Fortnite channels Terminator’s Skynet with human-like aim assist

Maybe we shouldn't be teaching computers how to aim like humans

Epic Games

Fortnite version 31.20 is out now, and it brings with it a host of changes and additions. But one change in particular is a bit of a change to the game’s aim assist when using a controller or touch controls, which, in theory, makes aim assist act more “human-like” and could level the playing field. 

Human-like aim assist is now available in Fortnite on all platforms, but obviously only comes into play when you’re using a controller or touch controls. The goal, according to Epic Games, is to help aim assist feel a little bit more natural, with human-like reaction time and target tracking. Here’s how Epic describes the change: 

Excited to grab your controller and start playing? On all platforms (console, PC, mobile), v31.20 introduces human-like aim assist for controller players, which models human reaction time while trying to better match how unassisted keyboard + mouse players track moving targets. Human-like aim assist allows for more balanced tuning for controller players of all skill levels — we'll be closely monitoring its impact so that we can tune it just right!

Sounds pretty good, right? The feature’s main developer Jibb Smart – who is also responsible for the flick stick control scheme among other things – explained the feature a little bit more in a thread on Twitter. Smart says that most of Fortnite’s aim assist is unchanged, and for the most part, it will feel largely the same to the player. 

Human-like aim assist is live in Fortnite! This was mostly my baby, so I'm super excited about it!

For most players this will be a very subtle change, but there's a lot of questions about "is it better? is it worse? what is it?" so I thought I'd flesh it out a bit.

🧵 pic.twitter.com/8LDfcTNBUm

— Jibb Smart 🎮 (@JibbSmart) September 17, 2024

According to Smart, this change helps cut down on the “superhuman factor” where, because the game knows where targets are and what players are aiming at, aim assist can give controller players a bit of an unfair advantage. Human-like aim assist, then, emulates how a human would react and track targets in-game, and should reduce “humanly impossible tracking when targets suddenly change direction.” This, Smart says, will make the game fairer for both controller and non-controller players. 

The change is live and enabled for players right now, and Smart says that introducing it mid-season should help the team to compare how player performance changes before and after the addition. 

• See more: LEGO Fortnite - How to tame and ride Klombo