How To Play Fortnite On Your PC

A game that has over 125 million players and counting shouldn’t need an introduction [1]. Although this amazingly popular Epic Games release is technically still in beta, Fortnite Battle Royale has already become a touchstone of pop culture.

Within a year of its release, it has been embraced by everyone from grade-schoolers to college students to parents and beyond, and has taken the gaming community by storm. Here is a brief primer of Fortnite Battle Royale as well as how to play it.

Install and launch Fortnite Battle Royale on your PC
Head over to the Fortnite site and click “Play Free Now” to install and then launch the game, selecting “Battle Royale” from the left-hand menu. You’ll find yourself in the lobby. Once you’re there, select your game mode.How to select your game mode
In the lower right-hand corner of the screen, you’ll see the game mode set to a default of “Solo.” Click this to choose from six game modes:

* Solo: Battle it out on your own.
* Duos: Pair up with a friend.
* Squads: Choose two to three others.
* 50v50: Join one of two teams of 50 each (you’ll find extra loot here but more lethal storms).
* Playground: Practice with weapons in this low-pressure environment and build massive structures.
* Steady storm: Be prepared for relentless storms.

How to play Fortnite with friends
In any of the game modes besides solo, you can either have the game fill up with random people, or play with a friend.

* To play with friends, click on the “Party Finder” icon in the lobby
* You can also click the “Friend Link” in the upper-right to copy the link and email to your friends

Fortnite Battle Royale has true cross-platform functionality so you can play with your friends no matter which device or platform they’re on. It has been released on:

* Windows
* macOS
* PlayStation 4
* Xbox One
* Nintendo Switch
* iOS
* Android devices

What is the Battle Pass?
In the lobby you’ll see a few tabs across the top and one of them is “Battle Pass.” This is where players gain rewards for experience and completing specific in-game challenges during the course of a Fortnite Battle Royale season.

At the beginning of every Battle Royale season, every player can access the Battle Pass.

Seasons of Fortnite Battle Royale
Each Battle Pass is tied to an in-game season, which lasts 10 weeks. When you buy a Battle Pass, you have until the end of the season to unlock everything it has to offer.

Battle Pass Season 5 began on June 12th and ends September 24th, 2018.

Is Fortnite free?
You can download Fortnite Battle Royale for free. But in order to access certain items and experiences, you’ll need to either earn them or buy them directly from the “Store” using in-game currency called V-Bucks. For example, 10,000 V-Bucks costs $9.99.

Playing the game
1. 60 seconds of practice
Click “play” once you’re ready, and you’ll find yourself in the holding area called “Spawn Island.” You can practice here by picking up weapons, ammunition, and building materials, but you’ll only have about a minute while the game fills up with 99 other players. Plus, you won’t be able to take those things with you into the game itself.

2. Flying on the Battle Bus
After spending about a minute in the holding area, you’ll automatically be plopped onto the “Battle Bus,” which flies in the air and transports you across the game’s map. It will let you know when you can jump down into the game (to jump, use the spacebar on your keyboard). Type space again to use your hang glider to slow your descent.

3. On the ground
When you land, it’s a mad dash to find weapons and resources, while avoiding being killed by other players who have found some before you.

If you are eliminated, you have the option to continue watching the game from the perspective of the person who eliminated you from the game, or to just quit out and start again.

Doing the former affords you the ability to learn about what makes a great player – because you’ll eventually end up riding the coattails of the victor.

4. Staying out of the storm
Once you’ve been playing for a few minutes, you’ll see an indicator pop up to let you know that the storm is shrinking. Press “M” to get to your map and find a safe area, which is everything inside the circle. You can go through the storm, but doing so will affect your health and eventually eliminate you from the game.

The circle then gets increasingly smaller, forcing remaining players into smaller and smaller spaces, until one player is left standing. If that player is you, you’ll have reached a Victory Royale!