beta Tournament (Duo)
  • Dates: October 23 – October 25
  • Description: Grab a friend and take on the world – until you are the last two left.
• Friday Night Fortnite (Squad)
  • Dates: October 19 – November 30
  • Description: Join your friends every Friday and kick off your weekend with some exciting Squad action.
• Salty Springs Cup (Solo)
  • Dates: October 27 – October 31
  • Description: One week and three attempts to prove you’re the saltiest that Salty Springs has to offer.
• Tomato Temple Cup (Duo)
  • Dates: October 28 – November 1
  • Description: Become legends of the Tomato Temple Cup.

*Note: NAE and NAW are combined together into the same tournament, but players will still connect to their nearest server except in low population circumstances primarily when a player has a high score.

Into the Future

Over the next few months, Epic Games will continue to develop the tournaments feature to allow for events to occur across multiple rounds, requiring players to have earned a pin to qualify for each subsequent round.

The team are working toward establishing an exciting and varied schedule of tournaments for players of all talent levels, featuring new scoring formats and support for additional modes.

Beginning later this year, all eligible players will have the opportunity to qualify for the 2019 Fortnite World Cup directly through a ‘Showdown Royale’ event hosted using the in-game tournament system.

Exciting times are ahead.