Fortnite is a huge hit; it’s played by millions of people all over the world and is available on almost every platform, including PC, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android. If you are an avid gamer, you frequently blame it when your internet connection slows down. However, when it comes to your Internet speed, games aren’t usually the biggest hogs. While playing Fortnite on the go sounds fantastic, there are some drawbacks, especially if your mobile data allowance is limited. How much bandwidth does Fortnite use?
How much bandwidth does Fortnite really consume?
Gaming has a bad reputation for being data-hungry, especially when played on a mobile device. When you’re playing video games at home, you almost always have an unlimited internet plan, but when you are outdoors, you will need a capable phone plan. You’d be out of data in no time if you played nonstop, but gaming consumes less data than you might think. In reality, playing games consumes very little bandwidth. The game only sends the bare minimum of information to let the other players know what each player is up to.
About Fortnite
Epic Games released Fortnite 2017, which is an online video game. It has three different types of game modes, and they typically share the same basic gameplay and have a similar game engine. They are namely Fortnite: Save the World, which is a hybrid tower defense, shooter, survival cooperative game in which up to four players brawl off creatures, while also defending objects with traps and fortifications that they can construct.
Secondly, Fortnite Battle Royale is a free-to-play battle royale game in which up to 100 players fight each other competitively to be the last one standing. And lastly, Fortnite Creative, where players have complete control over the creation of worlds and battle arenas. Fortnite is 17.5GB on PC, 16.8GB on Xbox One, and 7.5GB on PlayStation 4. Fortnite takes up 261.8MB on iPhone and 381MB on Android.
How much bandwidth does Fortnite use on a PC?
Every system has its own set of requirements when it comes to gaming, but most online games like Pubg and Fortnite should be playable if you have at least 3 Mbps download speed, at least 1 Mbps upload speed, and a ping rate of less than 150 ms.
According to the Epic Games forums, some players claimed to use about 45 to 100 MB per hour while playing Fortnite, meaning that a typical 15-20 minute game, therefore, consumes only between 12 and 24 MB of data.
How much data does Fortnite use on iOS and Android?
Fortnite consumes about 10-15MB per 15 minutes of gameplay or around 50-60MB per hour. This depends on several factors too, like additional requirements like patch downloads which can be rather small at times or extremely large – more than 1GB on average – and maybe the reason why your data is over so quick, rather than simply just playing Fortnite on a mobile connection.
The process consists of two steps: first, update the app/launcher, and then, in-app, download the patch. When you run the game for the first time after the update, make sure you’re connected to Wi-Fi to avoid using your mobile data in the future.
Where does the bandwidth go?
A household with ten or more devices connected to the Internet at the same time is not uncommon. Not only are everyone’s desktop and/or laptop computers taking up space, but so are their phones and gaming consoles. Even if nothing is happening, if everyone is running apps that poll for updates regularly, it quickly adds up to a noticeable background level. Although, some things take up a lot of bandwidth:
- Streaming video
Streaming video is the most bandwidth-intensive activity in the home. If several people are simultaneously watching videos on Netflix, Amazon, and YouTube, especially in Full HD, it will most likely consume far more bandwidth than any game will. Don’t forget about video chat, which can be a huge hit, too.
- Malware
Malware is a notorious bandwidth hog. There may be rogue apps that may be sending thousands of spam emails or even hacking into websites all over the world without your knowledge.
- Music streaming
Even though it isn’t as intensive as video, it still consumes more bandwidth than you might think, especially if you’ve chosen the higher quality channels.
- Uploading and downloading large files
This can also have a significant impact. If you are downloading videos or torrenting software, it may slow things down. It’s possible that you aren’t even aware that you have applications in the background that are updating or downloading on their own.
Conclusion
Fortnite consumes around 40-100MB per hour when played consistently on a PC, while on mobiles it usually takes up to 50-60 MB per hour. With Fortnite reaching heights of big prize pools to millions of players logging in every day, it is surprisingly a myth that gaming takes up a lot of internet bandwidth. You can play Fortnite on different platforms like PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and your mobile phones, precisely android or iOS with data not much than 24 MB consumed per game.
