How to spectate in Fortnite [UPDATED]

They say that nothing in this world is certain, except for death and taxes.

Thankfully (or otherwise), for players in Epic Games’ blockbuster battle royale—Fortnite—only one of those things apply. 

Generally speaking, battle royale games are all about eliminating other players from a map until only one player or team remains. In the latter case, because of an unfortunate gunfight, tragic miscommunication, or otherwise, teams will often find themselves down a squadmate. 

In Patch 8.30, Fortnite introduced the Reboot Van, which allowed teams to resurrect eliminated teammates and get them back in the game. This change meant that, as long as one of these vans were in play and at least one team member was still standing, the game was not truly over.

However, many players mistakenly assume that elimination in Fortnite means that their role in the game is functionally over (at least until a teammate reboots them). 

While this may be true in solos, we argue that a feature that’s been in the game since the beginning—Fortnite’s spectator mode—can be more helpful than players realize. 

Three ways to access spectator mode

Players coming from other battle royales will be familiar with the first way to access spectator mode: it’s a staple feature across many different other titles, such as Apex Legends and Warzone. 

Get eliminated 

It’s really that simple—if not somewhat brutal. 

Some games take the edge off losing a gunfight, like Warzone and the chance to reenter in the Gulag. Fortnite has no such mercy: when an opponent knocks and eliminates you, you’ll automatically start spectating a teammate, without any user input necessary. Then, especially if you’re playing with random teammates, you’ll have to wait and hope that they grab your Reboot Card and complete the Reboot Van timer so you can get back into the action. 

If your team achieves the victory royale without you, you’ll be able to celebrate your success vicariosly; if not, you will automatically start spectating the team who eliminated yours. (Talk about adding insult to injury.) 

However, Epic Games added a second way for normal players to access their spectator feature—and thankfully for those interested, it doesn’t involve tanking your KDA. 

Use the in-lobby “Watch Game” option 

This is a feature that most other popular battle royales don’t currently offer: the ability to join your friends’ lobbies and start spectating their in-progress match. Here’s how: 

1. Right-click your friends’ name in your friends’ list, and *click “Join Party.”* 

2. Once you join your friends’ party, *wait for 30 seconds.* (There’s a limitation that prevents spectating up until you hit this 30-second threshold.) 

3. Click on your friend and select the *Watch Game* option. 

4. Enjoy spectator mode! 

Because you’re an outside party looking in, you won’t be able to interact with any of the game’s mechanics, like pinging or using the in-game voice system—but at least you’ll be able to cheer your friends on!

A third, competitive way 

For official, Epic Games–sanctioned [tournaments and events]( https://competitive.fortnite.com/), there’s a third way to access spectator mode: through a special, exclusive client dedicated to running these tournaments. The features in this mode put the normal spectator view to shame: you’re able to see health, shields, location of items, player positions, and all other information that’s crucial to Fortnite: Battle Royale. 

Which, of course, is why this mode is inaccessible to normal players who don’t get specific permission from Epic Games: imagine the advantage you’d have if you could access that information in normal matches!

Can you do anything while spectating? 

If you’re simply watching a friend’s game while waiting for them to finish, your spectating options are pretty limited—Epic Games understandably wants to prevent any undue, outside influence on a match’s competitive integrity. 

However, if you were thrown into spectator mode because a team eliminated you, that’s a different story entirely: sure, you can’t actively run and shoot other players. However, you can provide equal value to your team by giving them important information. 

Ping the map

Eliminated players are still able to open the map, view the zone circles, and give visible pings for their teammates. This ability allows teammates to still have an impact on their teams’ success—and even more so if those eliminated team members happen to have a strategic mind, as they can ping for rotations, enemy locations, and even loot areas.