Fortnite Chapter 2 has brought a bevy of new changes to the massively popular battle royale shooter, including bots that are used to fill out multiplayer matches and give lower-skill players some easy opponents. However, it is possible to create a Fortnite match with only bots present.
Because bots are usually placed in low-skill matches, creating another account and purposefully ruining its stats is one way to see more bots in every match. However, there will still be human players present, and grinding down the stats is a time-consuming and likely boring process. Creating a bots-only match is more reliable and quicker, but the method to do so is not entirely perfect because it is not built into Fortnite as an intended feature.
Ruining an account's stats to get into lower skill matches is abusing Fortnite's matchmaking, so a separate game mode is preferable. A bots-only game mode is attractive because it presents an opportunity for practice, exploration, or just goofing around.
To play a bots-only match, the user must use the custom matchmaking feature to create a game that can only be joined by people using the correct code. If no one else is using the code, there will be only one human player. It does not work 100% of the time because it is not an intended feature, but in a normal solo game, the match will usually be filled in by bots.
Playing a bots-only game will not affect the player’s stats, give any free Fortnite XP, or count towards any wins. However, jumping into a map with only bots might allow some players to try out new ideas for tricks or hiding spots without worrying to much about being found or stopped by human players.
It could be a great opportunity to explore the map and search for Fortnite's new Hideouts in a safer environment without worrying about winning. Likewise, just hopping into a bot game with only easy opponents can be very fun and cathartic; a good way to blow off steam or have some low-stress fun. Because Fortnite is a free game with all of its revenue coming from additional content, anyone could make an account and try out the game without having to play against other people.
The Catch
Unfortunately, this method will only work on accounts that have custom matchmaking unlocked. The process of getting custom matchmaking can be difficult, but with this feature it is possible to create a game in which the only human player is the game’s creator and the rest of the map is filled with bots. This may be the only way to experience any battle royale game solo, with no other human players. Because this is such a unique experience, it may be beneficial for Fortnite to add these sorts of gamemodes as a fully-supported feature in the future.
Fortnite is out now for iOS, Android, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.