Released in 2017, Fortnite isn’t the most demanding game available, but its move to Unreal Engine 5 has made it trickier for systems. As millions play it, your frame rate can matter — particularly in highly competitive games, so locking in the best Fortnite settings is important.
Here we go through the best graphics settings, best controller settings for Fortnite, and best mouse and keyboard settings. We also look at some platform-specific advice – and some simple but specific settings that can make a big difference to your frame rates and latency.
We’ll discuss whether you want the most frames possible, a great-looking game that’s very playable, or information on controller or peripheral settings.
Key Takeaways
- Use the Rendering Mode ‘Performance’ on PCs to disable ‘eye candy.’
- Enabling ray tracing looks good but really hits performance.
- Ensure your controller, mouse, and keyboard settings work for you.
- Sensitivity and response settings can make a difference but change in small increments.
- PS5 and Xbox Series X/S players should opt for 120 FPS mode for maximum performance.
Best Fortnite Settings on PC
As we will refer to approximate frame rates during this section, below are the key specs of the system we used for this article.
The Fortnite graphics settings available for PC are quite flexible. When you start the game, you will be asked if you want to “automatically apply the best settings for your system.” This is worth doing, but there are still gains to be made.
The best Fortnite settings allow you to take sweeping approaches to frame rates all at once or to tweak and change elements to gain more frames while keeping essential visual elements.
There are three key things to tweak in Fortnite graphics settings on PC for maximum frames.
Resolution
Firstly, set your resolution to 1920x1080p. You can use your native resolution if it’s higher, and this will look better, but it will cost you frames. However, you may be able to spare these frames if you use Fortnite’s ‘Performance’ option in the Rendering Mode setting.
Rendering Mode
If you don’t care about eye candy, set Rendering Mode to ‘Performance – Lower graphical Fidelity.’ This will disable or limit all unnecessary settings and aim to provide you with a stable and very fast experience. It’s actually one of the best Fortnite settings for FPS improvements.
Using this setting, our RTX 3060 12GB could produce up to 350 fps in 1080p. Switching the resolution up to 4K, we still saw 160 fps. As our monitor was 60Hz, this is almost irrelevant, as it only needs 60 frames per second to refresh optimally, but the point is we still had more than enough.
The third option to tweak for maximum frames is ‘View distance.’ Dropping this setting to ‘Near’ will limit the range of buildings rendering into the game. As such, it will save your system from doing extra work and not drag down your frame rates.
To recap, we achieve 160 fps in Fortnite with:
- Resolution – ‘Native’
- Rendering Mode – ‘Performance’
- View distance – ‘Near’
DirectX 12
While doing the above is the simple approach, if you want to fine-tune for the best Fortnite settings on PC, you can get more control and advanced graphics options. For this, in the ‘Rendering Mode’ setting, we’d recommend choosing ‘DirectX 12’ (assuming your GPU supports it).
If you want DirectX 12 but don’t want to dive into individual settings, under the Graphics Quality list, there is an ‘Auto-Set Quality’ option. Select the ‘Auto-set’ button to the right of this, and Fortnite will provide settings based on your hardware. Select ‘Apply,’ and this should provide a solid, balanced experience. This option is also available if you must choose ‘DirectX 11’.
Best Fortnite Graphics Settings in Detail
Now for the detailed dive. If you want to fine-tune your PC settings without the ‘Auto-Set Quality’ option, here’s what you need to know for the best Fortnite settings.
Setting | Option | Detail |
---|---|---|
Window Mode | Fullscreen | Input lag is a possibility if you pick another option. |
Resolution | Native resolution is best for visuals | A lower resolution will offer more frames but look worse |
VSync | Off | Can reduce input lag but limit system performance |
Frame Rate Limit | Unlimited | Maximizes your frames. If it causes visible issues or ‘tearing’ limit this setting to your monitor’s refresh rate. |
Rendering Mode | Performance, DirectX 12 or DirectX 11 | ‘Performance’ will remove ‘eye candy’ settings (maximize frames). DirectX options offer advanced settings. |
Auto-set and Quality Presets | N/A | Not available in ‘Performance Mode’, but worth using as a base setting for DirectX 11 or DirectX 12. |
Antialiasing and Super Resolution | Off | Off for the most frames. Tweak this if the visuals don’t look pleasing – use Nvidia DLSS or Intel XeSS for relative graphics solutions. |
Temporal Super Resolution / Nvidia DLSS / Intel XeSS | 50% / Balanced | Choose the 50% or ‘Balanced Option’ here. ‘Performance’ options are available for Nvidia DLSS or Intel XeSS. |
3D Resolution | 100% | Best quality at 100%. Can be lowered for better performance if ‘Antialiasing and Super Resolution’ is ‘Off. Nvidia DLSS and Intel XeSS offer presets based on performance level. |
Dynamic 3D Resolution | Off | Only available with TSR (Temporal Super Resolution) active. Best left off for better consistency. |
Nanite Virtualized Geometry | Off | A big visual improvement with a huge performance impact when ‘On’. Recommended to leave it off unless you want Ray Tracing on. |
Shadows | Off | Unless you want shadows, turn this off for more performance. |
Global Illumination | Off | Better ambient lighting when on, but worse performance. |
Reflections | Off | Reflections need to be on for Ray Tracing options to be active. But it has a big performance impact. |
View Distance | Near | Setting this to ‘Near’ means buildings render in only when closer. The further the View Distance, the bigger the performance hit. |
Textures | Low | Set this to low unless you can afford the lost frames. Will improve aesthetics, but lower frames. |
Effects | Low | Effects include those in PVP, so if this is low then you are likely to get smoother engagements and more stability. |
Post Processing | Low | Post Processing means motion blur, depth of field, and bloom effects – all of which hit performance. Set this to low for the best frames. |
Hardware Ray Tracing | Off | Only available with ‘Reflections’ on, which itself requires ‘Nanite Virtualized Geometry’. Essentially a big performance drain. |
Show FPS Counter | On | Turn this on if you want to optimize your settings, so you can see your real-time FPS and tweak. |
Use CPU Crash Debugging | Off | There’s no need to have this on unless you are getting crashes. |
Latency Markers | Off | Not needed for most people – turn this off. |
NVIDIA Reflex Low Latency | On + Boost | The On + Boost option helps to reduce latency and improve performance. |
Report Performance Stats | Off | Unlikely to be needed, and best left off. |
Best Fortnite Mouse and Keyboard Settings
The best Fortnite mouse and keyboard settings are the ones that work for you. Nonetheless, here are the mouse settings this writer uses, which you can use as a starting point until you feel what you prefer after some time.
X-Axis Sensitivity – 28%
Y-Axis Sensitivity – 19%
Targeting Sensitivity – 100%
Mouse Scope Sensitivity – 100%
Mouse DPI – 800
Do note that as both scope and targeting sensitivity are at 100% you get no ‘slow-down’ when scoping or targeting. This may not be for everyone, and these may not be the best aim settings for Fortnite for you. But they can be dialed down. You can edit these in the ‘Mouse and Keyboard’ area of the top menu in settings (mouse and keyboard icon).
Remember that you will likely have a selector on your mouse and perhaps mouse-specific software settings for changing your mouse DPI. Be sure to try DPI options so you can find what you are comfortable with.
For keyboard settings, Fortnite’s defaults aren’t bad at all and fairly standard – here’s how our main keys are set up, but you can edit your in the ‘Keyboard Controls’ part of the top menu in Settings (it looks like the arrow keys).
- Jump – Space Bar
- Sprint – Shift
- Forward – W
- Back – S
- Left – A
- Right – D
- Reload – R
- Use – E
- Crouch – Left Ctrl
- Repair/Upgrade – H
- Harvesting Tool – F
- Weapon Slot 1 – 1
- Weapon Slot 2 – 2
- Weapon Slot 3 – 3
- Weapon Slot 4 – 4
- Weapon Slot 5 – 5
- Building Wall – Mouse Button Z
- Building Floor – X
- Building Stairs – C
- Building Roof – V
- Trap – Y
- Building Edit – G
- Select Building Reset – Left Click
- Building Reset – Right Click
- Inventory – Tab
- Map – M
- Emote Key – B
- Auto Run – Mouse Wheel Button
- Push to Talk – T
Best Fortnite Controller Settings
The best Fortnite controller settings are again down to you to decide, but we’d avoid some of the standard options here. It’s worth noting that if you’re using a controller, it’s certainly worth tweaking some of your Game settings, too, so that’s where we’ll start.
On PC, this menu is found in Settings as the icon of a controller in front of a cog. The options available in this menu (set at the values below) should make life easier when not using a mouse and keyboard. Of course, you can change these if you feel something is off.
Game Settings
Movement
- Toggle Sprint – Off
- Auto-Open Doors – Off
- Mantle Activation – Hold Jump
Combat
- Hold To Swap Pickup – Off
- Toggle Targeting – Off
- Mark Danger When Targeting – On
- Auto Pick-Up Weapons – Off
- Preferred Item Slots – Your Choice
- Auto Sort Consumables to Right – Off
Building
- Reset Build Choice – Off
- Disable Pre-Edit Option – Off
- Turbo Building – On
- Confirm Edit On Release – On
Fortnite Controller Options
The Fortnite controller options are found in the menu indicated by the controller icon – on the top row of the settings menu. Here you’ll find input, sensitivity, ADS, and ‘deadzone’ settings; worth fine-tuning if you’re serious about locking in the best settings possible.
Input
- Controller Auto-Run – On
- Build Immediately (Builder Pro) – On
- Edit Hold Time – 0.150 seconds
- Slide Hold Time – 0.150 seconds
- Vibration – Off
Controller Sensitivity
Some people prefer a low look sensitivity versus a higher build sensitivity, which means you can maintain precision when looking and aiming. It’s important to get this balance right. Switching from normal to higher sensitivity between modes can feel jarring, so we would opt for normal look sensitivity with a slightly higher build sensitivity.
- Look Sensitivity – 4 (normal)
- Aim Sensitivity (ADS) – 4 (normal)
- Build Mode Sensitivity Multiplier – 1.5x – 2.0
- Edit Mode Sensitivity Multiplier – 1.5x – 2.0
- First Person Mode – 1.00x
- Use Advanced Options – On
Advanced – Look Sensitivity
If you turn on ‘Use Advanced Options’ as we have, look sensitivity (above) is overruled by advanced options. For these, we’ve looked to provide some snappiness in look while also not making it too quick – reflecting the ‘4 (normal) setting in the Controller Sensitivity options.
Remember, if this is too high or low, then tweak this here, as the above look options will be locked. We’ve opted for 0% across boosts to keep things stable and comfortable when turning and aiming down sights (further down). You can alter these if you want to see their effects, knowing that 0% is the base level, and anything else may feel sudden and unstable.
- Look Horizontal Speed – 40%
- Look Vertical Speed – 40%
- Turning Horizontal Boost – 0%
- Turning Vertical Boost – 0%
- Turning Boost Ramp Time – 0.00 seconds
- Instant Boost When Building – Off
Advanced – Aim Down Sights (ADS) Sensitivity
- ADS Look Horizontal Speed – 20%
- ADS Look Vertical Speed – 20%
- ADS Turning Horizontal Boost – 0%
- ADS Turning Vertical Boost – 0%
- ADS Turning Boost Ramp Time – 0.00 seconds
Advanced – Sensitivity
Below, ‘Look Dampening Time’ is the controller’s response when you make small adjustments to it – 0.20 seconds is the standard, and changing it doesn’t make much sense unless you know why you want to.
Look Input Curve has the options ‘Exponential’ and ‘Linear’. The first increases precision by responding to the size of the stick movement by increasing sensitivity. Small movements get a smaller response, and larger stick movements get a larger response. Linear will provide the same sensitivity regardless of the stick movement, potentially making it trickier to aim.
Finally, both of the Aim Assist Strengths are standard fare for controllers. Precision slows your aim near targets, and Tracking matches your aim to the speed of the target you’re aiming at.
- Look Dampening Time – 0.20 seconds
- Look Input Curve – Exponential
- Precision Aim Assist Strength – 100%
- Tracking Aim Assist Strength – 100%
Best Fortnite Settings for PlayStation
Best Fortnite settings for PS4
The best Fortnite settings for PS4 are a mix of visual and gameplay options. There’s not as much depth as for the PC, but there are some things to keep in mind – specifically that additional visual effects can impact how smooth your gameplay is, and there are some game options worth checking out.
Best Fortnite settings for PS5
The best Fortnite settings for PS5 are slightly different. Again keep in mind that, as with PC, more visual effects will look nice. But it will mean fewer frames and a less snappy experience. Of course, the PS5 and PS5 Pro are far more capable than the PS4 and are less impacted by performance hits. But if you want to enable 120fps mode, you may feel happier tweaking some of the visual settings too.
Setting | Option | Detail |
---|---|---|
120 FPS Mode (PS5 Only) | On | Get those frames! |
Brightness | Default | This should be fine, but you can brighten it if needed. |
User Interface Contrast | Default | |
Motion Blur | Off | Eye candy option that doesn’t help in PVP. |
Show FPS | On | This is your reference point for frame improvements. |
Matchmaking Region | Default | |
Toggle Sprint | Off | |
Sprint by Default | On | |
Sprint Cancels Reloading | Off | |
Hold to Swap Pickup | Off | |
Toggle Targeting | Off | |
Mark Danger When Targeting | On | |
Reset Building Choice | On | |
Aim Assist | On | Par for the course on console, although some don’t enjoy it as a setting. |
Edit Aim Assist | Off | |
Turbo Building | On | |
Auto-Open Doors | Off | |
Auto Pick Up Weapons | Off | |
Auto Sort Consumables to Right | On | |
Auto Material Change | On | |
Reset Building Choice | On | |
Builder Pro: Build Immediately | On | |
Confirm Edit on Release | On | |
Edit Hold Time | 0.2 – this can be made lower if you feel it’s a bit sluggish. | |
Vibration | Off | |
Tap to Search and Interact | On | |
Hud Scale | Good to tweak to have less impact on your screen. | |
Edit Hold Time | If you want to edit quickly, this can be low. |
Best Fortnite Controller Settings for PlayStation
Setting | Option | Detail |
---|---|---|
Builder Pro | On | This should be fine, but you can brighten it if needed. |
Vibration | Off | Vibration doesn’t really help in PVP. |
Look Sensitivity | 4 | A range of 3-5 is usual but set this at 4 and see how it feels. |
Aim Sensitivity | 4 | Same as above! |
Build Mode Sensitivity Multiplier | 1.5x – 2x | |
Edit Mode Sensitivity Multiplier | 1.5x – 2x | |
Deadzones | Best left alone unless your controller isn’t responding well to your movements. A potential issue to tweak with this setting on older controllers. |
Best Fortnite Settings for Xbox
For the Xbox, it’s pretty much the same story as for PlayStation. You’re best to hone your settings based on the model, as the Xbox One will struggle more than the Series X/S. Here are the best Fortnite settings for Xbox for the smoothest visual experience.
Setting | Option | Detail |
---|---|---|
120 FPS Mode (not for Xbox One) | On | Get those frames! |
Brightness | Default | This should be fine, but you can brighten it if needed. |
User Interface Contrast | Default | |
Motion Blur | Off | Eye candy option that doesn’t help in PVP. |
Show FPS | On | This is your reference point for frame improvements. |
Matchmaking Region | Default | |
Toggle Sprint | Off | |
Sprint by Default | On | |
Sprint Cancels Reloading | Off | |
Hold to Swap Pickup | Off | |
Toggle Targeting | Off | |
Mark Danger When Targeting | On | |
Reset Building Choice | On | |
Aim Assist | On | Par for the course on console, although some don’t enjoy it as a setting. |
Edit Aim Assist | Off | |
Turbo Building | On | |
Auto-Open Doors | Off | |
Auto Pick Up Weapons | Off | |
Auto Sort Consumables to Right | On | |
Auto Material Change | On | |
Reset Building Choice | On | |
Builder Pro: Build Immediately | On | |
Confirm Edit on Release | On | |
Edit Hold Time | 0.2 – this can be made lower if you feel it’s a bit sluggish. | |
Vibration | Off | |
Tap to Search and Interact | On | |
Hud Scale | Good to tweak to have less impact on your screen. | |
Edit Hold Time | If you want to edit quickly, this can be low. |
Best Fortnite Settings for Switch
The Switch is its own animal in Fortnite, particularly when it comes to control. The least powerful of the consoles, Fortnite’s shift to Unreal Engine 5 hit Switch players the hardest; you can expect 30fps, even when playing against high frame rate console or PC players.
There’s no way to improve your frame rates beyond the 30 cap, so the best Fortnite settings for FPS don’t matter. Instead, the best Fortnite settings for Switch revolve around control and game options.
Key Fortnite Switch Settings
- Invert View – Choose what you find more comfortable.
- Sprint Cancels Reloading – Off
- Tap to Search/ interact – On
- Hold to Swap Pickup – Off
- Aim Assist – On (always handy!)
- Edit Mode Aim Assist – Off
- Turbo Building – On
- Auto Pick Up Weapons – On
- Build Immediately – On
- Rumble – Off (feedback adds nothing)
- Power Saving Mode – Off
Best Fortnite Settings for Switch Controller Sensitivity
The sensitivity options on the Switch are important, given the nature of the console’s gyroscope control and aim system. It is absolutely worth adjusting these settings as needed based on how you feel in-game. But here are our initial suggestions:
- Controller Sensitivity Y – 0.500
- Controller Targeting Sensitivity – 0.650
- Controller Scope Sensitivity – 0.650
- Controller Building Sensitivity – 1.000
- Controller Edit Mode Sensitivity – 1.000
- Motion Sensitivity Not Targeting – 0.50
- Motion Sensitivity Targeting – 0.65
The Bottom Line
Regardless of your system and what you’re trying to achieve, the best Fortnite settings are worth spending time getting right in terms of frames, controller feel, and in-game responsiveness. Whether you’re a casual, ranked, content creator or an aspiring pro player, having the right settings for you can only help. Good luck out there!