Fortnite Battle Royale news and updates: what’s new in Fortnite Season 4

[Update: Fortnite has had a big week. Launching on Nintendo Switch, starting its bid for competitive play and update 4.4. Read more about it below!]

You've probably noticed, but Battle Royale games are big news at the moment. One of the biggest of the Battle Royale titles available is Fortnite Battle Royale from Epic Games.

Available for free on PC, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch and iOS Fortnite Battle Royale supports up to 100 players at a time in a game, either playing as individuals or in squads of up to four. When starting up, you're thrown onto an island with no weapons or armor and you must scavenge for supplies and fight for your life to be the last man or squad standing at the end of the game.

Like most Battle Royale games, Fortnite is split into matches of varying length with a map that shrinks as the match progresses, forcing players closer together.

Epic Games actively works on Fortnite Battle Royale, making regular changes through patches and updates. Here you'll be able to find the latest changes to the game.

What's the latest Fortnite update?

There's a lot of big Fortnite news at the moment. The battle royale has launched on Nintendo Switch, garnering more than 2 million players already, while update 4.4 has arrived to bring in new items.

You'll now find a brand new thermal scope assault rifle in the game so while you can run, you most definitely will struggle to hide. This can see chests, Supply Drops, enemy heat signatures and more and you'll find it in floor loot, chests and Supply Drops.

You'd best keep your eyes on the group too since traps can now be set on ramps, sloping roofs and stairs. Including the Bouncer. That seems like a pretty good opportunity to get some air with a shopping cart at the end of a ramp if you ask us.

Outside of this there's the return of the snipers and scoped assault rifles Limited Time mode as well as 50 V 50.

The game is also getting into the World Cup spirit – there's a brand new stadium on the map with a smattering of football fields everywhere else where you can score goals. Plus, the opportunity to buy some new football kits and a football-themed glider. Make sure you try up some of the new football-focused Emotes too.

Then, of course, there are the usual big fixes and quality of life improvements which you can pore over in detail in the full V4.4 patch notes.

What's coming up in Fortnite?

Fortnite is a game that undergoes frequent updates so week-by-week you can expect to see patches which either squash bugs or make small changes to gameplay that improve the overall game experience.

In the long term, Epic Games has announced that it's looking to make some game-improving changes. These will include more Limited Time Modes as well as improvements to performance, quality of life and the games replay system. Players who prefer using controllers will see improvements made building, as well as the ability to turn of aim assist while building for greater accuracy.

In terms of Limited Time modes, 50v50 might hang around for longer. However, a new Limited Time mode called Playground could be in the works. This mode would take place in the usual map but it'd be longer with more resources to hand.

We can also expect to see more interesting Limited Time items like the recently introduced jet packs in the future.

Can I play Fortnite on mobile?

Yes you can! Well, kind of. Fortnite is definitely coming to mobiles and some iOS owners can play it already but the rollout is slow and it'll be a couple of months before it comes to Android.

Who can play Fortnite on mobile?

Right now, Epic is sending out invites to iOS device owners who have signed up on the official Fortnite site. For testing a server scaling, these invites are being rolled out steadily before a full release. A few months from now, Android owners will be able to access the game to. But at the moment, it's a selection of iOS players.

If you sign up on the site now you will get an invite eventually and as long as you're using iOS 11 on iPhone 6S/SE, iPad Mini 4, iPad Air 2, iPad 2017, iPad Pro devices or later you'll be fine. Oh, and you'll need an internet connection naturally.

Is it the full game?

It is the full Fortnite game. There are some small differences: it’s not quite as visually impressive as it is on more powerful devices, the controls are touchscreen, and a lot of audio cues have been made visual so you can play comfortably in public without the need for headphones. But you won’t be missing out on any features.

What's the deal with cross-play?

Though Xbox One and PS4 owners can't play the game together, these consoles can play with PC and mobile devices. And Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PC and mobile players can all play together. So if you've got friends that prefer PC, others that prefer console and you're off on holiday with your mobile, you can still all play together. Just as long as there's not one friend that dared to buy a different console from everyone else.

There's also cross-progression. So, if you're logged into your Fortnite account on mobile playing and you later log into your console to play, everything you did on mobile later that day is carried over.

Sounds great, how do I get it?

We have a guide on how to get Fortnite on mobile on TechRadar and we're constantly updating it with the latest rollout news. If your device isn't there yet, keep checking back and one day it probably will be.

What's a Battle Pass?

The Battle Pass is a purchasable item in Fortnite that gives you access to exclusive in-game rewards.

As players complete daily challenges and level up their rank, they earn Battle Stars which can then be used to unlock Tiers in their Battle Pass. Each new Tier you unlock will bring both Free and Premium rewards. The Tiers vary from season to season but in season three you get around 100 items in each Battle Pass which can take anywhere between 75 and 150 hours of play to unlock.

Everyone that has a Battle Pass will get the Free reward they unlock, but only Premium Pass holders will get the Premium reward. Battle Pass Premium can only be purchased with in-game V bucks and not with real money.

You can purchase a Battle Pass for around £7/$10 in the Battle Pass tab of the game’s menu.

Twitch Prime benefits

Those who use Twitch Prime and play Fortnite will be glad to know that they have access to free loot right now. Those with a Prime account can claim the Fortnite Twitch Prime Pack and the Fortnite Twitch Prime Pack 2 which include a host of cosmetic items and are available across all platforms.

The first pack includes two exclusive gliders and outfits: the Havoc Outfit and Back Bling, plus the Sub Commander Outfit and Slipstream Glider. The second pack contains three exclusive items for Fortnite’s Battle Royale mode including the camouflage-heavy Trailblazer Outfit, the True North Back Bling, and the Tenderizer Pickaxe. There’s also a brand new dance emote for those that like the dance floor as much as the battleground.

The packs can only be claimed on a single platform, but they can be shared across PC/console and mobile as long as you use the same Epic account across these platforms. You can’t however, share your loot across PS4 and Xbox One even if you are using the same Epic account.