How Old Do You Have to Be to Play Fortnite?

If you’ve seen your children getting excited over Battle Royale, you probably have some questions regarding the age-appropriateness of this massively-popular, free-to-play game. 

Are there any age restrictions and if so, how old do you have to be to play Fortnite? Can parents influence what their children see or hear during the game? And most importantly, should your children play Fortnite?

Read on to find out more. 

What age is Fortnite for?

Fortnite has a PEGI rating of 12, so it is deemed suitable for anyone over that age.

PEGI stands for the Pan European Game Information, an age-rating system designed to help parents determine which video games are suitable for their children. According to standards, games with a PEGI rating of 12 involve ‘infrequent mild violence’ with the violence displayed being more graphic towards fantasy rather than ‘human-like characters’. 

It should be noted that this rating applies to the game only. In other words, it does not account for what players might see or hear on in-game chats. The rating also varies across countries—for example, in the US, the ESRB gave the game a Teen rating, setting the minimum age for Fortnite at 13.

Can children under 12 still play?

Yes, in fact, 78% of 8 to 11-year-olds in the UK play Minecraft or Fortnite. However, it is not recommended to introduce the game to pre-teens. 

In Fortnite 100 players are dropped on an island where they battle it out until there is only one standing. The characters are all cartoon-like and unlike more ‘adult’ games, there are no gory visuals (the enemies defeated just vanish off the screen). That said, the aim of the game is to eliminate as many of the other players as possible, so violence, albeit mild, is still present. 

Ultimately, it’s up to the parents to decide whether their kids should play the game. 

How does Fornite’s age rating compare to other popular online games?

Fortnite has a higher age rating than similar titles. Namely, its biggest competitors, Minecraft and Roblox have a PEGI 7 age rating, making them more kid-friendly. 

Other popular titles, like first-person shooter game CSGO and fantasy action RPG Elden Ring, which do have depictions of blood and gore have a PEGI 18 and PEGI 16 rating, respectively.

How old do you have to be to play Fortnite in competitive events?

While there is no official age restriction for Fortnite, there are some requirements when it comes to tournaments and competitions. 

According to Epic Games, the game’s developer, players should be at least 13 to take part in competitive events (unless the country they live in has set a higher Fornite minimum age limit). 

Here are some other things to keep in mind: 

• Players between 13 and 17 still need to have permission from their parent or legal guardian to take part in any tournament
• Parents or legal guardians of players between 13 and 17 also need to provide their contact and banking details to claim a prize from a tournament. 

Did you know Fortnite players are some of the most viewed gamers in the UK?

Parental concerns regarding Fortnite  

These are the most common concerns among parents when it comes to Fortnite: Battle Royale. 

Spending 

Fortnite is free to play, but players are strongly encouraged to spend real money on in-game items. Actually, most of Fortnite’s $5.1 billion in revenue is generated from in-game purchases. 

New outfits and packs are released all the time, some of which can cost £15 and more (players use V-Bucks, Fortnite’s in-game currency) while subscriptions that let you unlock rewards can run up to ​​£9.99 a month. 

Impact on personal life 

According to video game statistics, as many as 42% of parents in the UK are concerned about the time their children spend playing games online. Even though Fortnite matches are short (each takes about 20 to 25 minutes or even less), players can quickly re-enter a new game and Fortnite frequently introduces new updates and different daily and weekly challenges, making it easier to engage in lengthy sessions. 

Violence and profanity

Even though the age rating for Fortnite stands for ‘mild violence’ and the game itself is not gory or bloody, there is still violence involved. What’s more, the rating does not account for in-game chats, which are likely to feature mature content, profanity and offensive language.

Hacking issues

Like any other online game, Fortnite is vulnerable to hacking attacks and scammers who might gain access to personal information through the game.

Does Fortnite have parental controls?

Luckily, Epic Games allows parents to control what their children see or hear during the game. 

More specifically, parents can 

• Limit their children’s ability to send and accept friend requests
• Disable the in-game voice and text chat feature
• Filter out mature text in chats 
• Prevent their children from making unauthorised payments. This however will have no effect on purchases made with Fortnite’s in-game currency V-Bucks.
• Track the amount of time kids spend playing weekly
• Set a rating and limit the child’s access to new releases from Epic Games 

Follow these steps to enable/disable parental control features in Fortnite:

1. Launch Fortnite
2. Open the menu in the upper-right in the Lobby
3. Select Parental Controls
4. Confirm the email address linked to the Fornite account
5. Set a six-digit PIN that you’ll have to enter every time you want to access parental controls in the account
6. Set the parental controls

Bottom Line

As mentioned above, Fortnite is not recommended for children under 12 due to the degree of violence involved and the likelihood of getting exposed to offensive or mature content in chats. That said, with the right parental controls in place and the proper guidance, it can be a much better alternative than some other first-person shooter games out there. 

In the end, it is up to every parent to decide whether or not their child is at the right age to play Fortnite as well as how much time and money they spend on the game.