Fortnite is getting in-game tournaments and a new ‘events’ tab in the v6.10 update. That means you’ll have easy access to competitive events directly through the client itself, and you’ll be able to pit your skill against the pros without restriction. The first event begins tomorrow, October 16, and several more are already planned for the coming weeks.
Each event will pit you against opponents of similar skill over the course of the tournament. Do well and you’ll eventually be playing against the pros. Do poorly and you’ll be matched with other bad players. That means Fortnite technically now has skill-based matchmaking – an often requested feature – though only in the context of these limited events.
As Epic describes, “all players will begin with the same score and compete over several hours of intense competition to earn as many points as possible.” That suggests that these Fortnite tournaments won’t run 24 hours a day, so you shouldn’t have to worry about people with infinite time on their hands dominating the competition. Reaching certain points goals will offer unique pins to celebrate your accomplishment.
You can see a full set of tournament schedules in the official announcement, and we’ll have a variety of formats to play around with over time. The first event will be standard solo action, but then October 19 will see the launch of Friday Night Fortnite – a recurring series of competitive squad events.
The other notable detail is that these events are all fully cross-play enabled, so PC, console, and mobile players will all be playing against each other. Yes, that means keyboard and mouse, controller, and touch inputs will be treated as equals. In theory, matchmaking should ensure that things stay even across the board, but it’ll be tough for anyone to keep up with PC inputs at the highest level – though Epic cites a handful of pro controller players in suggesting that it’ll all turn out alright.
Tournaments will be showcased under a new ‘events’ tab in the main menu. Here you can see everything coming up on the schedule, exact start times, and scoring requirements. Typically, points will be awarded for reaching certain kill and placement thresholds. The official announcement video also notes the eventual addition of “prizes,” though no details on what those will be just yet.
Check out our guide to Fortnite timed trials locations if you’re still looking for help on the normal set of events. You’ll want to get that Battle Pass leveled up so you can look your best as the tournaments begin, of course.