Parents' Guide to

Fortnite: Battle Royale

By Chris Morris, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Popular shooter has lots of violence, hits mobile bulls-eye.

App Android Free Action Games
Fortnite: Battle Royale Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this app.

  • Fortnite Screenshot 2
  • Fortnite Screenshot 3
  • Fortnite Screenshot 1

Community Reviews

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age 9+

Based on 45 parent reviews

100 Ways to Play
100 Ways to Play Adult
July 4, 2022
age 14+

While Fortnite Battle Royale is a real kick-butt jewel among video games, it still suffers from it's obsession with lore and exclusivity.

Fortnite: Battle Royale is a golden gem among battle royale games, not only smoothly transitioning it's slick old-school military lore from season to chapter, but also implementing character crossovers from the greatest fictions, including Star Wars, Halo, and Indiana Jones. Unfortunately, it still suffers from a lack of contextual fulfillment, highly unpredictable gameplay, and a rather under-selective usage of classic characters. The Battle Pass makes some of the finest skins more a pastime post-it note than an open opportunity for all who wish to play past, present or future. It also makes poor usage of creating a 'leveled' server, in which all participants may play fairly. Cheating and harassment are prominent in it's Creative Mode games, and Save the World mode should probably follow the Battle Royale and Creative modes as free-of-charge.

This title has:

Easy to play/use
Too much consumerism
2 people found this helpful.
JackTheHammer13
JackTheHammer13 Parent of 7, 9, 12 and 14-year-old
November 27, 2022
age 9+

A great game for kids and adults

It is a shooting game, yes, but opposed to other battle royale games, such as Warzone or Apex, there is no blood or gore. What makes this game so popular is that it is crossplay, which means that if your child is playing on a console, they can play with their friend on a PC, Xbox, Playstation, Nintendo switch, or any other form of playing. Players do not talk in- game (except on chats with their friends), so there is no swearing. But do be mindful of the open-chat feature, where players can play with random players, but you can turn off the chat feature in the settings and have your child communicate over a phone call or discord server. I think overall, if your child is old enough to see a MARVEL movie, they are definitely old enough to play Fortnite.

This title has:

Easy to play/use
Too much consumerism
1 person found this helpful.
See all 45 parent reviews

What’s It About?

While the mobile version of FORTNITE (like its PC and console cousins) is set after "The Storm," an apocalyptic event in which 98 percent of the world's population simply vanished, the sole focus here is on the game's "battle royale" fight, in which players compete solo or in pairs and teams to be the last one standing. To do so, they'll need to gather resources, build refuges, and successfully assassinate other players. Players can compete against not only other mobile players, but also those on consoles and PCs.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (45):
Kids say (234):

Fast-paced action and accessible gameplay are the obvious reasons why Fortnite is the most popular game around these days. It's ridiculously fun and designed to encourage gamers to engage with each other, keeping sessions short. That means it's easy to jump in and out of battles, which is perfect for mobile players. Exploring the map and gathering resources is actually fun, as is trying out different strategies to see what works best for you -- whether that's hiding on the outskirts of the map and avoiding conflict until the very end or running into action, guns blazing. And, should you die, you can either automatically shadow the person who killed you or jump out to the lobby and immediately join another game.

Inventory management is slightly confusing, but it's easy to grasp after a few sessions. And Epic Games wisely didn't include voice chat or text chat among players, meaning parents don't have to worry about their kids being exposed to inappropriate language or other content. But the highlight of the game, for many, is the ability for mobile players to compete with those on consoles and PCs. It's a fun addition, though it has flaws, since players on those platforms have a speed advantage that make them much more likely to win a battle. Fortnite is a game of speed -- and the fact is that mobile devices, even the most recent, can't compete with dedicated gaming machines. Bottom line: If winning affects your enjoyment of the game, it's best to stick to other systems, but if you're in it for fun and to improve your skills, the mobile version is a terrific alternative.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about violence in video games. Fortnite has bloodless cartoonish violence, but you're still constantly shooting players. Is that OK?

  • Talk about teamwork. How do you play to win but also foster sporting behavior in games? For kids looking for help on this topic, check out our Q&A on teamwork.

  • Discuss moderation and screen time. Fortnite is a game that encourages you to play again and again and again, but when is it time to put it down and play outside?

App Details

  • Device: Android
  • Pricing structure: Free
  • Release date: April 11, 2018
  • Category: Action Games
  • Publisher: Epic Games
  • Version: 3.5.0
  • Minimum software requirements: Requires iOS 11.0 or later.
  • Last updated: February 25, 2021

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