Fortnite Has a Hit New Mode — and for Once, the Game's Main Battle Royale Option Is No Longer the Most Popular

Log into Fortnite close present and you'll find that the game's most-played mode is, precise unusually, not its main Battle Royale option. Instead the caller Blitz Royale is presently ruling the roost — but what is it? And wherefore is this caller offering from Epic Games truthful popular?

Blitz Royale launched this week successful Fortnite's latest update, alongside Expeditions, a caller story-infused PVE Lego experience, and a Bruno Mars-starring caller play of Guitar Hero-like Fortnite Festival.

But, arsenic has continually been the case, it is the mode closest to Fortnite's classical Battle Royale that has breached retired — and, for now, Blitz Royale feels similar it has recovered a caller niche for players keen to effort thing faster-paced and much quickfire.

As its sanction suggests, Blitz Royale matches are meant to instrumentality little clip wide and power-up players overmuch faster than successful a classical Battle Royale offering. The mode's map, presently based connected Fortnite's classical OG Island, is simply a fraction of its size, gathering is disabled, and there's an in-match levelling strategy to assistance weapons and power-ups, meaning there's nary request to walk clip scrounging for loot.

That said, different Battle Royale staples remain: a accelerated moving tempest circle, constricted inventory and request to beryllium the past subordinate standing. Over the adjacent 4 weeks (Epic Games is yet to specifically authorities that Blitz Royale volition beryllium a imperishable addition), assorted loot pools volition beryllium offered — including items and power-granting medallions from assorted classical Fortnite eras.

Blitz Royale is playable wrong Fortnite connected each platform, but is the archetypal mode designed with a circumstantial portion of hardware successful mind: your phone.

Timed to deed soon aft Fortnite's triumphant instrumentality to the iPhone App Store successful the US, pursuing years of ineligible wrangling with Apple, Blitz Royale is meant to entreaty to those wanting a bite-size conflict royale, cleanable for a speedy autobus travel oregon java break. Even the Battle Bus flies successful faster astatine the commencement of games.

A suitably speedy trailer for Blitz Royale claims you tin unafraid triumph wrong 5 minutes — astir a 4th of the clip usually indispensable to unafraid a Victory Royale successful Fortnite's regular Battle Royale and Zero Build modes.

Right now, Fortnite stats amusement astir 240,000 players successful Blitz Royale, making it the game's biggest mode by immoderate margin, aftr hitting 443,000 players during highest hours past night. Battle Royale presently has fractional this number — 119,000 players astatine the clip of writing.

"Blitz Royale is the s**t," wrote 1 instrumentality connected reddit. "Seriously, Epic - emotion the mode, y’all cooked. I americium earnestly blown distant and having truthful overmuch fun."

"The mode is astonishing myself," wrote another. "I’m playing acold much aggressively than I would successful mean mode and honestly it’s beauteous cool."

Epic Games volition apt beryllium watching Blitz Royale and different caller additions cautiously to spot however good they execute implicit the coming days, and whether immoderate of them are really drafting successful caller players to Fortnite, arsenic good arsenic offering existing users caller ways to play.

Fortnite's mean subordinate numbers person mostly fallen this year, according to publicly-available numbers from Fortnite.gg. Following maturation and important subordinate spikes past year, peculiarly astir September 2024's Doctor Doom planetary brag battle, and November unrecorded events including a performance held successful Times Square and an in-game extravaganza featuring Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Ice Spice and Juice Wrld.

2025 has seen Fortnite tally a limited-time Star Wars mini-season that removed each regular ammo from the game, replacing the accustomed guns successful Battle Royale mode with sci-fi vigor weapons. The game's caller season, which features a instrumentality to the game's semi-regular absorption connected superheroes has seen numbers statesman to bounce back. Next step, beating existent Roblox deed Grow a Garden? One happening astatine a time, perhaps.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social