Fortnite
June 6, 2023
Jordan Ashley
We are back with yet another hot FNCS Season in 2023. Before Chapter 4 takes us all on a wild ride, it’s time to adjust our Fortnite Rankings for the upcoming season.
Fortnite has gone from strength to strength. 2023 looks to be one of the biggest years yet for the game’s competitive side. With the Grand Royale bringing the top Duos together at the end of the year, we’re back to seeing how teams compete outside of each season’s FNCS The game’s esports scene is as alive and exciting as ever. Great players are always pushing the game’s skill cap to new heights. However, in a game like this, things move fast.
The best players from 2021/22 aren’t necessarily going to be the best Fortnite players of 2023. Last year’s FNCS tournaments saw some of the highest players in Fortnite rankings lose out to some who hadn’t particularly been on the radar. New players are coming up in the game all the time. The new Chapter 4 update has completely reinvented the meta, so there’s space for new players to claim their spots as the top contenders.
These are the best players in Fortnite coming into 2023, the ones that really stand out at the moment:
| # | ID | Name | Birth Year | Nationality | Current Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Queasy | Aleksa Cvetkovic | 2002 | Serbia | Galaxy Racer |
| 2 | Veno | Harry Pearson | 2004 | UK | Tundra |
| 3 | Dukez | Lucas Cardenas | 2005 | Mexico | Dignitas |
| 4 | Edgey | Ben Peterson | 2003 | USA | Dignitas |
| 5 | TaySon | Tai Starčič | 2004 | Slovenia | Falcon Esports |
| 6 | Merstach | Andrey Piratov | 2007 | Latvia | - |
| 7 | Malibuca | Danila Yakovenko | 2005 | Russia | Galaxy Racer Esports |
| 8 | ThomasHD | Thomas Høxbro Davidsen | 2002 | Denmark | Astralis |
| 9 | Cold | - | 2007 | USA | Team 33 |
| 10 | Acorn | - | 2004 | Canada | Team 33 |
For our rankings we are taking into consideration the top 10 placements for each region in the last few FNCS events, and also going through cash cups from this year, seeing who placed in the top 10 the most. There’s also the recent FNCS Major 2 to take into consideration. The bigger tournaments weigh heavily when deciding the best Fortnite players right now. Taking everything into account to decide who the Fortnite best players in the world are can be a bit subjective though. We’ve broken it down to explain each player’s rank and what makes them stand out.
© Esports.net
Who are the Top 10 Fortnite Players to Watch in 2023?
We’ve got a top Fortnite players list to help you figure out who is going to be important in 2023 and beyond!
1. Queasy
Credit: FN Competitive on Twitter
Quesy and Veno have got to into the top spot after their amazing performance at the FNCS Major 2. They secured their spot at the LAN here but did so with such an overwhelmingly strong performance, it’s hard to think anyone can beat them in Chapter 4 Season 2. The two managed 6 Victory Royales across the finals, five of those consecutively. It’s a singular run that’s going to be very hard to beat in the future.
2. Veno
Credit: Redbull Gaming
As the second part of the winning Duo in Chapter 4 Season 2, Veno is equally one of the best Fortnite players right now. In Europe at least, they’ve set a standard which will be what winning Duos are measured against in the future. Even looking ahead to the LAN at the end of the year, they stand a very good chance of going all the way.
3. Dukez
Credit: Dukez
Dukez makes up the final spot in the Mero and Bugha trio which took first place at a Chapter 3 FNCS and the Grand Royale. These are impressive results. Moving into Duos in 2023, he started with mixed results but came alive at the most recent major. Playing with Edgey, they just took the top spot in NA this season and secured their spot at the LAN.
4. Edgey
Credit: Cented on Twitter
Edgey and Dukez can claim the title of best players in North America at the moment. Their performance at the last finals weren’t quite on the level of Queasy and Veno, but they were the standout Duo in NA. They might not have grabbed a Victory Royale across the twelve games, but they had great consistently. They took top 10 finishes plenty of times and managed to out gun their opponents in kills. They’re a force to be reckoned with in the new merged NA region.
5. TaySon
Credit: EarlyGame
TaySon is a European player who has bounced around our rankings quite a bit. The player is currently a part of Team Falcons, and he’s had quite a few different teammates over the years. He’s really come into his own recently though. He took first place at the first FNCS for Chapter 4, Major 1. With his past achievements and this recent win he’s one of the best Fortnite players right now.
6. Merstach
Credit: Merstach, El Professor and Malibuca Source: Twitter | @suja_gg
Merstach’s best results lately have come with TaySon this Chapter. Prior to this though, he had a good run finishes in Chapter 3 with Malibuca. In Chapter 4 he’s been part of the main Duo to watch, getting an early win in his region at a Major and locking in a spot at the FNCS Invitational later this year.
While the pressure might be off as shown in Major 2, he’s still one of the top Fortnite players in Chapter 4.
7. Malibuca
Credit: Early Game
Malibuca was one of the more recent additions to the best Fortnite players but he’s been pretty firmly one of the top-ranking players in the last year. Since going active as a pro in 2021, he quickly marked himself out as one of the top rising stars. The player was part of a Duo that won the Gamers8 LAN, and took second at some FNCS Finals for Chapter 3.
Most recently he’s been part of a huge team with Th0masHD. They’re two of the best placing players in Chapter 4.
8. Th0masHD
Credit: Astralis
Th0masHD had a lot of success over Chapter 2. The initial switch over to Duos was a bit dicier with his placements slipping, but he’s stepped things back up since partnering with Malibuca. In this Duo, he’s taken second at the Europe region of Chapter 4’s first Major.
In Chapter 3 he still had some solid results too, pretty regularly coming in third at FNCS Finals in teams with Trippernn and TaySon.
9. Cold
Credit: © Laugh Out Loud
As part of a Duo with Acorn, Cold has risen to the top of the pack in Chapter 4. He won the first Major for the year in North America East alongside some cash cups in the run up to that. At the end of 2022’s tournaments, he left with second at the FNCS Invitational. This is a really strong run and it shows the player is on the rise right now. Although, he’s just missed on glory most recently, finishing a respectable 6th in Major 2.
10. Acorn
Credit: Acorn
Acorn has been active since 2019 and is one of the longer-standing players still at the top of the best Fortnite players. He had early wins in Chapter 2 FNCS events. As a Duo with Cold though he’s back at the top for Chapter 4. This Duo are looking like two to watch in North America East for the year.
Read also: Is Fortnite dying?Other 10 Fortnite players are worth mentioning
Those are the top 10 Fortnite players in the world at the moment. However, Fortnite is a game with a pretty big player base. Players are split into platforms and regions, with the top talent spread pretty thin across the many versions of tournaments they hold. This inevitably means more than 10 fantastic players are active in the game. It is rare that ten players even consistently place in the top ten across all of the different events held. So naturally, there’s more that you might be able to call the best Fortnite players in 2023. Even outside of pro players, the faces behind the best Fortnite Twitch channels are pretty impressive too.
These are some of the other great players at the moment, those who might be breaking into this top 10 soon.
JannisZ
JannisZ competes in the Europe region primarily, which is one of the most popular regions for the top pro talent. It’s hard to stand out here, but JannisZ has managed it. JannisZ and Vadeal have catapulted to the top in Europe lately. They took home the top spot at a difficult Chapter 3 Season 3 FNCS final. That’s along with some decent placements at the grand Royale in 5th. They aren’t as stable as the other players higher on this list, but has popped up pretty high in Chapter 4 again though.
VortexM
VortexM is an Australian player who has been in the game since 2019. He’s moved around a lot of different teams in that time, starting with blessed. He then moved on to Immersive Gaming, then Adrenaline esports, followed by Forbidden gaming. He was most recently part of Frag Empire but left the team in 2021. VortexM definitely stands out in the AU server of the game.
Mero
Mero is a player who has only been active since 2020 but has already managed to move seven times between different esports organizations. Most recently, he re-signed to Team New Age. Mero took home first place in the Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 8 Champion Series, kicking off an amazing run of results.
In Chapter 2, Mero played alongside Bugha, and Muz winning the 2023 Grand Royale. As the Chapter’s end event, this win means a lot. Heading in Chapter 3, Mero went from strength to strength.
The players’ results in Chapter 3 started well. First, he and Bugha won the Chapter 3 season 1 FNCS adjusting well to the Duos format. In Season 2, they pulled 3rd. In Season 3, 2nd. These are insanely stable results. They’ve slipped since including a disappointing result at the 2022 Invitational though.
Bugha
Bugha came out on top of the first Fortnite World Cup, his results dipped a little following but since then he’s came back in a big way. Playing with Mero, Bugha has become the player to beat in his region. These feats deserve a spot as one of the best Fortnite players in 2023. Bugha’s performance at the Fortnite World Cup was something else. He finished up Chapter 2 with a win at the Grand Royale.
That was followed by first place in Chapter 3 Season 1. Even with major new Chapter changes, Bugha stayed on top. He then took 3rdin the next season, and 2ndin Season 3. Like with Mero, this is incredibly consistent. Bugha has won one of the top competitions to end Chapter 2, the major competition of Chapter 1, and he’s dominating the FNCS in Chapter 3. His insane run seems to have petered out yet again though, without many big results in Chapter 4 or the end of 3.
Edgey
Edgey was part of a team with Cented that had a lot of success. He’s been active in the game since 2019, so here’s more recent than some of the other best Fortnite players in 2023. He was initially part of FlyQuest. However, he’s been with NRG esports since September 2019. He now competes with Acorn. They’ve had some great finishes across tournaments in recent seasons.
Reet
Reet comes in here on the best Fortnite players even with some mixed recent results. The player took the top spot at the Grand Royale for the end of Chapter 2. As with others here, this marks him as one of the best players of that period of the game. In the second season, Reet came in 2ndwith another great performance. In Chapter 3 Season 3, his Duo slipped to 11th. These are still strong finishes though, and Reet is definitely a player to watch.
EpikWhale
© Shane “EpikWhale” Cotton
EpikWhale has been one of the most consistent Fortnite players lately. He was initially catapulted to the top tiers of the game after the Fortnite World Cup. He took home third in the Solos of that tournament. In chapter 2, he was been part of a dominating trio with the two players from 100Thieves or with Reef, although, Epik himself is part of NRG.
Shane “EpikWhale” Cotton is a player who seems to be going from strength to strength. This kind of success makes him someone to watch in 2023. EpikWhale’s team won the Grand Royale with their region, along with multiple Chapter 2 FNCS tournaments. They won Season 6, 7, and came second in 8. He hasn’t been as strong in Chapter 3. They’ve still placed well in Season 3, coming in 11thand a strong win at the Gamers8 LAN. With their performance and a strong showing in more recent Chapters, EpikWhale is still one of the top players around.
Rehx
© 100 Thieves
Rehx is one of the biggest names around in Chapter 2. Alongside Arkhram, he was part of the team that came in first at multiple FNCS alongside the recent Grand Royale in the second Chapter. This definitely makes him one of the best Fortnite players in 2023. Moving into playing as a Duo, Rehx remained strong.
He won Duo events alongside EpikWhale like the DreamHack Open. Across Chapter 3 he’s moved to playing with Reet, with some strong recent results. He took home 2ndplace at the Chapter 3 Season 2 FNCS. that’s alongside 2ndat the final FNCS of Chapter 2. He’s been killing it in smaller competitions too.
Hen
While he’s sat in 7thon our best Fortnite players in 2021, Hen has dropped a bit. He’s on the higher end of players in Europe. Taking home the top spot at the Grand Royale is quite the feat with the level of talent in the region. Hen has won his share of major tournaments in the past. His results more recently haven’t been the hottest. However, this isn’t a game where you can rule a player out forever. Hen could well rise back up the rankings.
Clix
Clix is one of the most skilled players currently competing in Fortnite. Just turning up for tournaments doesn’t automatically put him in there, but he also achieves great results. While he’s yet to pull off a big win that sends him into the higher tiers of players, he has been putting the work in and increasing his Fortnite ranking. The 16-year-old player has shown a real determination and commitment to improving at the game when you combine this with his already impressive skills he looks to be a player to watch.
Read also: Best Fortnite SettingsOur top players’ list highlights some of the people in the game at the moment that you should watch this year.
2023’s tournament roster looks set to be pretty different from previous years. Although, an international showdown might still be a while off. With plenty of events, if you’rebetting on Fortniteyou’ll need to know which are the best Fortnite players in 2023. These are the ones that are looking to push things even further in 2023. They are players in the game with a high skill level who are sure to get even better in the future. Therefore these players are definitely the ones to look at if you’re looking to bet on Fortnite streamers or pro players; the best players are always a good bet.
Many people might scan that list and wonder where their favorite streamers/content creators are. The majority of Fortnite content creators are really high-level players. Most can get game results far beyond the reach of 99% of the player base. However, they’re not the biggest competitors in the Esports side of Fortnite. To a point, it is a different skill set. The best Fortnite players mentioned here mainly stream purely to watch them develop in the top 0.001% of players. Whereas content creators like Ninja are really high-level players, they’re focused on entertainment. We prepared an article with thebest Fortnite streamers, is your favorite on the list?
Best Fortnite Players FAQ
How many professional Fortnite players are there?
There are a lot of Fortnite players out there, but defining which players can be considered ‘professional’ is difficult. Hundreds of thousands of players try to make money by becoming professional Fortnite players. However, the number of truly professional players is small if we limit it to just those who are successful as professional players. This number of professional Fortnite players is around a thousand, and that figure comprises players who compete at top-level tournaments across every region. Having so many regions helps to thicken this number out a bit for Fortnite. The game does give away a substantial amount of prize money, but not enough to make many players consider making a full-time job out of it.
Who has the most kills in Solo Fortnite?
At the moment, Elemental Ray has the record for the most solo kills in a game. This is 48 kills that he managed to rack up by massacring players peacefully watching an event. As you can probably gather, this doesn’t exactly mean he’s the best, just someone who seized an opportunity to ruin an event for a lot of people! Live events don’t work this way anymore, so players hoping to beat Elemental ray would have to actually kill half a lobby in an active game.
Who is the Fortnite player with the most earnings?
The Fortnite player with the most earnings is probably Ninja. However, it can be difficult to measure this. If you’re just counting winnings from official tournaments, Bugha is the answer. His prize money from the World Cup is much higher than everything Epic’s offered otherwise.
However, there is more money to be made in Fortnite content and streaming than from competing in Esports events. That is why Ninja likely comes out ahead. He is the biggest streamer, big enough for Microsoft to blow a lot of money getting him on the ill-fated Mixer platform. If you take his earnings as a streamer playing Fortnite and other cash related to this, he has probably earned more from Fortnite than most pros put together.
Who is the best Fortnite player in the USA?
The best players in the USA are probably Cold & Acorn, or Thor & Boltz. However, like with the top players overall, this depends on preference. Players perform better or worse in each tournament. Since these two duos won the last major event, they tend to come out on top. However, that’s no guarantee they’ll win the next major tournament.
Who is the best Fortnite player in Australia?
Muz is probably the best player in Australia. Regularly coming out on top of Australia exclusive tournaments.
Who is the best Fortnite player in India?
Jiren has a good claim to being the best player in India. He is a player for Team electricity and has placed high in Middle East servers.
What percent of Fortnite players are Bots?
It isn’t public knowledge how many Fortnite players are bots in any particular game. We know Epic deploys Bots to fill up lobbies and make matchmaking smoother. The bots are pretty easy to spot too, looping the same basic behaviors. They even wander into the storm to take their own lives if too many players make it to the next circle. Each game has a different number of bots though so it’s impossible to say what percentage. The exception is your very first Fortnite game. Since Chapter 2 started, brand new players have launched straight into a bot game with 99% bots.
How many Fortnite players play on mobile?
Fortnite for Android has at least 40 million players, but we can’t say how active they are. Fortnite on iOS is no longer supported, but the game had quite a lot of players when it was around.
Who’s the worst Fortnite player?
The worst Fortnite player likely isn’t a single person or anyone whose name you’ll recognize. However, you’ll probably encounter a player that has a claim to this title in most pub matches. The players that just seem to walk around with no awareness of what’s happening.
Are Fortnite players decreasing?
As with most games, the player base for Fortnite is decreasing in terms of active players. However, the total count of registered users is rising. The Fortnite player count is hard to get a handle on since most developers don’t release this kind of information.
Read also: Fortnite Player CountArchive
Players from previous rankings that did not make the cut this year
Vadeal
Vadeal is the second half of JannisZ’s duo that has really risen to the top of the pack lately. Like JannisZ, he’s won Chapter 3 Season 3’s FNCS for Europe. That’s along with coming 4that the Grand Royale. The player has been active since late 2019 and currently plays with Wave Esports. Alongside winning the Season 3 FNCS Finals, Vadeal has taken the top spot in cash cups since, showing he’s one of the best Fortnite players in 2023.
Commandment
Commandment is a North American player, he’s been associated with TSM off and on, and has had some results in Chapter 3. The player won Chapter 3 Season 3 FNCS, showing an amazing improvement. This result didn’t come from nowhere, but it’s their first major win in a while. In Season 2, he came in 50th, but did manage 8thin Chapter 3 season 1. The earlier results were playing with Muz. Now he’s playing with Avery, the players has hit new heights.
Dukez
Dukez makes up the final spot in the Mero and Bugha trio which took first place at the FNCS and the Grand Royale. These are impressive results. Moving into Duos in 2023, he’s had mixed results. In a Duo, he’s beginning to rise up the rankings of Cash Cups. He’s failed to make the same impact with major wins as his old partners, but has played well. He most recently came in 4thin Chapter 3 Season 3. Bugha and Mero are more consistent, but Dukez places well too.
Saf
Saf is a great player who was previously on the Ghost team. While he has parted ways with them, he’s still one of the best players around. He routinely places highly in Epic’s tournaments, like coming in 8th at the Chapter 3 Season 3 FNCS with Eomzo. Hopefully, he can keep these great performances up in the rest of Chapter 3.
SpeedyND
IG: Speedynd.yt
Speedy is the final part of Oceania’s top trio. He’s been on a few esports teams, starting with Warriors One, then Notorious Gaming, and eventually Team Process. He’s currently a free agent. His recent tournament results have been great, but all as part of that Trio. He’s yet to make himself stand out outside of this team, but is still one of the Fortnite players to watch.
Slackes
Luminosity Gaming
Slackes is a veteran player in North America East who is definitely on the rise at the moment. He placed 15th in the Fortnite World Cup duos, together with teammate keys, and has won first place in a recent FNCS, and fifth in one before. He’s also taken home the top spot in some cash cups since. Slackes also had some controversy to his name after Epic handed him, Kreo, Bucke and Keys a 60-day suspension after they were caught teaming in the finals of Week 1 of the FNCS.
Flikk
© Nikolaj “Flikk” Andreas Frøslev
Flikk has already had quite an expansive history in Fortnite esports. He started with Team Atlantis, then Become Legends. Last year he moved to Wave Esports before eventually making his way to Guild. Flikk is one of the more popular streamers for a high-performing pro player.
Flikk hasn’t taken the top spot in recent FNCS events. However, he has been part of a team that took second and third in the last two. That’s decent consistency, especially for a game that frequently has completely different players in the top ten. This consistency makes him one of the best Fortnite players in 2021.
Jahq
Jack “Jahq” Downs
Jahq is a part of G2 esports and one of the more consistent players in NA East. His performance in recent FNCS has been pretty strong. He hasn’t fared as well in most cash cups, but when it really counts he seems to be playing his best.
On May 11th, Jahq seemingly quit Fortnite, but we are not sure if he was being serious or not just yet.
Anas
Anas “Anas” El-Abd alongside his teammate Flikk, has been part of the team that took high rankings for two Chapter 2 Fortnite Champion Series’. He is a member of Guild Esports alongside Flikk, but he previously played with Become Legends.
2020 was also a great year for Anas. He performed well in a lot of cash cups, qualifiers, and other Fortniteesports tournaments. He is also a veteran of the scene, having competed consistently since 2019. Most recently, he’s gotten decent placements at the Chapter 3 Season 3 tournament and Gamers8 LAN.
Arkhram
Diego “Arkhram” Palma is a player for 100 Thieves and has been with that team since 2019. In recent seasons, he’s become one of the best players currently active in the game. He was also part of a team that took home second place in the FNCS Season 8 grand Finals. However, while he lost out on the top spot he has multiple wins in the FNCS behind him. With a second placement and multiple full wins, his team dominates the FNCS.
He continued this great run of results going into the Grand Royale, where his team took home the top spot. In his region, this trio currently sits at the very top.
Cented
Cented is a player for FaZe clan who stands at an impressive place in the roster of Fortnite players. He’s been active since 2018, going back quite a while in the game. Cented has a fantastic strategic mind for playing Fortnite. With this talent, he’s had some impressive results in recent tournaments. He came in second during the recent FNCS Season 7 and in Season 6. While coming in first would be nice, back-to-back placements show some real consistency.
Cented was definitely one of the best Fortnite players in 2021, and if their performance holds they might be one of the best in 2022 too.
Benjyfishy
Benjyfishy is a bigger player that most fans will recognize, and he has been improving over time. This player looks set to continue this trend throughoutFortnite Chapter 2. Despite being involved in a few controversies already he’s managed to continue to place highly in events. He’s even recently held his own Benjyfishy Fortnite tournament, held right in the competitive section of the main Fortnite game.
Benjy’s recent performance has been pretty consistent, barring a problem with the recent Fortnite Champion Series that led to some stream sniping. Benjyfishy’s results have gotten better and better, which makes him one of the best Fortnite players in the world and definitely someone to keep an eye on for the next world cup.
Muz
Muz is a current player for team PWR. While he isn’t the most well-known Fortnite player around, he’s been putting in great performances. Muz is one of the best Fortnite players in 2021, even if he doesn’t quite have the same following as some others here. In terms of his recent results, he’s won a good number of Cash Cups and FNCS in Oceania. He’s been a part of a great trio in the Oceania server, but he performs well in Solo events and is currently competing in NAE.
Sunz
Alongside VortexM, Sunz has had some great results in recent Cash Cups and FNCS. He took home first place in a FNCS but has also won Cash Cups across Chapter 2 and 3. This performance marks him out as one of the best Fortnite players in 2023, especially within the AU server.
Jamper
Jamper is a Fortnite player for Luminosity Gaming. Since he became active in 2019, he’s gotten some great results that set him aside as one of the top Fortnite players. He came in second in the FNCS Season 8 and has pulled wins off in Cash Cups around that time. Jamper has had great recent results, if he can keep the pressure on then the player could rise even higher on this list.
Chapix
Chapix was the final part of a Trio with Hen and TaySon that achieved big things over Chapter 2. In chapter 3, he’s mainly stuck with Chapix. The duo has had good results, like winning some qualifiers for the FNCS. Most recently they had a decent finish at the finals.
Avery
© Avery/Twitter
Avery is the second part of the Commandment Duo that took Chapter 3 Season 3. In Season 2, he came in 8th playing with Muz. This was a major improvement from the season before, where they hit 42nd. This shows a pretty dramatic rise in results for Avert. If the player can keep this performance up with Commandment, the duo will be a force to be reckoned with.
Andilex
Andi
Andilex didn’t quite make the top 10 in 2020, but his performance over the course of the year has really separated him out from the crowd. In recent events, Andilex’s performance has been pretty impressive. He came in first at one of the recent FNCS rounds, with second place in the finals. Across European tournaments, this player has made himself stand out and showed he’s one of the most exciting new names in Fortnite.
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naw turbo
21 days ago
I am not trying to be rude, but how are Bugha and Clix not on there, but I also think you should make a leaterboard for all regions
Last edited 21 days ago by naw turbo
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Galissa Tillman
1 day ago
How do you show the schedule and update and stuff?
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Galissa Tillman
1 day ago
I want to do it
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