How to fix Packet Loss problem in Fortnite Season 7: Improve your ping and decrease loss

Poor internet connection can and often is a death knell for Fortnite players. Fortnite is one of the fastest-paced games on the market and with no respawns (in the typical Battle Royale mode), players have to act quickly or be sent back to the lobby.

Having a poor internet connection often ensures that there will be lag and other issues that will ultimately cause two problems: a premature exit and an unpleasant gaming experience. No Fortnite player wants either of those occurrences to happen.

i unironically despise fortnite purely for the lag this season has brought me lol 🙏

— jazz, yohsi wif e - monke hypeman & meedas' e-girl (@fastest_llama) August 1, 2021

Packet loss and ping are two problems that players can adjust for and tinker with to fix the problem. Here's how best to do it in Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 7.

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Fix packet loss in Fortnite

Packet loss occurs when one or more packets of data traveling across a network fail to reach their destination. Packet loss can be caused by errors in data transmission, typically across wireless networks, or network congestion. There are a few ways to fix this issue.

The first way of alleviating this problem is to restart the internet network. This can be performed one of two ways: sometimes a router will have a reset button, and it will need to be clicked or held until it resets.

Otherwise, it can be turned off and then back on shortly after to do a soft reset, both of which will often help. Waiting for about 30 seconds or so before turning it back on usually does the trick.

Router and modem. Image via How-To Geek

The second method is to add a command line option within Fortnite. In the Epic Games launcher, there is a Settings tab. There, players will find an "Additional Command Line Arguments" box that will be unchecked. Checking this box and launching Fortnite should provide an improvement.

Another thing that may be causing lag or packet loss is a computer that isn't up to date. If all the systems are updated to the current release, then any problems related to that should be dispelled as well.

Ping refers to the "reachability of a host on an Internet Protocol network". This essentially pertains to how long it takes for the input on the controller or keyboard to occur in-game.

Fortnite shows players the ping in-game, so they can always see what they are dealing with. If it's too high, then restarting the Internet can often help. Using a direct ethernet cable rather than wireless internet also prevents high ping.