How to download Fortnite on Nintendo Switch consoles, and join the 11 million Switch owners who’ve now installed the game
The massively multiplayer shooter is set to become the most popular game ever released on the Switch
HALF of all Nintendo Switch owners worldwide have downloaded Fortnite on their consoles, according to Nintendo's latest financial results.
This translates to around 11 million Switch owners with the game, putting it on course to become the platform's most popular game.
Nintendo published its financial results for the past six months yesterday, revealing that "nearly half" of all Nintendo Switch owners have downloaded Epic Games' free-to-play shooter (the company didn't give a precise figure).
Because Nintendo Switch consoles have been sold to date, this means that almost 11.4 million Switch owners have installed the game.
This is an impressive number for a console the usually revolves around more 'family friendly' games like Mario and Zelda, rather than massively multiplayer battle royale games such as Fortnite.
And in fact, the 'nearly half' benchmark would make Fortnite the third-most popular game ever released on the Switch, Super Mario Odyssey (12.17 million sold) and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (11.71 million).
Fortnite's achievement is made all the more impressive by its Nintendo Switch release date, which at June 12 gave the game only four months to amass its 11 million installs.
What is Fortnite Battle Royale?
If you're new to the game, here's what you need to know
- Fortnite's Battle Royale is free-to-play
- It's available on the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, Mac, iPhone and most recently Nintendo Switch
- In the game, up to 100 players are dropped onto a fictional island
- Players are then forced to battle it out in a last-person-standing deathmatch
- To help, players can collect a range of weapons hidden all over the island
- You can also collect resources – like wood, bricks and metal – to build defensive structures
- The area you can play in on the island is constantly shrinking thanks to an encroaching storm
- This means players are forced together over time, until just one person survives
- The game also has a paid-for co-op story campaign
And if you're one of the Nintendo Switch owners who haven't downloaded the game yet on your console, here's how you can join in on the fun:
- On the Switch's Home screen, select the eShop icon (which looks like a shopping bag and can be found at the bottom of the home screen)
- Once you've accessed the eShop, select the Search icon (which looks like a magnifying glass and is in the top-left of the screen)
- Type Fortnite into the search bar and press Return
- Select Fortnite
- Click the Free Download button
The game is likely to become even more popular among Nintendo fans in the coming months, since a Fortnite Switch bundle was released by Nintendo at the beginning of October, in time for the Christmas rush.
And even without the bundle, it will remain free to download from the Nintendo eShop, putting it on course to become the most popular game on the Switch.
What do you think about the Nintendo Switch's version of Fortnite? Let us know in the comments.
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