Fortnite’s pay-to-win and pay-to-lose vehicles amplify car combat chaos

An Epic Games statement addressed player concerns about Fortnite’s pay-to-win and pay-to-lose cars in Chapter 5 Season 3.

On June 1, popular Twitch streamer Nickeh30 shared a TikTok video highlighting the pay-to-win and pay-to-lose cars players should watch out for in battle royale.

In the video, the streamer demonstrated that players can easily take damage when driving around in freely available Fortnite vehicles like Whiplash, Werewolf, and Masmune. Nickeh30 hopped on top of one such vehicle, shot through the windshield a few times, and instantly took out an opponent.

The content creator performed the same demonstration on someone sitting inside a Samurai, a car body that costs 1,500 V-Bucks in the Item Shop.

As shown in the video below, some free cars have bigger windshields and smaller dashboards, making drivers easy targets. Several paid cars come with smaller windshields and larger dashboards that better protect those in the front seat.

However, Nickeh30 also noted that pay-to-lose cars have cropped up, with paid rides like the Scorpion boasting bigger windshields that can prove detrimental to players. Meanwhile, some free vehicles such as the Octane have smaller windows that reduce the chance of taking damage.

The TikTok post quickly went viral on social media, raising concerns in the Fortnite community about the effects of pay-to-win and pay-to-lose cars.

It didn’t take long for developers at Epic Games to notice the mounting discourse. As a result, the studio shared a brief statement with Kotaku on June 4, telling the publication that a fix is in the works.

The comment from Epic reads as follows: “We’re aware of the issue and have a fix planned for an upcoming build.”

What the specific fix is and when it will go live is not yet known.

These concerns come amid other car-related troubles for Fortnite. Chapter 5 Season 3 of the experience introduced vehicle mods that have drastically altered the battle royale’s gameplay. While a contingent of players enjoy the high-octane chaos, others want Epic to dial back the car combat.

So far, items such as the Boogie Bomb and EMP have helped tame the car combat-induced chaos.