Fortnite Switch 2 Brings Big Upgrade and Free Emote

Fortnite’s about to launch on a new platform, with the release of Fortnite Switch 2 there’s some big handheld upgrades coming. The Switch has long been a bit outdated for modern Fortnite, but with a new console launching players have been looking forward to an upgrade. That’s here, and it seems the Fortnite Switch 2 edition is a big step up. Alongside that, players can enjoy a new free emote on the platform!

What exactly is the big deal about the upgrade? New Nintendo consoles usually move as fans want to play the new Mario Kart or Zelda. But with the ever-growing world of live service games, a lot of players increasingly look to new hardware for an upgrade. FN even hosts tournaments on console like the Duos Console Cash Cups, so new releases are always interesting. How much of a difference is Switch 2 going to make for Fortnite?

Fortnite on Switch 2 Gets Big Upgrade

Fortnite Switch 2 has launched along with the rest of the platform’s initial releases. Now players are getting their hands on the game, there’s a few key upgrades.

The first is performance. Fortnite on Switch ran at 30 FPS, and increasingly would only let players into the game mid bus ride. Textures wouldn’t appear until a few seconds after you landed. That’s all fixed with this new release. Players can expect an experience closer to the other consoles. It’s locked at 60 FPS, but that’s a big boost in Fortnite’s performance. So far there’s no Performance Mode like on PS5 to go up to 120 FPS, but with the console’s stats it could be possible in the future. The overall performance is much improved though, in textures, quality, just about everything.

The other big change is quite interesting, the mouse controls. Mouse and keyboard have always been a better way of aiming and the Switch 2 has a novel new way to play. Using a Joy Con sideways, players can emulate mouse movement. This will be supported in Fortnite too, starting on June 7th! We’re yet to see how well it will translate to Fortnite on Switch 2, but it’s an interesting change.

New Emote Coming for Switch 2 Players

To celebrate it launching, Fortnite is giving away a new Switch 2 Fortnite emote! It’s coming as a free gift to everyone who logs into Fortnite on the platform, in its first year. So, players have until Early July 2026 to do it! This can be by using a Switch 2 yourself or just waiting until you can quickly log in on someone else’s Switch 2 to get the emote.

The emote isn’t the flashiest, but it’s a fun call out to the platform. If players were expecting it to more directly reference Nintendo, they’re out of luck. Their policy of keeping content locked to Switch has kept characters like Samus out of the item shop rotation, and it means emotes like this can’t go that far. However, the star coming down does have a Kirby-style charm.

It’s available to claim for a year! So, watch out for the emote in-game, the upgrades should make Switch 2 players a bit more of a threat than the first console was in crossplay lobbies.