Epic is working to fix Fortnite frame drops on all platforms

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2019 MacBook Pro Fortnite
It's not clear what is causing the problem.
Photo: Apple

Have you noticed Fortnite isn’t running so smoothly on Mac or iOS since the introduction of season two, chapter two? You’re not alone; almost every player is experiencing significant frame drops following last week’s update.

The good news is Epic Games is working on a fix.

Fortnite’s newest update is one of the most exciting in recent history. It makes huge changes to the game that have led to a more enjoyable experience. There’s just one, rather large problem.

Players across all platforms — PC, consoles, and mobile — are experiencing significant frame drops, and no one really knows why.

Fortnite will get FPS fix

The frame drops can happen at any time. During intense gunfights, midway through a big build-off, and even while you’re quietly looting up all by yourself at the beginning of a match. They can be incredibly frustrating.

Tweaking your settings may help with this problem in the meantime. Reducing the game’s resolution and lowering the quality of its visuals can bump up your frame rate, but it may not eliminate frame drops entirely.

Some speculate the drops may have something to do with Fortnite’s new game engine, but that was introduced at the end of last season, and as far as we can tell, it didn’t have a huge impact on performance back then.

So, it’s not completely clear what is behind the issue — or why it affects every platform. What we do know is that Epic is working to fix it.

But when?

“We’re aware of reports of FPS drops since v12.00 and are working on improvements,” reads a notice on the official Trello board for Fortnite, where Epic lists all the bugs and issues it is currently working on.

There is no word on when the fix will be available. Epic has vowed to address other issues in the version 12.10 release that could come later this week, but it has not yet specified which version will eliminate the frame drop issue.

Another problem affecting mobile players on iOS is the inability to install game updates. This will also be fixed at some point, but Epic says uninstalling and then reinstalling the game “may” solve the issue for now.

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