Fortnite Is Coming to an Unexpected Platform

Fortnite will soon be playable on Discord through the social platform’s new partnership with NVIDIA. Fans may be wondering how Discord can possibly serve as a gaming platform for Fortnite, and the answer might be more surprising than expected.

As one of the primary communication tools for gamers, Discord has driven many innovations that enhance the gaming experience. For example, the company’s Social SDK lets developers integrate Discord directly into their games. Now, the platform seems ready to make the app even more valuable for gamers.

Discord Announces NVIDIA GeForce NOW Integration

According to Discord, a new partnership with NVIDIA’s cloud-gaming platform, GeForce NOW, will let users play games like Fortnite directly in the app. There is no need to download the game or any additional software to use this feature. It is designed to work seamlessly within Discord on PC, just like other cloud-gaming platforms. Discord and GeForce NOW are already planning to showcase the upcoming feature, with a demo set to appear behind closed doors at this year’s Gamescom event.

Once it becomes available globally, Discord users will get a limited-time free trial to stream games on the app using GeForce NOW’s Performance tier, which normally costs around $10 a month. This plan lets gamers play a plethora of games, including Fortnite, at 1440p resolution and 60 FPS. After the trial ends, users will likely need to either pay the monthly fee or switch to GeForce NOW’s ad-supported tier to keep playing games on the app.

Discord emphasizes that the partnership with NVIDIA is meant to help players “discover” new games more easily and that the social platform is not trying to become a gaming platform. Instead, it aims to offer a faster way for gamers to experience the first few hours of a game or join a gaming session with friends without downloading a demo or installing a launcher. “Since there’s no separate launcher or installation required, players can enjoy a fast, social, and frictionless way to access the games they love or quickly find their next favorite game,” the company says about the innovative venture.

It remains to be seen how Discord’s new in-app gaming feature will affect its user base. Still, the upcoming GeForce NOW integration could offer a new way for gamers to jump into quick matches in games like Fortnite. Discord says 72% of its users play games while communicating through the app, which suggests that many gamers would appreciate a cloud-gaming experience that eliminates crossplay issues and downtime from game updates. It also provides an easy way to try a game for free before buying it, like Steam’s demos, but without downloading any files.