Fortnite is one of the biggest success stories in gaming, but how many people play Fortnite? Is the game still growing and just how many actually drop in every day?
Fortnite is far and away one of the biggest hits in video gaming, ever. Jumping into Fortnite for the first time today, you’re looking at a complete metaverse that encompasses so many modes and different ways to play, all for free. Even the most popular games don’t last forever though. How many people play Fortnite in 2023, and is that number declining?
We can actually get fairly close to an actual Fortnite player count number right now! Compared to previous Chapters, updates in Chapter 4 have given us live information on the player count. Gone are estimates and dodgy numbers claiming to be using Fortnite’s API but suggesting bizarre figures. We now know the Fortnite player count, at least in some ways.
If you’re wondering how popular the biggest Battle Royale is in 2023, this is how many people play Fortnite in Chapter 4.
How Many People Play Fortnite?
Often, it’s hard to get a proper measure for how many people play a free-to-play live-service game, Fortnite has a few metrics. Usually, the companies behind these games only release data when they have something to brag about. We have plenty of those metrics from Epic! However, we also have an actual number of live players. That’s one that’s completely separated from the very specific achievements Epic has previously released.
In terms of raw live players, we now have an actual counter. In-game, Epic shows “X number of players currently live”. This is supposed to be a live reflection of the active player count at the moment. The raw number of people on each of the Fortnite servers playing the game modes.
Minute to minute, hour to hour, it’s not the best way to assess a game’s player base. A daily count or a monthly active user report would probably be more helpful. We do have some stats there too.
More than 25 million players use Fortnite daily. More than 250 million log-in monthly to the Fortnite player count. This might vary from season to season, but in 2023 those are impressive numbers and something to brag about. Compared to other games, how many people play Fortnite is still pretty high.
Do More People Play Zero Builds or Battle Royale?
Since Fortnite Zero Build got introduced, it’s been a bit controversial with some of the core audience. Some players think it’s split the player base, or at least given Battle Royale a bit of a different vibe. A lot of major content creators pop up in Zero Build cups and stick to that mode, but what about the general player base?
According to Fortnite’s in-game counter, Battle Royale still reigns supreme! The game sometimes has more Zero Build players, but for the most part, Battle Royale is pretty consistently ahead by about 50%.
It’s nice to see the core Fortnite game mode staying at the most popular way to play. Having Zero Builds as an alternative helps to make Fortnite more inclusive to a wider spread of players too.
Although, how many people play Fortnite is made more complicated by all of the different game modes they have.
Creative and More
Fortnite has become a platform for all sorts of games. There’s the standard creative mode which has long attracted more divisive experiences and split the player base. Beyond that though, we’ve got the recent Unreal Engine for Fortnite.
This new feature lets people make game experiences as diverse as you could imagine and host them right in Fortnite. Players could play loads of different types of games without ever touching Battle Royale or Zero Builds.
Compared to a few years ago, this complicates how many people play Fortnite. There’s no live count for those modes. There are so many of them that there’s no real way to add them up either! This does bring an unknown into the proceedings. With data on the monthly and daily log-ins though, we still have a good idea of how many people play Fortnite.
Is the Fortnite Player Count Declining?
Once you see how many people play Fortnite, the first question might be is that good or bad? It’s hard to have much of an idea about what to compare it to. Games don’t broadcast their player numbers all that clearly. So how does the Fortnite player count compare to its own past? Has Fortnite actually passed its peak?
Fortnite’s biggest peak in simultaneous players was a while. For average daily players though, this isn’t much lower than it has ever been. Fortnite has stayed very popular for quite a while now. That doesn’t mean we’ve never had lows though. Chapter 2 had low moments for player counts along with crazy highs, especially in a few controversial and overly long seasons. Chapters 3 and 4 have for the most part been quite stable in their player numbers though.
Fortnite’s player count probably won’t stay at this level forever. We’ve already seen the game Is capable of coming back from low points though. Epic Games has recently made cutbacks, but they’re already planning Chapter 5 and Fortnite’s journey has a lot of room ahead of it.
What’s the Peak of How Many People Play Fortnite?
How many people play Fortnite day to day is one thing, but the absolute peak for Fortnite is just as interesting. The game’s biggest moment for consecutive players came during one of the Fortnite live events.
At the peak of how many people play Fortnite monthly, it may have been in August 2020 when nearly 300 million players logged in during a single month. A 2021 live event similarly was one peak, with 35 million players online at once. Each of the concerts had more attendees than the last too, starting with Marshmellow.
Fortnite might well top these numbers again someday! Although, there are loads of factors which might explain recent drops.
Why Has Fortnite’s Player Count Dipped?
The obvious answer to why how many people play Fortnite has gone is down is just that it’s less popular or less novel. It might just be that the game isn’t going to be as fun to as many people anymore. Or the novelty has worn off. Everyone who wants to play Fortnite already has, and those who aren’t too keen won’t be jumping back in.
Outside of that though, there are some other limitations. Fortnite isn’t on as many platforms as it once was. The game isn’t available as widely on mobile as it used to be. Fortnite on Nintendo Switch might have helped, but the mobile Fortnite player base potential is enormous and Fortnite not being available there is sure to have a knock-on effect. It’s important to keep in mind too that Fortnite’s numbers are still huge overall. Compare it to other Battle Royales or even the top games in other genres like record-breaking fighting games, and Fortnite’s numbers look incredible.
The Fortnite player count might not be at its absolute peak, but the game is still incredibly popular. Few titles can hold onto this kind of following forever, but Fortnite has managed to buck the trend so far. Often, it’s down to the game reinventing itself before it gets too stale and adding new experiences whenever Battle Royale gets a bit duller. We’ll have to watch out for Fortnite news to see what new features are added next, and if can lead to a new peak in how many people play Fortnite.
