How To Play Fortnite On Mac
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Fortnite is an online multiplayer video game that has taken the world by storm. By combining the genres of shooter, survival, building, and last-man-standing, Fortnite has quickly become one of the most popular video games in history.
Part of Fortnite’s success is due to the addictive recipe of genres known as “battle royale,” but credit must also go to the founders of Fortnite, Epic Games, for making the game free and highly accessible to almost every gaming platform — including Mac.
Is Fortnite On Mac Any Good?
Macs haven’t always been known for their video game experience. To make a long story short, Apple’s proprietary hardware simply wasn’t designed to run demanding video games. However, in the late 2000s, Apple switched to standardized hardware which rendered them far more viable for gaming. Today, the company has a large selection of games and even has their own subscription model for them known as Apple Arcade.
Despite these advantageous changes, it’s not guaranteed that video games will run smoothly. Thankfully, Fortnite on Mac is optimized to run on a range of different hardware configurations, even lower-powered Macs and MacBooks.
Fortnite Mac requirements: Can you play Fortnite on Mac?
There’s a difference between wondering can you play Fortnite on Mac and being able to play it smoothly. The vast majority of Macs are built for daily home or business use, which means they are not high-powered gaming machines. The best path forward is to determine whether you meet the minimum Fortnite Mac requirements:
Operating system: macOS Sierra
Processor: Core i3 2.4 GHz
Graphics chip: Intel HD 4000
RAM: 4 GB
Hard drive: At least 70 GB of space (SSD recommended)
If your system meets these Fortnite Mac requirements, then you should be able to play Fortnite on Mac. However, if you want a smooth experience with higher graphical fidelity, then the Fortnite specs should be exceeded. The easiest way to determine this is based on your particular Mac. For example, Fortnite on MacBook Pro is much more likely to run well than a Macbook Air. Similarly, an iMac 27” is more suited than an older iMac 21.5” or Mac Mini.
To check your Mac’s specs, click the Apple logo in the menu bar and then About This Mac.
Generally speaking, any Apple Mac product released after 2016 should be able to run Fortnite fairly well. A dedicated graphics card is also a strong indicator of smooth performance over the more common integrated chips, such as the Intel HD 4000.
Now that you know whether your Mac meets the recommended Fortnite specs, you might be wondering how to get Fortnite on Mac.
How to download Fortnite on Mac, plus install
If you’re looking at how to download Fortnite on Mac, you’re in the right place — simply head over to the Fortnite page of the Epic Games website and click on Mac. The Fortnite for Mac download isn’t actually the game, but an Epic Games launcher file. This is a service similar to Steam that allows the purchase and installation of many games, including Fortnite. Once the launcher has finished downloading, follow these steps for how to install Fortnite:
Open the downloaded Epic Games launcher file (if already installed, skip to Step 4)
Follow the on-screen instructions
At this point, you’ll need to either create or sign into an Epic Games account
Open the Epic Games launcher. If you’ve just downloaded it from the Fortnite website, it should automatically go to the Fortnite section of Epic Games launcher. If not, search for Fortnite in the top bar.
Click Install. Epic Games launcher will automatically start the Fortnite for Mac download, then figure out how to install Fortnite automatically. Ensure you have at least 70 GB of disk space available.
Once finished, click Play
Now that you know how to get Fortnite on Mac, it’s time to get started. However, like any multiplayer online game, your success might be limited by weak system performance.
Monitor Fortnite’s performance on Mac
The first step in finding out how to make Fortnite run better on Mac, is to consider which components of your Mac’s hardware might be limiting the others. An experienced user might be able to guess based on specifications alone, but it’s much better to let iStat Menus do it for you.
iStat Menus is a comprehensive hardware monitor for Mac that integrates straight into your macOS menu bar. At a glance, you’ll find an overview of how your system is running including GPU usage, CPU load, temperatures, and fan speeds.
As a utility, iStat Menus is much more powerful than the default macOS performance monitor, packing useful features allowing you to:
Completely customize your iStat Menus interface to show the statistics you care about at a glance, while hiding the rest
Configure how your iStat Menus integrates with your macOS menu bar — either minimize each statistic as a separate icon or consolidate them into one that expands upon clicking
Receive notifications for important alerts, such as GPU temperature limits
Personalize your color schemes including a dark mode for easy viewing
How to make Fortnite run better on Mac
If you find Fortnite running slow on Mac, it may be because macOS has become encumbered by fragmented files and old applications over time. Instead of manually combing through your system for potential solutions, consider using a professional optimizer.
CleanMyMac X is a clever app for Mac that automatically tidies up disk space, optimizes macOS for high performance, and much more:
Removes apps from your hard drive in just a few clicks. CleanMyMac X will even show you which apps are being used the least to help you make more informed decisions.
Cleans up fragmented files on your hard drive without removing anything essential
Protects your Mac from viruses and other malicious software that could impact Fortnite’s performance with the Malware Removal tool
Uses the Optimization tool to run magic scripts designed to squeeze extra performance out of your Mac
Configures your browser privacy settings and manages your cache to ensure that browsing in the background isn’t taxing performance in Fortnite
One of CleanMyMac X’s best features is its simple interface, designed to help you maintain and optimize your Mac without a hitch. Running CleanMyMac X every month will keep things moving swiftly, so you can play Fortnite on Mac with every advantage possible.
Maximize battery life for Fortnite on MacBook Pro
It’s no surprise that gaming on a laptop can cause severe battery drain — all of the system’s resources are operating at full speed to try and give you the smoothest gaming experience, at the expense of power.
Endurance is a lightweight app for Mac, which helps you manage your battery life better, extending it by up to 20% using a series of optimization tricks. With Endurance, you can figure out how to play Fortnite on Mac for longer, plus:
Gradually lower your screen brightness over time to lessen the disappointing effects of a sudden drop
Throttle your CPU speed (and, therefore, power draw) for day-to-day tasks, then let it loose for maximum performance in games
Get notifications when apps are using a significant amount of battery so you can either slow them, snooze them, or close them
Configure all of the battery and power settings you could want directly from your macOS menu bar. Either use the default configuration or customize it to your specific needs.
Automatically disable the battery-taxing use of Adobe Flash in your apps
By installing Endurance, you can play Fortnite on MacBook Pro for longer. The best part? Endurance, CleanMyMac X, and iStat Menus are all available for a free seven day trial on Setapp — a Mac subscription service that gives you access to over 160 all-important apps. Getting started is simple: simply head to the Setapp website and follow the instructions for a free trial. With everything installed and ready to go, your Fortnite for Mac experience will be faster, smoother, and last for a long time — every gamer’s dream.
