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Fortnite character holding a guitar next to a cracked background. Screenshot via Dot Esports.
Category:
Fortnite

Can you use a Guitar Hero controller with Fortnite Festival?

Can you really play Fortnite with a Guitar Hero controller?
Image of Kate Robinson
Kate Robinson
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Published: Dec 9, 2023 03:12 pm

Fortnite Festival is the latest mode from Epic’s live-service juggernaut. Festival is a rhythm game inspired by titles like Guitar Hero. It even features veteran GH development studio Harmonix at the helm of its development. Music game fans are wondering if this spiritual successor features guitar controller support.

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Fortnite Festival’s main control scheme consists of the D, F, J, K, and Space keys on PC and D-pad Left, D-pad Right, X, B and Right Trigger on Xbox. These controls are accurate enough to hit every note pitch perfectly in the highest setting, but pro players and nostalgic fans agree that the addition of a Guitar Hero controller would elevate the experience.

Epic’s statement on instrument controllers in Fortnite Festival

Epic has addressed the question directly in a massive Fortnite Festival blog post. On the subject of instrument controllers, the devs say that “it’s a priority for the team and currently under development. We’ll have more to share in 2024.” 

It’s hard to tell how Epic plans on implementing instrument controller support in Fortnite Festival, as most guitar controllers in circulation are over a decade old and use proprietary connections. Fans hope that Epic is producing new proprietary controllers, and retro hardware manufacturer Hyperkin has expressed its instrumental interest on Twitter, but the commercial failure of the latest Guitar Hero and Rock Band may give Epic pause for thought on the idea.

Workarounds and alternatives for guitar controllers in Fortnite Festival

Some fans have found a way to connect Guitar controllers to Fortnite. Guitar Hero YouTuber Acai has already hooked up a custom guitar controller to the PC version of Fortnite, and it plays perfectly. There may be a cheap workaround if you own a Wii instrument controller, as Wii remotes can connect to a PC via Bluetooth, but at the time of writing, nobody has tested out Wii Fortnite compatibility.

YouTuber Acai playing Fortnite Festival with a Guitar Hero custom controller.
Some players are already using a guitar controller. Screenshot via Acai YouTube.

Given how niche instrument peripherals have become in 2023, it’s interesting that Fortnite Festival is officially adding support for the controllers, as it shows that Epic understands the desires of longtime Harmonix fans.

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Author
Image of Kate Robinson
Kate Robinson
Staff Writer. Kate has written about all aspects of the games industry, from the smallest of indie titles to the largest of RPGs. She also has a game design degree obtained from the developers of Sneak King and a unique writing style that is present in all her work.
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