Is Fortnite dying? It’s a question that’s probably been asked since roughly half an hour after the release of Fortnite. Any game with an active community will inevitably be declared dead, usually fairly often. There are often reasons for this morbid speculation, though. As a game ages, it is natural for some people to view declining interest or the novelty of something new wearing off as a sign their favorite game is dying or dead.
There is near-constant debate about the health of an ongoing game like Fortnite. At the moment, Epic is having big successes with large live events. However, some of the best Fortnite players have long since moved on, now competing in other titles. Fortnite OG saw the game hit new heights, Fortnite Remix had huge player numbers, but Chapter 6 has been quite a bit lighter. Is Fortnite dying or are new record player counts still in its future?
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The argument that Fortnite is dying tends to come from those who are bored with the game. Looking at this from an objective viewpoint, the viewer numbers for their live events and player base only seem to get to new heights. That’s not to say there aren’t dips though.
Over the last few Fortnite seasons, Fortnite has broken its previous high for players pretty regularly. Recently with the launch of a new mode, Fortnite Lego, and the Snoop Dogg live event. More and more people are playing every year and updates are as frequent as ever. These are about the two only real tests for the activity of a game, does it have a player base and is it currently maintained by the developer.
Beyond that though, if Fortnite is dying is a little more open to interpretation. If is Fortnite dying is taken to mean a more general decline, then it is debatable. In raw popularity though, Fortnite isn’t very far from its height and is in a more predictable dip in engagement before the big launch of Chapter 6.
That so many of these new heights were driven by nostalgia for Chapter 1 and modes outside of Battle Royale is worth thinking about though. The current ongoing game isn’t as popular as these special events. There is still a healthy player base though.
Even the game’s esports are still thriving. Those who invested enough time to learn its intricate mechanics and use the best Fortnite settings can compete every season in the FNCS. When a game maintains a really high player count, and has regular high-level tournaments, it is hard to argue this is really death.
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Source: Epic Games
This is just as common a question as is Fortnite dying. It is hard to ignore that Epic’s competitive events are a mixed bag. Regular events are drawing fewer viewers. They can be forgiven a little for this though if you put things into context. The Fortnite World Cup is very much the bar that competitive events in-game are now measured against. The FNCS hasn’t hit the same heights but it has been a lot more sustainable.
The World Cup was a big one-off event. It was more of a spectacle than the year-long FNCS. However, the Grand Royales at the end of the year are still a lot of fun. they have a large viewership that is pretty stable. Being international events helps a lot here too.
The most recent of these Grand Royales saw Peterbot and Pollo take victory. A Duo whose utter dominance this Chapter has seen them crowned the best players out there. They’re proving there’s room for players to still push what can be done in Fortnite. Peterbot has found rivalries to peruse every season since, adding a lot more entertainment value to the tournaments.
Fortnite has a large and active player base. The names involved in these huge tournaments refresh pretty regularly. There’s no short supply of those grinding Fortnite to reach the highest level of the game competitively though. Fortnite isn’t dying competitively. Its esports have changed a lot over the years, but they’ve remained healthy.
Fortnite might not be dead, but there’s some people who would prefer it was. You’ll sometimes see people saying that Fortnite needs to die. Why?
The game has a lot of players, but you don’t reach that level of attention without annoying some people. Some people just resent the growth of the game. They would rather it wasn’t popular. It’s not really clear why you’d actively want it to shut down instead of just not playing, but it does seem to annoy some people.
Source: @FortniteGame
For others, it’s because Fortnite was something they enjoyed once, and they no longer do. The game has become something very different to where Fortnite started. It’s now full of collabs, bots in every game, it’s pretty different to the old Battle Royale. For these players, there is the option of Fortnite OG. But if the sweatier player base puts them off, then it might just be that Fortnite is no longer for them. So, for some reason, they’d rather it died than they simply not play.
Any game that’s popular like this tends to end up with people actively disliking it just as much as liking it. No matter how popular a game it’ll attract haters too.
With the launch of Chapter 5 Season 3, we saw the base game’s player numbers dip below their previous lows for Chapter 4. It was one of the worst periods for the games’ popularity. But it seems like a familiar pattern has appeared for each Fortnite Chapter.
The opening sees big player numbers. This dribbles away over time. In Chapter 4, it got really quite low. That low was matched with Chapter 5 Season 3, and in terms of reception, the car combat season is pretty low too.
Source: Epic Games
Predictably though, Epic had something in mind to remedy it. They came up with an entirely new game mode inspired by OG. Fortnite Reload has led to more players jumping back in. With the launch of Chapter 6, they’ve bringing back the huge OG mode, which will mean there’s a Battle Royale for everyone in Fortnite. Although, OG’s player numbers haven’t set the world on fire now the novelty is gone.
Fortnite has had a similar cycle in Chapter 6. Big launch, then a slow fall off as things go back to normal. This Chapter we got a mini-season midway through, but it hasn’t really lived up to the numbers of the last two. This one was based around the Star Wars, which comes every year, so maybe wasn’t quite as exciting as the last two. It definitely seems like mid-chapter is the low point for the player count. But if the last few are anything to go by, it’ll be hard to argue Fortnite is dying by the time it reaches its conclusion.
When asking is Fortnite dying, there are big reasons to say a clear no.
The game has frankly never been in a stronger position. Since moving on from Chapter 4, bringing back the original build of the game led to record-breaking player numbers, week after week. Once we got to Chapter 5 and returned to the modern version of the game, things stayed strong. It beat OG’s record multiple times. Now the game has so many modes, there’s something for everyone.
It’s clear there’s a huge demand for Fortnite. Rather than settling as a Battle Royale, the game has chosen to embrace new ground. Since Fortnite has become a platform the franchise seems to be stronger than ever.
The player numbers might be having their usual summer dip. between the new modes and the return of OG though, this might not last very long. We could see it broken again soon, even if some players see their current direction as risky.
Source: Epic Games
At the end of Chapter 5, there have been some mixed signals for those who love to claim that Fortnite is dying. On the one hand, the game’s new seasons have failed to hit the same release spikes as past ones. However, the recent live event and overall figures paint a very different picture.
The game got huge numbers for the Snoop Dogg concert live event. While Fortnite Remix hasn’t hit the same heights as OG, it’s proven popular and player count is consistently up during the mini-season. It seems there’s loads of excitement around for the future in Fortnite.
Chapter 6 looks set to make things even more exciting. The game is getting OG as a permanent mode. While we might be looking at Fortnite’s player base being more spread between different modes than ever, the total number is very healthy. It’s achieved longevity unheard of for games that attract this scale of player numbers.
Image Credit: Epic Games
Fortnite had nearly 10 million concurrent players as of the end of 2024. The game is regularly achieving these types of player numbers with new launches. There’s variation from day to day though. Some weeks get quieter, but big events always seem to bring in huge numbers for the game. It’s currently averaging around 1-2 and a half million daily players.
It is tricky to pick an outright best Fortnite player in 2024, but Peterbot is definitely the most popular choice. However, looking at all the regions of the game and their competitive events, there are a few others that stand out too. We’ve gone through the best Fortnite player in 2025 in full to find the top 10 players internationally.
Ninja probably isn’t the best Fortnite player, especially if we’re talking builds. He makes entertaining videos and has a big following. However, people like him for his commentary and the way he plays. He hasn’t ever really achieved much in competitive events for FN. Competitive Fortnite is a completely different ball game with a higher skill level. Ninja doesn’t even compete, or play Builds anymore. While Ninja plays well, he isn’t really on the same level as Esports players. Ninja is a streamer and entertainer, not a competitive player. His Halo days are long over.
Currently, Fortnite’s average day is a bit below its peak player numbers, but still very high. Given the crazy numbers playing in a single day as recently as a few weeks ago though, that’s not too surprising. Fortnite has a daily player count above most competitor games. Its peak player record just seems to go up and up too.
Read also: Are Esports Dying?
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