Fortnite coming to next-gen consoles with Unreal Engine 5 upgrade planned

Developer Epic Games will bring Fortnite to PS5 and Xbox Series X at the launch of next-gen.

Epic Games announced their next-gen plans shortly after the first-ever PS5 gameplay was showcased with a tech demo, running on Unreal Engine 5. 

• Read more: Unreal Engine 5 demo on PS5 shows what’s possible on next-gen consoles

Fortnite next-gen & Unreal Engine 5

In a post on the Epic Games website, the developer revealed the first details of their Fortnite next-gen plans. While a lot is still unknown, Epic Games did announce Fortnite would come to next-gen consoles at launch, and "take full advantage of the newest consoles".

This doesn't mean it will be an all-new Fortnite. Instead, it will still be the same game fans know and love. The game will be optimised to take advantage of the new hardware and features on next-gen consoles.

Exactly how Fortnite will look on PS5 and Xbox Series X is still unknown. The developer will share more details "in the coming months", and hopefully, we will see some gameplay as we head closer to the launch of next-gen consoles.

Arguably even more exciting than Fortnite heading to next-gen consoles at launch, is Epic planning to migrate the game to Unreal Engine 5 sometime in mid-2021. 

Epic Games explained: "While we can’t share specifics at the moment, more powerful hardware will allow us to improve performance and visuals.

"At launch, the version of Fortnite we release on next-gen consoles will be built with Unreal Engine 4. We will migrate Fortnite to Unreal Engine 5 in mid-2021."

Other tidbits of information shared by Epic Games about Fortnite on next-gen include:

• Existing platforms will continue to be supported.
• They plan to support cross-progression across console generations and platforms so that your account, progression, and items carry over.
• Epic intends to support cross-play across all platforms, including current and next-generation consoles

The developer is clearly gearing up for the next-gen consoles, and it will be very exciting to see Fortnite on Unreal Engine 5, especially after the PlayStation 5 gameplay reveal, which you can view below in case you missed it.

• Read more: GTA V is the next free game on Epic Store, rumour claims