Fortnite Battle Royale… What you should know
  • Fortnite has a PEGI rating of 12+, due to frequent scenes of mild violence.
  • Fortnite has a ‘chat’ feature, where players are likely to be exposed to swearing and inappropriate language by strangers, this can be voice-chat or on-screen texting.
  • In-Game purchases are prevalent whilst playing, and gamers are encouraged to buy new outfits, weapons and other add-ons so that they aren’t ‘left behind’ using or wearing old items. The cheapest add-on is £8, and climbs up to a staggering £119.99.

So… What is Fortnite Battle Royale?

For a quick explanation, You and 99 other players start off in a flying ‘battle bus’, jump out skydiving-style, find a landing spot, then race to collect materials, weapons, and other loot to defeat the other players, with the aim of being the last person standing.

In Fortnite, there are three main game modes:

  • Solo
  • Duo
  • Squads

For the Solo game modes, it’s you against 99 other players.

For Duos, you can team up with a friend or stranger against 49 other teams of two. In Duos, your partner can revive you if you’re wounded, making this the second most popular game mode.

For Squads, you join a team of three other players and try and be the last of 25 four-player teams standing. Squads are usually Fortnite’s most popular mode.

So, we know what Fortnite is, what do we need to be aware of?

As mentioned, Fortnite has a PEGI rating of 12+, due to mild scenes violence, which is shooting at other players, however, there is no blood, no injuries, and no dead bodies, the player just vanishes.

If playing a Duo or Squad game, you can choose to play with your friends or strangers. Playing with friends is always the safer option, but we know that sometimes friends aren’t available to play.

Inappropriate conversations, exposure to swearing and other harmful words and chatting about personal information are the main things to be aware of when playing with strangers. Having a conversation with your child about what information you should and shouldn’t share is the best way to keep this under control.

Safety Features

Epic Games, the creators of Fortnite have created a guide for parents, which you can access here

  • Options to disable in-game chat
  • Options to block and report users that are inappropriate
  • Options to play with friends only

Our advice to parents

Play Fortnite with your kids!

Sounds a little unorthodox, right? By playing Fortnite with your kids (or on your own) you can get a much better understanding of the game, its environment and the kinds of people who play the game, plus you can get an idea of the safety features and how to use them, which is always a big plus!

Have a chat with your kids about fortnite.

Asking your kids about what they love about Fortnite and why/how they play the game can be a really useful way of understanding more about the game. Childnet has created a list of conversation starters that you can use to get the conversation flowing!