Fortnite is reportedly adding a new “Subregion Preference” setting in its next update, giving players more control over which server area they use inside a broader matchmaking region. The feature was surfaced by Fortnite leaker ShiinaBR ahead of the September 17 update, with leaked interface text warning that choosing a subregion may increase queue times and reduce matchmaking fairness. Epic Games has not yet publicly announced the setting, so the feature should still be treated as a leak until it appears in the live game or official patch notes.
The setting appears to sit underneath Fortnite’s existing Matchmaking Region option. Instead of only choosing a broad region such as North America or Asia, players would reportedly be able to specify a preferred subregion within it. That could give players more direct control over latency by letting them favor a particular server location rather than relying entirely on Fortnite’s automatic routing.
Epic has used subregion matchmaking technology in Fortnite for years, although historically it has operated largely in the background. In 2018, the company explained that Fortnite could identify available data centers within a region and route players toward the one providing the healthiest connection. Epic also said the system could move players back to a larger primary data center when a smaller subregion did not have enough players to maintain reasonable matchmaking times.
The leaked setting appears to change that relationship by giving players an explicit preference rather than leaving the entire decision to automatic matchmaking. The warning attached to the option is important: limiting the pool to a specific subregion could mean waiting longer for a match, while a smaller pool may make it harder for Fortnite to assemble players of comparable skill or matchmaking characteristics. That tradeoff appears to be why the game reportedly cautions that fairness may be reduced.
Latency has long been especially important in competitive Fortnite, where even relatively small differences in ping can affect building, editing and close-range engagements. Epic has repeatedly adjusted its regional infrastructure over the years, including launching the NA-Central region in Dallas in 2023 to improve latency for players in parts of the United States and Mexico. Competitive events have also been consolidated onto specific regional servers at different points, making server selection a meaningful issue for high-level players.
The new preference could be particularly useful for players who know they consistently perform better on one data center within a larger region. At the same time, the option may produce less predictable matchmaking during quieter hours if players deliberately avoid the server that would otherwise offer the healthiest population. Epic’s older subregion system was specifically designed to balance connection quality against wait times, so exposing that choice to players would be a notable shift in how much control the game gives them.
The apparent addition also arrives as Epic continues expanding Fortnite’s broader social and network features. Another recent leak points to Epic Parties with cross-device voice chat, suggesting the company is making simultaneous changes to how players connect both socially and technically across Fortnite and Epic’s wider ecosystem. The Subregion Preference setting is smaller in scope, but it could have a direct effect on moment-to-moment match quality for players sensitive to ping.
The feature may also matter for competitive players preparing for upcoming tournaments. Fortnite’s official competitive schedule already separates events by regions such as NAC, NAE, Asia and Oceania, while server routing can still affect practical latency inside those areas. Giving players more granular control in regular matchmaking could make practice conditions more consistent, although there is no indication yet that tournament routing itself will change.
For now, Epic Games has not confirmed which regions will support Subregion Preference, how many selectable subregions will appear, or whether the setting will be available in every playlist. The leaked text only indicates that selecting a subregion will be possible and that doing so can increase queue times while reducing fairness. More details should become clear when Fortnite’s September 17 update goes live.
