Fortnite esports tournaments are some of the most expansive options available in all of competitive gaming! The title isn’t just limited to an ongoing pro circuit where the very best players compete. We do get high-level events with pro players who train season-long for it. However, we have smaller tournaments running all the time, too. There are events every single week, at all levels of gameplay.
Esports tournaments for Fortnite do change quite a lot from season to season. Lately, we’ve gotten more Fortnite Reload tournaments along with Fortnite OG. There have been a lot of changes recently to cut down on cheating in Fortnite events too. However, there are still plenty of events. If you want to follow along with all the major Fortnite esports tournaments, this is how the schedule and roster look in the current season.
Fortnite Esports Tournaments in Chapter 6 Season 2
We’ll start with the overall schedule, and how the list of Fortnite esports tournaments looks right now! These are the big events going on this season:
| Fortnite Tournament | Prize | Schedule | Key Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| FNCS | $816,000 | Season Long | Season long tournament, with qualification to LAN |
| Ranked Cups | Cosmetics | Weekly | Different Cups for Different Ranks |
| Cash Cups | $32,000 | Weekly | Single events with cash prize |
| Shop Cups | Cosmetics | With Big Skin Releases | Cosmetic Cups to celebrate the release of major Skins |
| Victory Cups | Cash | Regular (Some seasons) | Not running at the moment, Cash Cups with prize for Victory Royales |
| OG Cups | Cash | Weekly | Cash Cups but in OG |
All Fortnite Esports Tournaments
FNCS
Source: Fortnite Competitive
At the top of the Fortnite esports tournaments is the FNCS. These are the major pro-level events, the highlight of each season.
Every time a season begins in Fortnite, we start working towards the FNCS or Fortnite Champion Series. Players begin to compete, this year, in the Divisional Cups. A weekly event where players try to rise up divisions. The goal being to stay in the top division at the end. That gives access to the next round, which is a Play In or Group Stage.
This stage of the event has three Groups of players in NAC and EU, with two in other regions. There’s a set of matches with the Winning team going through, along with another batch of players getting through on consistency. The remaining players have another opportunity at the Last Chance Qualifier. However, everyone else moves over to the Finals. That’s a two-day event where they play six games a day with points accumulated for a leaderboard. At the end, one team becomes the FNCS winners and walks away with the largest part of millions in prize money.
This is one of the biggest events each season. A huge prize pool, the highest level of play, generally it’s the premier tournament. Each Major gives an opportunity to qualify for the end of year final too, which carries a huge prize pool.
Cash Cups
Source: Epic
The next tier down from the FNCS is probably the Cash Cups. These are still events where you can win actual cash, but its prizes aren’t on the scale as the FNCS. These are isolated Cups, happening over a single day without any ongoing or overall element.
These Cups are still a good chance for players to collect earnings. Some of the best Fortnite players enter regularly. They’re a little harder to enter now in Chapter 6. Players have to meet extra requirements like playing in other tournaments before they can compete for cash. Once you fit the requirements though, they’re held every week.
Shop Cups
Next up is an even lower tier of Battle Royale event, but a fun one: the Shop Cups. These are usually independently named after the cosmetics they’re in aid of. When a big skin releases, we sometimes get these Cups. An opportunity for players to compete in a Cash Cup single session format, with the prize instead being a free cosmetic rather than cash.
Victory Cups
Source: Epic Games
Victory Cups are a strange type of Fortnite esports tournament. They’re a more recent addition, and a variation on the Cash Cup. They play basically the same as Cash Cups, but there’s one big difference. Only Victory Royales count.
These are usually played in two session format. First session is to qualify. In the second, players get cash for each Victory Royale. No reward for kills or consistency, just wins. It’s an odd format. It can lead to more camping, less aggressive play, it makes the storm surge feature much more important. Prize money never gets as high but the Victory Cups have a unique format.
Ranked Cups
Source: Epic
The last of the regular tournament formats is the Ranked Cups. These are Cups held with a quite different format. There’s a different one for each group of Fortnite Ranks. Lower ranked players play together, and high ranks play together. In theory, it should mean a more comfortable mix of players.
The Ranked Cups don’t have a Cash prize. However, you can win exclusive rewards every season. Players can unlock a Ranked Brella by playing these Fortnite esports events, there’s a new one each season.
OG Cups
Source: @ShiinaBR
OG Cups are essentially just Fortnite Cash Cups, but for the OG mode. This other Battle Royale is now in Season 3. While the skill level is a lot higher than it was originally, players can use these cups to recreate those early Pro Fortnite experiences. They’re held regularly through the current season.
Reload Cups
With Fortnite Reload getting a new map (and Battle Royale likely heading to a competitively unfriendly season), it’s getting esports events! At the moment, these are just performance evaluations so Epic can assess how Reload Cups could work. But we’re expecting them to be a bigger part of the game next season.
Changing Fortnite Esports Tournaments
Those are the Epic hosted events for this season, but they can change quite frequently. Players have to keep on top of the changes to the events each season. We usually see some changes to formats. Last season saw Zero Build events, this season we’ve seen them basically discontinued outside of some specific events. If you want to continue to take part in the tournaments then keep an eye on Fortnite news for the changes over the coming seasons.