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Fortnite update v11.20 to support Microsoft DirectX 12

A new Fortnite update is set to bring Microsoft DirectX 12 support to the game, making way for better performance on higher end PCs.

TJ Denzer

November 19, 2019 2:45 PM

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For quite some time now, Fortnite has only allowed up to support of DirectX 11, despite the fact that new technology and software is allowing for bigger improvements in game performance. It would appear that Fortnite on PC is finally ready to address this and move forward. Microsoft DirectX 12 support is coming to the game that will allow players with high-quality graphics processors to get a new tier of visual performance out of the game.

Epic announced the new feature of Fortnite in an update post on their website. Though in general, the game has done away with patch notes in Fortnite Chapter 2, quietly putting updates in the game like the Harpoon Gun, Epic saw fit to share this significant detail of the upcoming Fortnite update v11.20. As of this coming update, players will be able to toggle an option in their graphics settings for the game that allows for DirectX 12 support. No definite release date was announced for the update or DirectX 12 support in Fortnite’s blog post.

As it’s a new feature to Fortnite and Microsoft is still improving upon DirectX 12 with the new era of ray-tracing and other modern graphics technology, Epic made sure to point out that support of DirectX 12 in the game may not be perfect out of the gate. That said, the expectation is that the higher utility of DirectX 12 will prove to make the game perform better and maintain high frames-per-second at the same time on PCs that can handle it.

“In the future, we plan on adding features to Fortnite that are made possible by DX12,” Epic wrote. “Allowing players to opt into DX12 before these features are added will give us valuable information in our development efforts and help us shake out any bugs. If you’re interested in helping us test DX12, please jump in and give the new option a spin.”

As we await Fortnite v11.20, are you excited to give DirectX 12 a go in the game? Let us know in the Shacknews Chatty comment section below.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.