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Why is Fortnite Not Working

Why is Fortnite Not Working

Fortnite can stop working at any moment, despite being among the leading battle royale game for PC, Mac, Android, and consoles. We’re not saying it’s always their fault. As you can read below, more often than not, there’s an underlying issue with hardware requirements, software incompatibility, or the Internet. Whatever the case may be, the players must find the solution quickly – it’s a prerequisite for getting better at Fortnite, after all. Since we know time is of the essence, let’s try to get to the bottom of why is Fortnite not working for you.

1. Fortnite servers might be down

This is obvious in hindsight, but when Fortnite stops working suddenly, players might not think of it immediately. Ergo, you should inspect whether the Fortnite servers are online before making any permanent changes. These are 2 primary ways to check the status of Fortnite services:

  1. Epic Games Services Status. Optionally, click on Fortnite to expand the list. Check the state of “Game Services”, “Login”, “Matchmaking”, and “Stats and Leaderboards”. 
  2. Fortnite on DownDetector.com or any similar unofficial website that tracks Fortnite downtime.

2. Your graphics card driver might need an upgrade/downgrade

This problem isn’t exclusive to Fortnite; quite the opposite. For that reason, we’ll point you to our guide on why Apex Legends keeps crashing, specifically reasons 1 and 2. Follow the instructions to the tee, since we wrote them to suit any game.

3. You haven’t started Fortnite as Administrator

Did you notice that reason 3 in the Apex Legends guide matches this one? It’s because this method can solve problems with any executable on Windows by letting you bypass launch restrictions, notably User Account Control. Only steps 1 and 2 differ, however:

  1. Instead of step 1, open these folders:
    • <drive letter>:\Program Files\Epic Games\Fortnite\FortniteGame\Binaries\Win64\
    • ~\Program Files (x86)\~
  2. Instead of r5apex.exe in step 2, right-click and choose Properties for the following executables:
    • FortniteClient-Win64-Shipping.exe
    • FortniteClient-Win64-Shipping-BE.exe
    • FortniteLauncher.exe.exe
    • FortniteClient-Win64-Shipping-EAC.exe
  3. Follow steps 3-6 for each of the “.exe” files.

4. You haven’t tried running Fornite in Compatibility mode

Don’t close the Explorer windows above. Instead, follow these instructions:

  1. Right-click on the FortniteClient-Win64-Shipping.exe file again.
  2. Go to Properties.
  3. Switch to the Compatibility tab.
  4. Tick the empty box in front of Run this program in compatibility mode for.
  5. Select Windows 8.
  6. Click the Apply button, then OK.
  7. Exit the window, and launch the executable from step 1.
  8. If the game fails the launch, repeat these steps for other executables in method 3, step 2.
  9. Tip. If step 8 fails, try selecting Windows 8.1 instead of step if offered.

5. Your GPU might be struggling with DirectX 12

Fortnite is compatible with DirectX 12, but your GPU might not be. Therefore, a wrong game setting prevents the game from starting. Additionally, your GPU might support DirectX 12, but struggle to keep up, resulting in low FPS and choppy gameplay. Follow these steps to fix it:

  1. Open Epic Games Launcher, then click on the Settings icon.
  2. Scroll down and find “Fortnite”.
  3. Expand the list of options by clicking the down arrow.
  4. Put a checkmark in front of Additional Command Line Arguments.
  5. Type d3d11 in the blank text field.

6. You haven’t verified your game files

It shouldn’t surprise you that game files can disappear or get corrupted in a video game updated as frequently as Fortnite. Since even a single one can prevent the game from launching, you can redownload missing Fortnite like this:

  1. Start the Epic Games Launcher.
  2. Head on over to the Library on the left-hand side.
  3. Select the three-dot icon below the Fortnite game icon.
  4. In the menu that pops up, choose Verify.
  5. Wait for the Epic Games Launcher to finish scanning.
  6. Note. If necessary, it will automatically replace/re-download the problematic game files.

7. You may not have Visual C++ Redistributables

Visual C++ Redistributables contain runtime components of libraries needed for any application developed in Visual C++, Fortnite included. These are installed as a package, either during the Fortnite installation or consequently. The problem arises in these 2 situations:

  1. You haven’t played Fortnite in a while, and tried to launch the app without waiting for updates
  2. You copied the Fortnite folder to a new computer to avoid downloading the entire game

Where do I find them?

It doesn’t matter if the Redistributables are missing or corrupt. You can re-download them in this fashion:

  1. Visit Microsoft’s Latest C++ VC Redist Downloads page.
  2. Download vc_redist.x86.exe and vc_redist.x64.exe files.
  3. Note. Are you playing Fortnite on a newer laptop with an ARM chip? You should also download vc_redist.arm64.exe.
  4. Launch the “.exe” files you downloaded one after another.
  5. Depending on what you’re offered, proceed by clicking Install or Repair.
  6. Restart your computer after the procedure ends.

8. You don’t meet the system requirements

The fact you met system requirements for Fortnite in the past doesn’t mean you still do. Epic Games is releasing graphic updates to their games regularly, thus gradually making the game harder to run. To see where you stand, check method 1 in our “how to increase FPS in Fortnite” article. Optionally, follow methods 7 and 8 before you try launching Fortnite again.

9. You may have network issues

If the game launches, the servers are online, hardware and software are in check, but you still struggle to join or play a match, would you still ask yourself, “why is Fortnite not working? We would, so we suggest trying these methods: 

Change matchmaking region

Open Fortnite, then do the following:

  1. Select Battle Royale under “Select a Game Mode”.
  2. Open the hamburger menu in the top right corner.
  3. Select Settings from the list of options.
  4. Click the cogwheel icon in the top corner.
  5. Find the Matchmaking Region option.
  6. If it’s set to Auto, try setting Manual (and choosing the nearest region) and vice versa.

Try to eliminate packet loss

This is something Epic Games recommends doing if you experience lagging or freezing. It should drastically reduce the number of packets of data that get lost during the transfer from your computer to their servers and back. Here’s how attempting to decrease packet loss in Fortnite works:

  1. Follow steps 1-4 in method 5
  2. In the text field below, enter -limitclientticks.
  3. Note. If you already followed method 5, separate arguments with a backspace.
  4. Close the menu and start Fortnite.
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