Fortnite Ranked Play, Explained – How do Ranks work in Fortnite?

Following in the footsteps of hit battle royales like Apex Legends, Fortnite is introducing a ranked mode playlist. As one of the most requested features to be added to the game, I'm pretty excited about it. Here's how it works.

How do ranks work in Fortnite?

With the introduction of ranked play in Fortnite, the Arena game mode will be retired. Competitive players won't have to wait very long for a replacement, however, as a whole bunch of ranks will be added on May 16.

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To move up, players will need to place high in matches and also eliminate players. Epic says a mix of both will factor into the ranking, so you won't have to worry about winning every match you're in to rank up. There is a separate ranking for Battle Royale and Zero Build.

What game modes have Fortnite Ranked play?

With Zero Build being added as a new game mode, it makes sense for Epic to offer Ranked Play for both the Battle Royale and Zero Build format. However, Zero Build has just one mode available, while Battle Royale has three.

• Battle Royale: Solo, Duos, Squads
• Zero Build: Duos

When it comes to playlists that aren't solo, the matchmaking is determined by what player on your team has the highest rank. This means a Gold player won't be able to carry lower-ranked players, so don't go into the new format thinking that's the case.

When does Fortnite Ranked Season start?

The v24.40 update will kick off Ranked Season Zero which goes until the end of Chapter 4 Season 3. Epic says they'll be using the data from the initial season to make changes for the start of the next Ranked Season. A cosmetic reward for Season Zero is up for grabs called the Burn Bright Emote. Using this will show off your current rank, so it's good for some bragging rights.

For more Fortnite news and guides, check out How to play Fortnite Creative 2.0 (UEFN) on Pro Game Guides.