Fortnite's mobile versions may finally get controller support: "We're beginning testing"

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Controller compatibility and matchmaking are issues to consider as Fortnite gets closer to mobile controller support

Fortnite first arrived on mobile devices back in April and a common feature request from dedicated players has remained since then: controller support. Epic Games' latest mobile-centric development update could be cause for celebration for all screen-tapping types, especially the ones who wish they could be twiddling thumbsticks instead.

"Controller support. We haven’t touched on this in some time, but we’re beginning testing on various controller setups as we work to enable support," Epic wrote. "We’ll give you a status update on these when we get it to a better state."

The mobile controller market is still very much in flux, so I'd imagine it's more complicated to get a satisfactory amount of them working well with Fortnite than just porting over the controlly bits from its console versions. Speaking of which, don't forget that you can probably pair a Bluetooth-compatible Xbox One controller with your phone if they're both reasonably up to date.

There's also the old fairness in multiplayer problem to consider. Fortnite only has the one matchmaking pool on mobile at the moment, and if players on controllers were dumped in with folks on touchscreens it could be a massacre. I doubt controller-on-mobile will be a popular enough option to sustain its own pool, and their smaller screens and often poorer connections would likely leave said players disadvantaged in the console pools as well. It's a tough scenario to make fair and fun for everybody and I'll be interested to see how Epic handles it.

Until then, the developer has made Fortnite's touchscreen controls extra customizable with more visibility settings and lock-to-grid for ease of placement. And the overall play experience should improve with general performance improvements and 60 frames-per-second play on a "limited set of high end devices" soon. It's a great time to never stop playing Fortnite.

Check out our Fortnite Weekly Challenges guide and keep up with all the cool new unlocks no matter what platform you're on.

Connor Sheridan
Connor Sheridan

I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and was formerly a staff writer at GamesRadar.