If you’ve ever wondered how Fortnite ranked works, we’re here to help. Epic Games’ perennially popular battle royale giant has been immensely successful since its launch nearly eight years ago, with ranked modes coming into the fold just two years ago. It’s not just the popular Battle Royale mode, but also Zero Build, OG, Reload, and Ballistic, which are now catering to competitive play. 

We’re going over far more than just all the Fortnite ranks in order. Outlining the ranks and tiers, we also cover how the system works in detail, ways to improve in the game, and what the upcoming season/chapter means for your progression up the competitive ladder. 

Whether you’re playing on an Xbox, PlayStation, or Nintendo console (or even a mobile device), you may be at a disadvantage against PC players using a mouse and keyboard with crossplay enabled. 

Learning Fortnite ranked levels is just the start to what can easily be considered one of the biggest games of all time, a title that shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. 

The highest and best rank in Fortnite is Unreal, which is reserved for a minimal number of players. According to Fortnite Tracker’s latest statistics, only around 0.4% of the total player base (about 19,000 users worldwide across all devices) are at this elite level. 

It’s a rank reserved for top-end gamers and streaming personalities such as Crush.BDS, Twitch Perkcules, Wendiger Schmali, and Daywalker.36. 

Peter “PeterBot” Kata is widely considered to be the best Fortnite player in 2025, holding an Unreal rank. 

So, what ranks are there in Fortnite?

All Fortnite ranks are divided into eight different tiers. There are a total of 18 ranks available in the game in 2025, with Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond each having three levels. 

You can play Ranked Fortnite in either the Battle Royale or Zero Build modes, so you can have an authentic experience with or without the building element if desired. Unlike the first five ranks, Elite, Champion, and Unreal do not have levels and are their respective tiers. 

The Fortnite ranking system has linear progression from the different ranks and tiers, which is tied to your performance. Everything you do in the game will earn you points towards your next level, such as higher placements in the battle royale (such as winning a victory royale), counting eliminations, and being a good team player when playing ranked duos or trios, if applicable. 

Points will also be added for the damage done in-game, how risky you’ve played in (and around) the storm zone, the objectives/missions you’ve completed on the map, and how active you are throughout a match. 

You don’t necessarily have to win victory royales every time you play the game to rank up in Fortnite, but it helps. Consistency is the key to climbing up the ranked ladder, and you can speed things along by playing solo, so you aren’t beholden to anyone else. 

High elimination counts and solid placements in the top five (or even top 10) can mean your rank will steadily improve instead of dramatically spike. Your rank is based on your game history, so if you’re starting on a lower rank, playing more (and consistently) could turn the tide. 

Over 4.7 million people are playing Fortnite Ranked in 2025, so the distribution of the ranks is surprisingly varied. While we know that the Unreal is the highest rank available (with less than 1% of players holding it), things are far more diverse across the Bronze, Silver, and Gold tiers. 

Specifically, the Silver 1 rank is the most common of all of the 18 possible options, with 9.9% of players (roughly 472,118 people) competing in this league. 

The lowest Fortnite rank is Bronze 1, where everyone will begin once they choose to play the game competitively. It accounts for 5.8% of the player base, being outshone by the other two levels of the rank, with Bronze 2 and Bronze 3 accounting for 7.5% and 8.2%, respectively. 

Your placement depends on how many points you earn during each match; playing well consistently could see your rank improve with three to six wins, but average performance could make the process much longer.

While not quite the best Fortnite rank possible, Elite and Champion are still highly sought-after positions that very few players will attain despite their best efforts. Nearly 4% of all players have achieved Elite at some point, but things drop off dramatically with Champion rank, as only 1.6% of players hold the position. This makes Champion the penultimate rank by statistics. 

One thing to remember about all the ranks in Fortnite is that they are separate for both Battle Royale and Zero Build (as well as Reload, OG, and Ballistic) instead of being a shared pool. That means you could be Platinum 1, for example, in the former but hold a much lower Bronze 2 rank in the latter. 

Without crossover, you’re given the choice of either consistently playing both modes to match things as closely as possible or prioritizing one over the other. Whether you want the option of building or not will dictate how well you can play, and your rank will reflect this. 

There are several ways to rank up in Fortnite, but no quick and easy solutions are available. Because the progression of your rank is tied to points earned throughout matches, the most important thing you can do to increase your level is work on your fundamental skills and apply them to each game going forward. 

For example, you can only survive longer in battle royale situations by winning gun fights, and this can be done more effectively by understanding the third-person shooter mechanics of the game. 

Fortnite guns are not given to you by default. Instead, you must find them in chests, buy them from machines, or loot them from defeated enemies. There have been over 200 weapons in the game, with them changing dramatically with each chapter and season. That’s to say nothing of themed (or limited-time) weapons, which can dramatically impact the meta. 

As a result, the best you can do is learn to control a weapon’s recoil and fire in short and controlled bursts from both a crouched and standing position instead of solely relying on a run-and-gun strategy. Similarly, go into Playground Mode and experiment with the guns, the weapon spread, and the damage down at a distance. 

Once you have a handle on the movement and weapon mechanics, you can get better at Fortnite by launching in solo, completing as many challenges as possible, focusing on slaying enemies, and chasing high placements. You won’t necessarily have to win a crown with each and every game, but scoring consistently in the top five (or even top 10) will see your rank steadily improve rather than inconsistently winning a game, then tanking for the next 10 matches, and then playing averagely. 

Patience is the most important virtue, just as regular practice and learning from your mistakes will see you become a better player overall. 

There is no stringent Fortnite rank decay in 2025; however, ranks reset at the end of each season (and chapter) in Battle Royale and Zero Build ranked modes. 

Epic Games announces when the seasons are coming to an end on its social media pages, and things differ with other ranked modes such as Reload and Ballistic, which all feature separate ranks as well. 

Once a season resets, there will be a series of placement matches to determine your rank (and subsequent skill level) against the competition based on your number of eliminations and placements in matches. 

You won’t necessarily start from Bronze 1, as your new starting Fortnite rank will be based on your performance during the previous season, at least in theory. 

A Fortnite season traditionally lasts three months (or 90 days), meaning you’ll have a fair amount of time to build up/retain your rank with regular play. Of course, scarcely playing throughout a season could see a harsher demotion than logging in often. 

Similarly, it’s believed that those players in the Elite, Champion, and Unreal tiers (that do not contain levels) are unlikely to be docked in the changing seasons. 

We hope that with the Fortnite ranks explained, you’ll be able to better understand the inner workings of Epic Games’ battle royale shooter at a higher level. With eight distinct tiers and a total of 18 ranks, there’s a wide gap in players (and skill levels) across the millions of people logging into Fortnite right now. 

Whether you’re interested in Zero Build, Battle Royale, or another form of competitive play, now you know what to expect and how to improve. 

Once you’ve learned what ranked means in Fortnite, we recommend checking out more of Esports Insider’s extensive Fortnite coverage, which offers all the latest news on esports events, upcoming collaborations, top players, leading streamers, prize pools, and more. 

DXRacer has become the official gaming chair partner of Counter-Strike 2 tournament MESA Nomadic Masters Spring 2025.

The brand will equip all competitors at the event with its latest line of gaming chairs, from the Martian Series line.

The MESA Nomadic Masters Spring 2025 will take place in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, from April 30^th until May 4^th. According to esports data platform Esports Charts, last year’s Spring Masters recorded 29,905 peak viewers during the Grand Final between winner The MongolZ and runner-up BLEED Esports.

For its third edition, the tier-two CS competition was expanded to encompass teams from Europe and Asia. Eight squads, including HEROIC, Berlin International Gaming (BIG) and SAW, will compete for a $250,000 (~£190,000) prize pool.

Gaming chair brand DXRacer was founded in 2006 with headquarters in Michigan, U.S. The company has been involved in the esports scene for many years, predominantly through partnerships with esports organisations and tournaments.

These include NRG, Immortals and the Dota 2 Bali Major. Last year, DXRacer teamed up with VCT China, the country’s official tier-one VALORANT league.

For the upcoming MESA Nomadic event, DXRacer also announced an exclusive giveaway of the Champion Signature Chair. Further details about the activation will be revealed on the company’s Instagram account.

“Our partnership with MESA goes beyond sponsorship,” commented a DXRacer Spokesperson. “It’s about working directly with players to create tools that genuinely enhance their competitive experience.”

DXRacer is by far not the only gaming chair brand that has cultivated a stake in the esports industry. Secretlab, Blacklyte and even gaming peripherals brand Razer have all forged partnerships with esports organisations to promote their gaming chairs.

Earlier today, Blacklyte announced a deal with Team Spirit to replace competitor Secretlab as the organisation’s official gaming chair and desk partner.

Vietnamese esports organisation GAM Esports has officially announced a partnership with airline Vietjet. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

According to a release, Vietjet will support the League of Legends team in the remaining part of the League of Legends Championship Pacific (LCP) season.

In the announcement video, it was revealed that Vietjet’s logo will be featured on the team’s jersey. Additionally, the team will travel with the airline during offline events such as the LCP Mid-Season Split 2 and international events like the Mid-Season Invitational and the League of Legends World Championship if the team qualifies.

Moreover, the esports team will make special activations for its community, including free flight giveaways to international events, massive viewing parties across the country, and special interactive activities such as exclusive live streams, behind-the-scenes content and real-time updates of the team’s journey.

Founded back in 2014, GAM Esports is the most successful team from Vietnam, having won 11 domestic championships and often representing the region at previous international League of Legends events. Following the merger of minor regions, the League of Legends team is competing in the LCP and finished fourth in the Kickoff split.

The company counts on a series of partners on top of Vietjet, including hardware brands such as Logitech, food franchises such as Popeyes, Domino’s Pizza, and Burger King, as well as energy drink brand Monster Energy, among others.

Anthony Nguyen, CEO of GAM Esports, commented on the partnership via his personal LinkedIn profile: “Proud to announce our partnership between GAM x Vietjet — uniting two powerhouses committed to elevating Vietnam on the global stage!

“From connecting millions across Asia to now fueling the rise of Vietnam esports, Vietjet is more than an airline — they’re our wings to go bigger, faster, and stronger! Let’s take flight.”

Based in Hanoi, Vietnam, Vietjet is a low-cost airline founded in 2007. The company became the first Vietnamese private airline to enter the international market and completed its IPO in the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange (HOSE) in February 2017.

Whether you’re thinking of getting into Valve’s premier MOBA or just looking to understand the Dota 2 ranking system better, we’re going over the game’s competitive meta and tips to become a better player in 2025. After playing 100 hours unranked, you’ll be eligible to play at the higher level. 

This guide goes beyond the Dota 2 ranks explained, of course. We’ll explore the Matchmaking Rating (MMR) system in detail and how your ranking score relates to each rank. You’ll also learn how to avoid rank decay and stay on top of your game. 

There are a total of 40 Dota 2 ranks in the game in 2025, which are split across eight tiers. These are Herald, Guardian, Crusader, Archon, Legend, Ancient, Divine, and Immortal. The five numbered ranks (or levels) dividing each tier are based upon your MMR (Matchmaking Rating) with a score spectrum deciding each rank. 

The lowest Dota 2 rank is Herald 1, where everyone will start, with requirements of 0 to 153 MMR. This level is affixed to players who understand the basics of the gameplay but want to try and compete at a higher level than unranked/casual encounters. 

The only rank in Dota 2 that does not have a tiered level system is Immortal, as it carries a 5,620+ MMR. 

Valve has been transparent about how the Dota 2 ranking system works compared to some other esports games. That’s because your rank is determined by the MMR, with the range determining your rating. 

An individual player scores (or loses) 30 MMR with each win and loss, respectively, and 20 MMR for the party’s win (or loss). As the years have passed, the system has been made more straightforward to bring it up to date with other competitive releases. 

According to Hawk Live, the current Dota 2 rank distribution for each category is:

That means the highest majority of competitive Dota 2 players are within the five Archon levels, which is roughly halfway up the tier list. 

The highest rank in Dota 2 is Immortal, with just under 2% of players holding at the top level of the game. However, it’s not the most obscure rank, as just 0.06% of players are at Herald 1, the lowest possible rank. It’s deceptively rare because it’s only held through the initial calibration games, meaning (almost) every single player will reach Herald 2 by just playing the game. 

The key to improving your Dota 2 MMR rating is to master the fundamentals of the game, but that’s easier said than done. Dota 2 is a MOBA (Massive Online Battle Arena) that is played with a mouse and keyboard; the former guides your hero’s movement and interacts with the environment, with the latter being used to bind hotkeys to use abilities, shortcuts, chat, the shop menu, etc. 

There are currently 126 Dota 2 heroes to choose from, but there’s no possible way that you could master all of them and retain a high level of play. For optimal results, you should keep your pool of heroes to anywhere from three to five, which will give you the spectrum across the three major attributes of strength, agility, and intelligence. 

You should start with the simplest characters and then (as your experience and rank improve) start folding in the more challenging heroes. 

Consistency is the key to get better at Dota 2. As soon as you’ve played your first few ranked matches, you’ll begin to understand the type of role you’ll play. By specializing in the likes of support, mid, offlane, or carry, and having a handle on your responsibilities, you can deepen your skill and knowledge of the MOBA. 

With the different roles come varying objectives when playing on the field, whether that means destroying enemy towers, collecting runes, or progressing on the map. 

Effective communication is essential to improve your Dota 2 player ranking. The game has a communication score, which is tied to the quality of your voice chats, text chats, tipping, and pings. 

It’s a rating spectrum where a score under 3,000 restricts all communication to a shared 30-second cooldown; under 6,000 disables text chat; under 7,000 disables tipping; under 8,000 disables voice chat; and under 10,000 means you can’t coach or ping ally abilities. A score between 10,000 and 12,000 is considered “excellent.”

Valve hasn’t published guidelines on improving this score, but it’s essential to be polite and respectful if you want it to increase. 

Learning the Dota 2 map thoroughly can also make a massive difference in competitive play. Unlike other competitive games, which have hundreds of available maps outside of the hundreds of community-made maps, there’s just one map to worry about. 

While the Dota 2 map has remained largely unchanged over the years, recent patches have seen the terrain expanded by around 40%, meaning additional resources and new strategies have been available since the game first debuted in 2013. It’s vital to learn the right lanes, how to best navigate the jungle, where the shrines are, and how to best use the trees’ cover when making plays. 

Dota 2 rank decay is known as “rank confidence” or “rank calibration,” in which your MMR range will be tested to ensure you’re in the right bracket. This will change depending on the game’s updates, with some players citing only having to play a minimum of 10 games to assert rank and others saying it took just between two and three games before things had solidified. 

Dota 2 ranks are more transparent than many other esports titles, with a total of 40 levels across eight distinct tiers. Your MMR decides each rank, and the specific range is set between one of five levels. With each win (or loss), you’ll earn (or lose) 30 MMR, which could see you scale up (or down) the ladder. 

Most Dota 2 players are in the midrange bracket of the Archon tier, between Crusader and Legend, with less than 2% of players holding the rank of Immortal, which is usually reserved for esports professionals. 

For more on the Dota 2 esports scene, we recommend checking out our coverage, which goes over the top players, teams, world cup prize pool, major league events, and developments from the game at its top end. By following our guide on ranks and how to skill up, you may find yourself on the path to pro with enough persistence. 

After months of multiple rumours and reports, Team Falcons has officially announced the signing of Ilya ‘m0NESY’ Osipov, a day after G2 Esports CEO confirmed his transfer.

He will be replacing Abdulkhalik ‘degster’ Gasanov, the PGL Bucharest MVP, who was benched by the Saudi Arabian organisation just hours before m0NESY’s move was made public.

“In a game of milliseconds, where every flick can make history, speed isn’t just an advantage, it’s a weapon. And no one controls it like him,” the official announcement video stated.

“They call him the Yellow Flash. The game slows down for him. The rest are just trying to keep up. The Baby Goat, sure, but don’t let the name fool you. He’s not here to grow. He’s here to dominate.”

m0NESY is set to make his Team Falcons debut at BLAST Rivals Spring 2025, scheduled to take place at BLAST Studios in Copenhagen starting from April 30th, making PGL Bucharest his final tournament under G2’s banner.

Said m0NESY when asked about joining Team Falcons by Jonatan ‘Devilwalk’ Lundberg and James Banks: “Yeah, I had multiple offers from teams and choices. I can’t say which ones, but I did have them. But when I looked at the other teams, there was only one team I wanted to join i.e. Falcons.

Just because, you know, when I looked at the others, I didn’t really have that much belief. I really wanted to play with NiKo. And yeah, I believe we can win a lot of tournaments and a lot of trophies together.”

With m0NESY’s arrival, here’s the complete Team Falcons roster:

According to Aleksey ‘OverDrive’ Biryukov, the trade cost Team Falcons between $2m and $2.5m, which is a record-breaking amount paid for a single player in CS2 history.

m0NESY served G2 Esports for over two years, helping the German organization secure six Counter-Strike trophies during his tenure.

Team Falcons has become the PGL Bucharest 2025 champions after beating G2 Esports in yesterday’s Grand Final.

With this victory, the Saudi Arabian esports organisation has secured its biggest Counter-Strike trophy so far, and the lion’s share of the event’s $625,000 (~£493,156) prize pool.

PGL Bucharest 2025 was the tournament organiser’s second international Counter-Strike event of the year. From April 6th-13th, the competition saw 16 teams battle through a Swiss System Group Stage and the single-elimination Playoffs.

Both Team Falcons and G2 Esports were directly invited to the tournament. However, the two teams had very different journeys throughout the event. G2 Esports’s run kicked off with a dominant 3-0 score in the Group Stage, while Falcons was among the bottom three teams to make the playoffs after winning three out of five matches.

Still, Falcons went on an undefeated Playoffs run. The team first eliminated GamerLegion (2-1) and FaZe Clan (2-1) to finally take down G2 in a dominant fashion.

According to esports data platform Esports Charts, 518,849 tuned into the Grand Final. This makes PGL Bucharest the sixth-most popular Counter-Strike tournament in 2025 so far, slightly below PGL Cluj-Napoca with 539,700 peak viewers. At the top of the list is IEM Katowice, with nearly 1.3m peak viewers.

PGL Bucharest also marks the last competition for player Ilya ‘m0NESY’ Osipov under the G2 banner. Yesterday, G2’s CEO, Alban ‘Stilgar’ Dechelotte, confirmed that m0NESY will transfer to Team Falcons. The Russian prodigy has been competing for G2 throughout his entire tier-one career thus far, winning  numerous IEM and BLAST titles.

The AWPer will now reunite with his former teammate Nikola ‘NiKo’ Kovač, who was already part of the Falcons roster during PGL Bucharest. The two players will represent Falcons at the upcoming IEM Melbourne from April 21st-27th.

Call of Duty League (CDL) franchise Las Vegas Falcons has recorded its first win since entering the league in August 2024.

The franchise, owned by Saudi Arabian esports organisation Team Falcons, secured a 3-1 victory over OpTic Texas during qualifiers for the third Major of the season.

Vegas Falcons was one of several franchises opting to make roster changes before the online qualifiers for Major 3 began.

After initially backing an all-Saudi player lineup, three of the four original players were replaced with the aim of climbing the league table and qualifying for the season-ending Championship Weekend.

Former OpTic Texas player Amer ‘Pred’ Zulbeari joined the team alongside Preston ‘Priestahh’ Greiner and Alec ‘Arcitys’ Sanderson, all three of which have won a world championship in Call of Duty. The trio of North American and Australian players joined Saud ‘Exnid’ Alotai to complete the roster.

Defeating OpTic Texas as its first CDL victory is a significant milestone for Vegas Falcons, which had struggled to compete with North American and European talent for the first two Majors of the season. Major 1 and 2 saw two top-12 placements with the team only able to win a handful of maps resulting in a roster change.

For Pred, the result follows his departure from OpTic Texas after returning to the North American franchise in February before leaving for Vegas Falcons on April 1st, 2025.

With one victory on the board, the focus for Vegas Falcons turns to the final week of qualifiers before the CDL heads to Boca Raton, California for the third LAN event of the season.

The team plays against Atlanta FaZe and Boston Breach in its final two matches. Winning both could see the team start a Major in the Winner’s Bracket for the first time.

Additionally, a strong showing could give the team enough points to book a place at the Championship Weekend. After the win, the team sits on 10 points but a high placement at the final two Majors could see it secure a top-eight placement.

Mobile MOBA title Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) has announced several format changes for Season 9 of its popular regional league, MPL Singapore.

Changes include several first-time initiatives aiming to ‘transform the local esports scene’ in Singapore and the surrounding region.

According to a release, MPL Singapore Season 9 will be ‘the most community-driven edition’ thanks to more opportunities for fans and aspiring MLBB talent to get involved with the league.

Beginning with Season 9, MPL Singapore will move to a roving format resulting in regular season matches taking place across several locations.

“The changes for MPL Singapore highlight our focus on empowering the community and building a sustainable foundation for Singapore’s esports scene,” commented Daniel Chew, Head of Esports for Singapore and Cambodia at MOONTON Games.

“These changes go beyond immediate growth – they’re designed to create lasting impacts for the future moving us toward a more inclusive and robust esports ecosystem.”

The regular season will feature both professional and community rosters competing alongside each other as part of a revised format. The regular season will feature four stages:

The seeded stage will feature five invited MPL Singapore teams competing while the Challenger qualifiers involve up to 64 amateur teams looking to secure a place in the Challenger stage.

The Challenger stage will provide a platform to ‘nurture emerging talent,’ with the top four community teams earning an opportunity to compete against the invited teams from the seeded stage.

Following the conclusion of the regular season, the top four invited teams will earn a place in the playoffs, while the fifth-placed team and Challenger teams will compete in last-chance qualifiers.

Playoffs involves six teams competing for a SGD$40,000 (~£23,075) prize pool and an opportunity to qualify for the MLBB Mid-Season Cup taking place at the 2025 Esports World Cup.

MPL Singapore has also released a video breaking down the format visually.

Alongside format changes, MPL Singapore has announced haircare brand Head & Shoulders as an esports partner alongside CapitaLand, which has become the league’s official Venue Partner.

Head & Shoulders products in Singapore will feature limited-edition packaging promoting the league with characters Zilong and Layla featuring on the brand’s product range.

CapitaLand will assist with event operations as the league travels around Singapore for the first time.

MPL Singapore, a regional Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) league, has launched a nationwide talent search to bolster the local ecosystem.

The aim of the initiative is to uncover the next generation of esports talent alongside providing a pathway for participants to embark on a career within the industry.

According to a release, the programme will enable participants to gain ‘hands-on experience’ across a range of areas including event hosting, content creation, event production, and esports commentary.

In addition to the talent search, MPL Singapore has launched an ambassador initiative. The MPL SG Ambassador Programme aims to grow the local esports scene and to ‘collaborate with emerging KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders)’ operating within the region.

Registrations for the MPL Singapore Talent Search are open now. Once registrations close, participants will take part in three weeks of ‘qualifiers’ taking place throughout May. The location of the qualifiers is yet to be revealed.

The programme will provide those who qualify with a variety of essential skills alongside mentorship and insight into the wider esports ecosystem.

Launching a talent search is one of several changes arriving to MPL Singapore in 2025. Starting from Season 9, the league will visit several locations within the region and provide amateur teams with an opportunity to compete against the best teams in the country.

Alongside adjustments to the league format, teams will compete for a place at the MLBB Mid-Season Cup which is one of several events taking place as part of the 2025 Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The concept of launching a search to find new talent within the esports industry is a method several organisations and federations have used in recent years.

In 2024, German organisation BIG launched a programme designed to build the skills of young esports talents to assist them with making a career out of competing.

In 2023, the Saudi Esports Federation and Japan Esports Union signed a Memorandum of Understanding to bolster the development of talent across the industry.