Are Fortnite lobbies and matchmaking skill based? Answered
Fortnite takes a few unique approaches to SBMM.
Ryan Willcox 
Screenshot by Gamepur
Skill-based matchmaking (or SBMM) has become a fixture in a majority of the games that rule the battle royale landscape. Although each battle royale does go about SBMM differently, the system has always been known to measure a player’s recent performance and place them into upcoming matches with opponents that have similar skill levels and statistics. That being said, some may wonder if Fortnite lobbies work in this manner, too.
Since Chapter 1 Season X, Fortnite has included skill-based matchmaking in all of its Battle Royale modes, including Solos, Duos, and Squads. Developer Epic Games has not explained how players may see a change in skill levels in lobbies, but a few factors are certain. For one, the amount of eliminations a player earns on average does alter how competitive their lobbies become.
Additionally, Epic Games has confirmed less competitive lobbies feature more bots. For instance, beginners will be added to matches that include up to 75 bots, while highly skilled veterans may notice lobbies that hold as little as 20 bots. To separate players of different skill sets beyond SBMM, the game has also introduced Arena, which allows players to rank up in competitive matches for access to tournaments and exclusive rewards.
Related: How to run Fortnite at 120 FPS on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S
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