Fortnite white screen glitch fix and explanation

The Fortnite White Screen glitch is an error that seems to be affecting mainly console players since the start of Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 1, particularly those playing on the Nintendo Switch, but also those on the PS4, PS5 and Xbox. Usually kicking in when players try to log into the game, it fills the entire screen with white colour and no other details, making it impossible for players to interact with, see, or choose anything in Fortnite to get started. It's certainly frustrating, which is why we've laid out everything we know about the Fortnite white screen glitch below, including fixes, explanations, and comments from Epic Games itself on how to solve it.

Fortnite white screen glitch fixes

Since the start of Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 1, players have been experiencing the white screen glitch largely on consoles, and it's not clear what to do about it considering you can't change or select anything while it's active. Right now, the only solution with any level of success that people are reporting is simply to close the game and try again, and that eventually it should work.

It's also worth checking that you have the latest updates installed. Epic Games have acknowledged the issue online via Twitter, and followed it up later with a post claiming the issue is solved. However, some have still reported the problem, suggesting that it might not be as fixed as suggested. Either way, make sure you're using the most recent version of Fortnite, and have all the relevant drivers and fixes installed.

We're investigating reports that players see a blank white screen when first starting up Fortnite.We'll provide an update as we have more info. pic.twitter.com/2B9VEss6zQDecember 5, 2021

If that doesn't work, you can always double-check you have the latest version by reinstalling Fortnite entirely, deleting it from your computer or console and reinstalling it. Admittedly, that's kind of a big ask for such a large game, but it might work as a last resort if you're having trouble with the white screen glitch - after all, you won't be able to play it anyway while that's affecting you.

Joel Franey is a writer, journalist, podcaster and Very Tired Man with a BA from Brunel University, a Masters from Sussex University and a decade working in games journalism, often focused on guides coverage but also in reviews, features and news. His love of games is strongest when it comes to groundbreaking narratives like Disco Elysium, UnderTale and Baldur's Gate 3, as well as innovative or refined gameplay experiences like XCOM, Sifu, Arkham Asylum or Slay the Spire. He is a firm believer that the vast majority of games would be improved by adding a grappling hook, and if they already have one, they should probably add another just to be safe. You can find old work of his at Eurogamer, Gfinity, USgamer, SFX Magazine, RPS, Dicebreaker, VG247, and more.