A Guide on How to Spectate Players in Fortnite

Fortnite enables players to watch their friends and other gamers in action.

If you’re interested in discovering exciting combos or techniques in Fortnite, or simply want to unwind and enjoy your friends’ gameplay, spectating can provide valuable insights. It allows you to observe other players’ decision-making skills without the intensity of being in battle yourself.

Fortunately, like many competitive games, Fortnite offers the option to spectate and even view replays of matches. However, if you’ve missed out on recent updates, it’s important to know that the spectating process has changed in Chapter 5, Season 4.

How to Watch in Fortnite

A screenshot featuring the spectate feature in Fortnite. — Epic Games

To spectate others in Fortnite, you must be downed.

Your only chance to observe your friends in Fortnite is to be downed during a match without being rebooted. At this point, your camera will automatically switch to one of your teammates’ perspectives and continue to do so until your reboot card expires.

You can choose which friend you want to watch during this time, applicable in duo, trio, and squad modes.

How to Spectate Strangers in Fortnite

In Fortnite, you can also spectate strangers, but this is only available after you’ve been eliminated, or if you’re in a squad until all your teammates are downed and cannot be rebooted. If there’s one player left on your team, you’ll only be able to observe that player.

Once the last member of your team is out, your camera will shift to the player who scored the elimination. If another player beats that individual, you’ll then follow their gameplay.

It’s important to note that there was previously a “Watch Game” feature that allowed spectators to view friends and strangers regardless of being in the same match. This functionality was removed due to misuse by some players, particularly for stream sniping purposes.

What Can You Do While Spectating in Fortnite?

Being downed doesn’t render you useless; you can still assist your friends in their quest for victory. If your teammates win, it will count toward your record as well.

Make Callouts

While you’re no longer focused on tracking every movement in the game, it becomes much simpler to observe your environment when spectating. Use this chance to highlight important items, weapons, or NPCs to increase your friends’ situational awareness.

Give Pings

Even if you’re out of the match, you can provide essential information by pinging locations on the map whenever your friends are in a tough spot. If you spot a useful weapon nearby, for instance, you can simply press your middle mouse button to inform them. This applies to other items as well, including rare chests and resources.

Source