If you’re buying for a child who’s nine, ten or eleven, there’s a good chance Fortnite is on their list — or that V-Bucks are. And if you’re the aunt, grandparent or family friend rather than the parent, there’s a good chance you’re not sure whether you’re allowed to say yes. This guide gathers what the ESRB and Epic Games (which makes Fortnite) actually say, so you can decide, or ask the parent the right question.
The official rating
The ESRB rates Fortnite Battle Royale T for Teen, with three content descriptors — Lyrics, Suggestive Themes and Violence — and two interactive elements: Users Interact and In-Game Purchases. The T rating is aimed at 13 and over, so a 10-year-old is below it. Our guide to game age ratings explains what each rating and descriptor means.
The ESRB’s summary is specific about what the Violence descriptor covers: the game is built around combat, but “defeated enemies typically burst into colorful light effects before disappearing.” The Lyrics descriptor comes from songs in the game, and the summary notes some of them contain profanity.
Fortnite isn’t one game any more
This is the detail that changes the conversation. Fortnite is now a collection of experiences, and Epic says that “every experience in Fortnite has its own rating.” The Battle Royale mode children usually mean is rated T; the ESRB also lists LEGO Fortnite at E10+.
Epic lets a parent restrict access to experiences above a chosen rating. Set the limit to Everyone 10+, Epic explains, and the child needs the parent’s PIN to open a Teen-rated experience. So “can they play Fortnite?” can have a middle answer: yes to the lower-rated experiences, not yet to Battle Royale.
What Epic switches off for younger players
If a player says they’re under 13 — or under their country’s age of digital consent, whichever is higher — Epic makes their account a Cabined Account. Until a parent consents, three things are off:
- voice chat and free text chat with other players;
- buying anything with real money;
- custom display names.
A cabined account can still play, with full access to anything already owned, and Epic says it can still add a Fortnite gift card to the account balance. That matters for a gift: a card you give can be used even before a parent has changed any settings.
The parental controls, in plain English
Epic’s Parental Controls are set by signing into the child’s Epic account on Epic’s website, or from inside Fortnite, and they’re protected by a 6-digit PIN. The main ones:
- Chat. Under 10, the most chat Epic will allow is Friends Only. Under 13, it’s friends, team members and connections. Epic says its mature-language filter is always on for players under 13.
- Ratings. The per-experience rating limit described above.
- Time. Daily time limits and weekly emails reporting play time.
The spending gap most parents miss
Fortnite itself is free; Epic lists the base game as free with in-app purchases. The spending is on V-Bucks, the in-game currency for outfits and other items.
Epic’s PIN can be required for real-money purchases made with Epic payment, and Epic applies a daily spending limit to under-13 accounts. But Epic is explicit about the limit of that protection: it “does not affect payments made on gaming platforms such as PlayStation®, Steam, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch™, nor does it affect purchases made with in-game currencies, such as V-Bucks.”
So on a console, spending is controlled by the console’s own parental controls, not by Epic’s PIN. On Xbox, for example, Microsoft Family Safety can require approval for every purchase. The ESRB keeps a guide to the controls on each console. This is also the quiet case for a gift card: it gives a fixed amount, with no payment card attached to the account.
One V-Bucks detail if they play on a Nintendo Switch
Epic says V-Bucks are shared across PlayStation, Xbox, PC, mobile and cloud gaming — but “V-Bucks received on Nintendo devices by redeeming a V-Bucks card can only be used on Nintendo devices.” If the child plays on more than one device, redeem the card on the one that isn’t a Switch. Epic also says Fortnite gift cards, which add funds to an Epic account, are replacing V-Bucks cards, so the card in the shop may look different from the one you remember. Our how to gift V-Bucks guide explains how each kind of card is redeemed and what a Switch player does with the balance.
A short checklist before you buy
- If you’re not the parent, ask them first — this one is their decision.
- Ask which device the child plays on (it matters for Nintendo).
- If the answer is “not yet”, choose a gift that doesn’t need the game.