Fortnite Battle Royale will soon turn eight years old. The game was released in September 2017 and has achieved worldwide success. As of 2025, more than half a billion players have played Fortnite, and the game still has millions of concurrent players. However, it looks nothing like the original version that was available in 2017.

The popular game now has numerous core modes, from Battle Royale to Ballistic. On top of this, Epic Games allows players to create their own maps with Fortnite Creative and UEFN, which has also contributed to a healthy player count. Unfortunately, adding this many game modes has also resulted in an increased game size, which is the issue Epic is going to tackle with a future update.

Fortnite will reduce the game size with an upcoming update

Epic has been working on a so-called “thin client” for Fortnite over the past year. This client comes with essential features, such as a lobby and a locker, and includes no game modes. Once the client comes out, players will be able to download the modes they play. Thanks to this, the game size will be drastically reduced.

For example, players who enjoy Rocket Racing will be able to download this mode exclusively. They won’t have to add extra content for other modes, like LEGO Fortnite or Festival.

According to Hypex, the most reputable Fortnite leaker, the game developer will release a thin client within the next 30 days. The next update is set to come out on August 26, followed by September 9 and September 16. Considering Hypex’s track record, we expect the new feature to come out by mid-September.

While waiting for the life-saving update, make sure to unlock all the free skins in Fortnite. One of the skins expires in late August, so don’t forget to add it to your locker before it’s too late.