How to Host a Private Match

Requirements

• You must have 2FA enabled on host account(s)
• Your account must be previously entitled by the Fortnite Competitive Team to run private matches
• The host and the players must be playing in the same region
• If games are being streamed, hide the passwords, or unwanted guests can join your private games

How to Host a Private Game

1. Ensure you are on the correct server region (in the settings) as your participants
2. Select the desired game mode in the bottom right of the screen
3. Select the custom match button located at the bottom right on the select game mode screen
4. Enter the password you would like to use, and click Accept. See password rules at the bottom of this guide.
5. Press "Play" and wait for all of the players to join using the password designated by the host mentioned in Step 4.
   • The host should be able to see how many players are in the queue.
   • Once a match has started, the lobby is closed - new players will not be able to join, and they will receive an error message
6. The host can start the game manually by clicking the “Start Match” button.

How to Join a Game

1. Ensure all players are on the same region as the host
2. Navigate to the “Choose Game Mode” screen at the bottom right
3. Select the “Custom Match” button located at the bottom right of the screen
4. Enter the password provided from the tournament organizer
   • Note: password is case sensitive
5. Select "Play" and wait for the match to begin

Password Rules

• Your password must be between 4-16 characters
  • Your password can not contain special characters
• Ensure that all passwords are unique
  • Note: creating a Password like “1234” may cause the game to throw an invalid error, as other players not associated with your event can easily guess this
• If you are streaming, hide your passwords, or unwanted guests can join your private games

Recommendations

1. All players should have the password and be ready to join the match as soon as the event is ready to start
   • Once the match has begun, it will not be possible for additional players to join the match - players that attempt to join once the match has started will receive an error message 
2. Be sure that players select the correct server region and playlist as the host in the game settings
   • Players with the wrong server region or mode selected will be unable to join and will receive an error message
3. Your password should not be too long, otherwise the game will refuse to create a private match (you will receive an error message). Again, minimum character limit is 4 and maximum is 16

Having Issues?
If you are having trouble joining a custom match, try these steps to resolve your issues:

• Ensure that game mode is set to Battle Royale in your settings. Then try again
• If you are in a team game mode, try changing the party leader and attempt to join again
• Restart your game to ensure that you are running the most up to update version, then try again

FAQ

• Can I create a Private game?
  • Only accounts that have been given access to private matchmaking can create private games - send an email to [email protected] with your tournament proposal.
• I am getting an error message when I try and queue up for the match...
  • Make sure all players are connected to the same region. How to change server region is shown in the above videos. (NA-East/Europe/NA-West/etc..)
  • The host (Account with Access to create Private Matches) must be the first to queue up for the match. Once they are fully in queue and see the “queued players” UI above the “Play” button, other players can start to ready up.
  • Custom Keys must be between 4-16 characters
  • Double-Triple check your key on both the host and the player. Use another Key if there are still issues
  • Report back to Epic with errors. Before doing any of this,  please provide logs from both the host and the players.
• Can I adjust match settings within my private game, such as storm settings, weapon drop rates, etc?
  • No. Private matches are only limited to the available playlists that exist in the live playlist select screen. For example, you may not host a private match using the Blitz Limited Time Mode if the Blitz Limited Time Mode is not live and available on the playlist select screen.
• Can I kick players who I do not want in my private matches?
  • Unfortunately, private matches do not have a player blacklist feature. You’ll need to be careful with who you give the lobby password to, as anyone with the password will be able to join. 
• How do I obtain my Logs?
  • Press Windows Key+R -> Type “appdata” -> Press Enter -> Navigate through the following path: 'Local > FortniteGame > Saved > Logs'
  • *NOTE: If you don’t know which logs to obtain, feel free to sort by Date and zip all files from the day the issue was encountered