How to slide in Fortnite

Knowing how to slide in Fortnite is an important new element to the game, wherein a simple addition to the movement mechanics can change the way you play, win, and lose. Sliding allows you to keep up momentum, avoid enemy attacks, and generally stay agile in the middle of a firefight. It's very likely to become a core mechanic that determines success across Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 1, so we'll show you how to make the most of it right here.

How to slide in Fortnite

To slide in Fortnite is pretty simple - while running, hold down the crouch button (either right-stick or the CTRL button, depending on your platform), and your character will drop to their knees and skid across the ground, while still retaining the ability to fire. You can cancel out of the slide at any point after that simply by hitting the crouch button. You'll be a smaller target, you'll have freedom to return fire, and you can stay moving while doing so. There's also a small amount of control to alter your course, though it's not like you can turn 180 degrees or anything like that.

However, there are a couple of qualifiers to the sliding mechanic. Mainly that your momentum isn't indefinite - eventually you'll stop sliding. However, you can keep the length and speed higher by going down a slope, like a hill or similar. Head down a steep angle and you probably won't stop until you reach level ground, and you'll go faster the steeper that angle is. There's also a couple of new options in the settings menu, including changing the slide trigger from hold to toggle, and altering the slide hold time, which determines how long you press crouch for before it triggers the slide itself. Play with these until you find the most comfortable settings for yourself, then try powersliding across some rooftops until your knees are beyond repair.

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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.