To watch a replay in Fortnite, open the Career tab at the top of the lobby, choose Career on the left, then select Replays in the bottom-right corner, pick a match and press Play. Replays only exist if Record Replays is switched on in the Game tab of Settings, and they work on PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch 2, but not on the original Switch or mobile.
Below we cover the setting to check first, the full replay menu, the camera modes, and how to stop a replay from breaking when the next update lands.
Which Version This Covers
This guide reflects Fortnite as of Chapter 7 Season 4, Fortnite Override, on the v42.20 update. The replay system is not seasonal content, so Override did not change how it works. What does matter is the update cycle: every patch can make older replays unplayable, which we explain below.
Platform support comes from Epic. Its help center lists replays for PC, PlayStation and Xbox only, so the original Nintendo Switch and mobile are left out. Epic’s Switch 2 launch post lists the Replay system among the features of the Switch 2 version.
Turn On Replay Recording First
If the replay list is empty, recording is probably off. Per Epic’s creator documentation:
- Open Settings from the lobby menu (the gear icon).
- Select the Game tab.
- Scroll all the way down to the Replays group.
- Set Record Replays to On.
- For Creative islands, also set Record Creative Mode Replays to On.
- Apply the change.
The community wiki lists two more toggles in the same group, Record Large Team Replays (for big team modes) and Record High Quality Replays. Recording only captures matches played after the setting is on, so a match you already finished with it off cannot be recovered. If you spend time in Creative, our guide on whether you get XP in Creative maps covers what those sessions earn.
How to Watch a Replay
Per Epic’s help center, the path is:
- From the lobby, select Career at the top of the screen.
- Select Career on the left of the screen.
- Select the Replays button in the bottom-right corner.
- Choose a replay file, then select Play.
Epic’s replays documentation lists the other buttons on that screen:
- Play opens the replay. It always starts in the lobby, because the file records the whole session.
- Delete removes it from your drive.
- Rename and Save keeps it. Anything you have not renamed shows as an unsaved replay.
- Open Replay Folder shows where the file sits on your drive.
- Refresh updates the list.
- View Streaming Replay watches a live game, but needs that game’s Session ID, the string of letters and numbers shown beside your name in a match.
Replay Controls and Camera Modes
Inside a replay, a progress bar lets you scrub through the match and a slider speeds playback up or slows it down. Curved arrows beside the player name move the camera to another player, and in team modes you can click a teammate listed at the bottom left.
Epic’s documentation lists five camera views:
- Third Person, the default, follows the selected player.
- Drone Follow trails a player but can focus on other things.
- Drone Attach gives the drone more freedom of movement.
- Drone Free flies independently of every player.
- Gameplay shows the player’s original camera, with no control over it.
On PC, the mouse wheel zooms (except in Gameplay view), the mouse buttons move the camera, holding Q or E pans up or down, and WASD moves the drone cameras. You can hide every control for a clean shot; press Esc twice to bring them back. To leave, press Esc and click the exit arrow at the bottom left. Replays are a useful way to study fights, which pairs well with our guide on getting into bot lobbies if you want easier matches to practice in.
Save Replays Before the Next Update
This is the part most players miss. Epic’s help center says replays only play back in the version of Fortnite they were recorded in, and after an update, old replays stop working unless they were saved. To save one, select it in the replay browser and rename it.
Saving has limits. Per Epic, you can save 10 replays in total on PlayStation and Xbox, while the number is unlimited on PC. Epic’s original 2018 announcement of the system added that unsaved replays are kept automatically, the last 10 matches on console and the last 100 on PC, and get overwritten as you play.
Even a saved replay is not permanent. Epic’s creator documentation explains that a replay stores a simulated network stream, so when a new season reshapes the map or changes how features work, the old data no longer fits. Its advice is to capture any images or video from a replay before a chapter or season update. Our guide on when the current season ends tells you how long you have.
Turning a Replay Into a Video
A replay is not a video file. Epic’s documentation says the feature makes a replay that can be studied or captured with screen-recording software, so to share a clip, set up the camera in the replay and record it with your platform’s capture tools or recording software.
For tournament matches there is a separate path. Per Epic’s help center, select Compete at the top of the screen, find the tournament in the calendar, open its Leaderboard, choose a player, select Match History in the bottom-right corner, pick a match and click Watch. For more on the current season, see every Fortnite guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my Fortnite replay list empty? Record Replays is most likely off. Turn it on under Settings, Game tab, Replays, and only matches played afterward will record.
Can you watch replays on Nintendo Switch or mobile? Epic lists replays for PC, PlayStation and Xbox, which leaves out the original Switch and mobile. The Switch 2 version does include the Replay system, per Epic.
Why do my old Fortnite replays not work? Replays only play in the game version they were recorded in. Unsaved replays stop working after an update, and even saved ones can break when a new season changes the map.
How many replays can I save? Epic says 10 in total on PlayStation and Xbox, and an unlimited number on PC.
Can I export a Fortnite replay as a video? Not directly. Epic’s documentation says to record the replay with screen-recording software.