Fortnite vs. Minecraft | Key Differences of Two Epic Games

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I love playing Fortnite. Minecraft comes in second, but maybe I like it just as much. Well, they just both are 2 terrific games. What are the key differences between the two?


Fortnite is a third-person action multiplayer game

screenshot of battle royal fortnite


Originally, Fortnite was meant to be an action survival game where the aim was to use a variety of characters to build Forts and fend off zombies.

With the growing popularity of Battle Royale games, though, Epic Games implemented a standalone multiplayer component to the game called Fortnite: Battle Royale. This is what most people are playing when they talk about Fortnite.


Fortnite: The King of Battle Royale


In its most basic form:

  • Fortnite plops you and 99 other players onto a massive island
  • there you must fight until there’s only one player left standing, also known as achieving Victory Royale
  • when you first land, you have no equipment to your name
  • you’ve got to scavenge around for weapons, items, and materials
  • see 5 quick beginner tips here »
  • or 4 ways to improve your skills »

Check out my beginner guide for all topics on Fortnite.

The main difference Fortnite has from other BR games is that you can build structures that enable you to gain vantage points to pick off enemies. Millions and millions of players just love this game and many think Fornite is the best game ever.


Minecraft is a survival game with building and crafting elements

Minecraft for Beginners Hardcover


It’s hard to lump Minecraft into a single genre of games these days. At its most fundamental, it’s a survival game with blocky voxel-style graphics.


Minecraft: The King of Everything Else

minecraft building creative mode
  • you’re placed in a randomized world with a day-and-night cycle
  • during the day, you can mine for resources and craft equipment, build structures and generally explore the landscape
  • at night, zombies and other creatures come out hunting for you which limits your ability to safely explore
  • part of what you need to do during the day is to build a shelter to keep the baddies from eating you
  • you can continuously expand your shelter into a base where you can store food, items, and other stuff

Minecraft has another side to it called Creative Mode. This is where people use the game’s mining and crafting tools to create pretty much anything they desire, from simple structures to entire replicas of cities.

Thanks to the wider modding community that exists out there, Minecraft Creative mode can become much more robust. Creators have gone as far as to create entire games within Minecraft itself.

Check out the Amazon Minecraft Store for all there is on this game.


Fortnite vs Minecraft Conclusion

fortnite vs minecraft conclusion


As you can tell, Fortnite and Minecraft have fundamental differences.

One is a third-person shooter while the latter is a gathering and crafting game.

While Fortnite does have a building element to it, it’s not the core mechanic that drives people to play it. Fortnite introduced its own creative mode recently but it’s not yet close to the robustness and mobility of Minecraft.

Both games, however, manage to bring in large crowds of young gamers that allow them to play and enjoy time with others.

Despite their differences, though, both games manage to bring together players of all stripes, giving them a space to hang out and enjoy each other’s company.


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