Do Fortnite Skins Have Different Hitboxes?

Fortnite’s greatest asset is its huge roster of playable skins, creating compelling new designs and keeping its vice-grip on pop culture icons to serve as playable characters for the cartoony battle royale. The game’s referential skins to gaming and movie history have made Epic Games a hell of a lot of money, but they’ve also been able to keep the game relevant by updating its list of playable characters consistently, with licensed characters from DC, Star Wars, Marvel and more. But, these skins come with some concerns.

Many have pointed out that certain skins have much larger surface areas, and different models to accommodate for different body shapes. It’s caused a larger discussion then - are players at a disadvantage when they play as larger characters?

Do Different Fortnite Skins Have Larger Hitboxes?

As it turns out, you’re in luck if you’re using a beefier skin. Hitboxes in Fortnite are not determined by the skin in use by the player, but by a predetermined shape that the skins are based on. So, if you find yourself using a larger skin like Terminator’s T-800 or Ripley, you don’t have to worry about being more vulnerable to headshot damage. But, there is something else to consider.

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Why Do Fortnite Pros Play With Female Skins?

There’s a surprising trend in Fortnite esports that sees the highest-ranking players often using skins of female characters. It’s a pretty widespread phenomenon and one that makes perfect sense when you consider it. The majority of the skins of female characters have much smaller models, meaning that they’re slightly tougher to spot from a distance. The hitboxes are of course the same across all skins, but you’re much less likely to be spotted as one of the smaller female characters than if you were using the Predator skin. It might be a minor change to your visible size, but it’s one that could make the difference between winning or losing.

Skins are a crucial part of Fortnite’s ecosystem and culture, and thankfully, it’s clear that whichever you choose won’t put you at much risk of extra damage. But if you’re after the very slim tactical advantages to pull ahead, you might want to reconsider picking out the biggest of the bunch.

Don't forget to check out the rarest Fortnite Skins and upcoming skins in our complete rundown.

Images via Epic Games