How to Add Friends on Fortnite

Brawl with friends across PS4, Xbox, PCs and even mobile platforms

By
Jeremy Laukkonen
Jeremy Laukkonen
Jeremy Laukkonen
Writer
  • Shoreline Community College
Jeremy Laukkonen is automotive and tech writer for numerous major trade publications. When not researching and testing computers, game consoles or smartphones, he stays up-to-date on the myriad complex systems that power battery electric vehicles .
lifewire's editorial guidelines
Updated on March 23, 2021
Reviewed by
Jessica Kormos
Jessica Kormos
Reviewed by Jessica Kormos
  • Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College
Jessica Kormos is a writer and editor with 15 years' experience writing articles, copy, and UX content for Tecca.com, Rosenfeld Media, and many others.
lifewire's editorial guidelines
Game Play

What to Know

  • Create a lobby. Select the friends icon and choose Add Friends. Enter a friend's Epic Games name or email, then send the request.
  • You can also add friends outside of Fortnite using the Epic Games app.
  • To add a friend through the app, choose Friends > Add a Friend. Enter the player's email address, then select Send.

Fortnite is a free-to-play game for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and mobile. If you prefer to game with friends instead of strangers, learn how to add friends on Fortnite. You can even play with someone who doesn't have a gaming console using the Fortnite split-screen mode.

How to Play With Friends on Fortnite

When you play Fortnite on a console, you immediately have the option to team with friends who also use that console. For example, if you're playing on Xbox One, you can invite your Xbox Network friends. PlayStation 4 owners can play with their PlayStation Network friends.

Fortnite is a cross-platform game, which means that PC players can play with Xbox players, Nintendo Switch players can play with mobile players, and so on.

To play with a friend who's using a different platform, you need to add them through Fortnite or the Epic Games launcher PC app.

When Fortnite launched, Sony prevented PlayStation 4 users from playing with Xbox One and Switch players. That prohibition is gone, so you really can add friends on Fortnite from any platform, regardless of which platform you're using.

How to Add Friends on Fortnite

Fortnite makes it easy to send friend requests to friends on other platforms, and you can also send them to people you have played with recently.

Here's how to add friends on Fortnite:

  1. Launch Fortnite, and create a Save the World, Battle Royale, or Creative lobby.

    The type of lobby you create doesn't matter. Friends added in Save the World mode are also available in Battle Royale, and vice versa. If you want to play the game as soon as your friend accepts your request, then create a lobby for the mode you want to play to save some time.

    Fortnite welcome screen.

  2. Click or tap the friends icon that looks like human silhouettes if you're playing on PC or mobile.

    On Xbox One press the view button (looks like two boxes); on Nintendo Switch, press the - button; and on PlayStation 4, press the touchpad button.

    The Friends icon

  3. Click or tap ADD FRIENDS if you're playing on PC or mobile. Xbox One users, press X. Nintendo Switch users, press Y. PlayStation 4 users, press Square.

    The Add Friends tab

  4. Select the ENTER DISPLAY NAME OR EMAIL, and enter your friend's Epic Games display name or their email. Xbox One users can access this field by pressing A. Nintendo Switch users use the B button. PlayStation 4 users, tap X.

    You will also find suggested friends and recent players on this menu. If you want to send a friend request to someone you played Fortnite with recently, select them from this menu.

    The Enter Display Name field

  5. If you enter your friend's display name or email address correctly, you will see a Friend Request Sent message.

    Fortnite friend request.

  6. If your friend accepts the request, they will show up in your friends list in the EPIC FRIENDS section.

    The Epic Friends menu

Can You Add Fortnite Friends From Outside of Fortnite?

When you add friends on Fortnite, you're adding them to your Epic Games account. Epic is the developer and publisher of Fortnite, and they have a PC app that acts as a launcher for the PC version of Fortnite and a store in which you can buy other titles.

If you have a friend who plays Fortnite, and you want to add them to play later without actually launching the game, use the Epic Games app on your PC. Using this method, if you're playing a different game on your console, you don't have to launch Fortnite just to add someone.

Adding friends through the Epic launcher lets you easily play cross-platform with all your friends, regardless of whether they play on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, or mobile.

To add a Fortnite friend through the Epic Games launcher, click Friends > Add a Friend. Enter the other player's email address, and then click Send.

Epic Games Launcher friends system.
Was this page helpful?