If you’re a Fortnite player and you recently experienced the game crashing constantly on your Nintendo Switch, it may be due to minor glitch or by more serious issues. In this article, we’ll show you how to easily fix crashing issues for this game.
Why Fortnite is crashing on Nintendo Switch?
There’s no single reason why Fortnite may crash on any given platform, in our case here, the Switch. Below are some of the common factors that might cause the game to close unexpectedly.
Unexpected game error.
Any game can encounter bugs or errors that are sometimes not anticipated by developers. This can in turn cause problems such as crashing. So far, the Switch version of Fortnite has only minimal bugs so if your game keeps on crashing on you so far, try to reboot the console and see if that will help.
If nothing changes after a reboot, the problem is probably caused by something else.
Connection or server problems.
Outages, planned or unplanned maintenance may sometimes interrupt the game causing it to crash. Some users may be able to load the game to the main menu but after initially connecting to a multiplayer session, Fortnite may abruptly quit or crash.
This scenario, although rare, happens from time to time. If your console does not have an issue loading Fortnite and joining an online session but the issue starts in the middle of your game, that can be due to a server problem.
In some cases, an issue with your own local network can also cause the game to crash, say if the internet speed is slow or if the connection keeps disconnecting.
Nintendo Switch firmware glitch.
Nintendo Switch is an awesome gaming platform but its firmware is not perfect. Sometimes, new firmware versions may create a conflict with games causing them to crash. If Fortnite started crashing after you’ve installed a system update for the console, you may have a firmware glitch at hand.
Problems due to firmware coding issues are fixed by patches so you may have to wait for another update to fix what is going on.
Saved game is corrupt.
In some rare cases, Fortnite may encounter an error due to corrupted game data. Depending on the issue, detecting and deleting the corrupt data using the console’s error fixing mechanism may help. If not, then you may have to return the firmware to its defaults by doing a factory reset.
Troubleshooting Fortnite crashing issue on Nintendo Switch
You’ll need to do a set of troubleshooting steps in order to fix this problem on your end.
- Check for server issues.
Before you troubleshoot your Switch, make sure that you check if there’s any server-side issues that might be affecting the game right now.
Try to check the official Fortnite Twitter page for live updates and news for recent known bugs. - Reboot your Nintendo Switch.
Refreshing the system by rebooting is typically effective in fixing minor bugs. To turn off the console, just press and hold the Power button for about 3 seconds. Once the Power options appear, select Power Off. Turn the console back on again and check for the problem.
Alternatively, you can force reboot the console by pressing and holding the Power button for about 12 seconds. This is useful if the Switch is unresponsive or does not respond to any input. - Install game and system updates.
Keeping your Switch games and firmware up-to-date is sometimes the only way to fix known bugs. The Switch is set to update the system by default so all you have to do is to ensure that you install new game and system versions as they come.
- Refresh the console system cache.
A bad system cache may sometimes interfere with some games and cause them to quit randomly. If Fortnite is still crashing at this point, refresh the system cache with these steps:
-Go to the Home Menu.
-Select System Settings.
-Select System.
-Select Formatting Options.
-Select Clear Cache.
–Select the user for which you want to clear cache and follow the instructions.
–Restart your Nintendo Switch and check for the problem. - Delete corrupt game data.
At other times, some other data may cause apps or games to stop working normally. You can tell the console to scan for possible corrupt data in the system by following these steps:
-Go to the Home Menu.
-Select System Settings.
-Scroll through the options on the left and select Data Management.
-On the right-hand side, select Manage Software.
-Then, select the software you would like to check.
-Select Check for Corrupt Data. - Re-install Fortnite.
Sometimes, deleting the game and re-installing it afterwards fix crashing troubles. Make sure to try this solution if Fortnite continues to quit on its own. Here are the steps to delete a game:
-Highlight the game you want to delete on the Home Screen of your Nintendo Switch.
-Press the + button on the right Joy-Con to open the Options menu.
-Select Manage Software from the menu on the left.
-Select the game.
-Select Manage Software.
-Select Delete Software.
-Select Delete again when asked to confirm.
Once you’re done uninstalling it, you can download Fortnite again from Nintendo website.
Factory reset.
Should none of the solutions above help, you should try to return the console’s firmware settings to defaults. Doing a Nintendo Switch factory reset is a drastic solution and should only be a last option. After this reset, you’ll need to reconfigure your console again and redownload your games and apps.
Suggested readings:
- What To Do if GTA 5 Won’t Load Or Keeps Crashing | PS4
- How To Fix Civ 6 (Civilization 6) Crashing Issue On Nintendo Switch
- How To Fix Borderlands 3 Multiplayer Won’t Connect | Xbox One
- How To Fix Battlefield 5 Crashing Issue On Xbox One
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