Since its creation in 2017, Fortnite somehow still reigns supreme. The game is, at the moment of this writing, sitting at the #4 spot on Twitch – doing much better than the disastrously released Battlefield2042 (#20) or the once-popular PUBG (#64). And as Fortnite stays on top, so are the success and continued support of the streamer’s community. But, aside from the entertainment, most of us watch these streamers to learn the trendy gameplay and gather some tips for our own games. However, you may find that whatever you do to copy their moves, something’s just not right. And that’s undeniable. Why? Because most of these gamers amplify their advantages not just because of natural skills but also their gear- particularly their headphones. Fortunately, we’ve got the list of the top Fortnite streamers and headphones for you right here. Who knows? Maybe you’ll find just the right pair to help you raise your kill rate up. So read on!
Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins
At first glance, it is no surprise that Ninja sits at the top with 17 million followers. He played Fortnite with Ellen and became a household name even most mothers of gamers might know back in 2018. Of course this young man was popular! As for one of the gears that helped him reach the top, Ninja sports the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro headphones, with the cool gray fading nicely into his iconically dyed hair. You’ll notice that we call them headphones and not headset, since these have no mic for team comms. This is because Ninja, like many other streamers, uses an external condenser mic which gives him more freedom in which headphones to use. The DT 1990 are technically studio reference headphones and have accurate sound and imaging. They are good at determining where footsteps are coming from and which direction those far away shots are being fired from. This makes them especially good for FPS games like Fortnite and CS:GO. Ninja hasn’t been doing a lot of competitive gaming lately, but did place 7th with teammate Reverse2k in the WC 2019 NAE Qualifiers – Week 6 Duo tournament in 2019. Later that same year he placed 4th with teammates Reverse2k, Nate Hill, and Funk at the Fortnite Champion Series: Chapter 2: Season 1 tourney.
Cody ‘Clix’ Conrod
Clix is the young mastermind of the Fortnite streaming world. At just 16 years old, he is pulling in serious numbers – 4.2 million followers on Twitch with over 15k subs. He got popular largely for being really good at something for his age. However, this kid is still growing from his 2017 debut. Now a high schooler, the streamer has opened up about the difficulties of being an overnight sensation at such a young age, but his influence continues to grow year-by-year. Donning the ASTRO GAMING A40 headphones, Clix is able to come across as stylish while still being comfortable. The cushions are designed for long gaming sessions and come with a pressure-free fit that won’t hurt your ears. The mic works great for team games as well, due to voice-honing technology that leaves your background environment out of the picture. The version Clix uses are made specifically for PS4/PS5/PCs, which makes these one of the best PS4 headsets for Fortnite. Clix has had an insane tournament spree this year, checking off a lot of first place finishes. With teammate Deyy, he claimed 1st prize in DreamHack Open January – NA East. He also proved himself as a solo competitor by winning Champion Cash Cup: Chapter 2 Season 5 Week 2 – NA West and then following that up by winning again in NA East in week 5.
Kyle ‘Bugha’ Giersdorf
Bugha is yet another young guy making a big name for himself in the Fortnite community. Going straight to tournament winnings, Bugha achieved a $3 million top prize finish at the first ever Fortnite World Cup back in 2019 — at only 16 years old! That didn’t put this competitor into retirement, though. Wearing his JBL Club 950NC headphones, Bugha streams regularly to his 4.8 million Twitch followers. The JBL Clubs, like many pro-Fortnite streamers’ headphones, have great noise cancelling capabilities to help you focus on your gameplay. Another great feature for a streamer, or gamer living at home, is the cool TalkThru feature. With a single press of a button, in-game noises lower and external voices are amplified.
Brett ‘Dakotaz’ Hoffman
Dakotaz is an old-school cool streamer that has been active for over a decade now. Lately, he has also branched out with other games, such as DBD and the occasional Among Us with other streamers. But, his stream got popular during the heydays of the Fortnite era. Not going out of his way to be competitive, Dakotaz hasn’t been a headliner in any recent tournaments. Instead, the streamer likes to have a laid back time with his chat, talking about life, interests, his tattoos, and memories of good times. His Lirikesque aversion to the camera during gameplay gives his stream a ‘just gaming’ and chilling vibe. When we do see Dakotaz on screen, it is usually during full screen ‘just chatting’ segments. His ASTRO’s are prominently on display during these sessions — just faintly tinted by the glow of his neon Twitch sign. Dakotaz announced a partnership with the company in September.
Josue ‘FaZe Sway’ Sway
Sway has had an eventful couple of years, starting in 2019 when he switched from Chronic to FaZe. However, he then got a reckoning in July of 2021 when he got kicked from Fortnite’s Support-A-Creator program. The cause? Account sharing. The event came as a wake-up call for the streamer, who continues to make quality Fortnite content. Sway uses the really modern Logitech G Pro X headphones. You’ll notice he isn’t the only one, and it is for a good reason – these headphones are specially made for games like Fortnite. This is because, among other features, their 7.1 surround sound gives you better positional object awareness for hearing footsteps and bullet fires in-game. Additionally, the Blue VO!CE technology in the headphones helps you communicate with your teammates in rich, clear tones. Not making top tournament placements, Sway draws in viewers through personality. Rants and Twitter posts in the style of, well… crass teenage boys like him bring in the views and a half a million follows on Twitch.
Benjamin ‘DrLupo’ Lupo
No, not that doctor – this is DrLupo. No shame in getting confused about it, though, as both “doctors” are now streaming exclusively on the YouTube platform. This recent announcement has him joining the ranks of many top streamers signing exclusivity deals with YouTube Gaming in exchange for a “life-changing proposition.” Like FaZe Sway above, DrLupo uses the Logitech G Pro X. He has been partnered with Logitech G since August, 2019. But, this didn’t come at a surprise at all since he has been using products from the brand (from keyboards, to mouse, and headphones) for a while before officially being recognized as a partner. DrLupo hasn’t been engaging in the tournament scene lately, instead preferring family time after his streams on YouTube. The streamer has said he has plans for family trips and more vlog-like content coming up in the future as he works out his transition to YouTube.
Kathleen ‘Loserfruit’ Belsten
Finally, some female representation with Loserfruit! Aside from Fortnite streams, Loserfruit has been doing great work in the past couple of years. In 2020 she raised $300k Australian dollars (~$215,000 USD) with her former teammates at Click Crew for the bushfire crisis. Later, she left the Click Crew house to start streaming on her own. With busy efforts, a move, and of course Covid, it is easy to see why the streamer hasn’t been playing in the tournament scene. Instead, Loserfruit has been sort of a Fortnite evangelist: Loserfruit uses a Corsair Virtuoso RGB Wireless SE headset. The virtuoso have 7.1 surround sound, good overall sound quality, and a very comfortable build. These truly allow users to be fully immersed in their game. These are also one of the few headsets that explicitly mentions the Nintendo Switch as part of its connectivity info. That’s why this is the perfect headset for playing Fortnite on the Nintendo Switch.
Kyle ‘Mongraal’ Jackson
Mongraal is another young Fortnite success story making a lot of big moves in the past couple of years. Mongraal joined FaZe in 2019 and has been successfully juggling a pro career with homework, streaming, and a curfew. He wears the SteelSeries Arctis Prime headset, which comes with pretty standard features at a great price point. This is the exact headset a teenager can afford on an allowance or part time job, meaning fans of all ages have the opportunity to play at Mongraal’s level – if only they have the skill. Moreover, the cups are designed to eliminate as much background noise as possible, keeping your head in the game. Mongraal, along with Mitr0 and Tayson, placed 2nd in Epic’s EU Encore tournament in 2020. With Mitr0 and X8 he placed 1st in the Fortnite Champion Series: Chapter 2 Season 4 Grand Finals – Europe.
Jesus ‘Jelty’ Navarez Espinoza
Jelty is a rising star in the growing Spanish speaking section on Twitch. He was able to join one of the biggest names in eSports, G2, in January 2021. Like many others on this list, Jelty rocks the Logitech G PRO X headset. G2 entered a partnership with Logitech G in 2017, which was renewed in 2020. Jelty has some really remarkable tournament standings, including a back-to-back 1st place standing with teammates Andyvrg51 and CRIIZUX. That’s right! They got 1st place in Fortnite Champion Series: Chapter 2 Season 8 Qualifier 2 Round 4 – NA West on October 24th of this year and then turned around and got first again in Epic’s Trios Cash Cup: Chapter 2 Season 8 Week 4 – NA West the very next day. An impressive feat!
Nick ‘Nick Eh 30’ Amyoony
Nick Eh 30 is a Canadian YouTuber that has become quite the leader in the Fortnite community, hosting the Nick Eh 30 Cup in 2020. The tournament had a prize pool of $10,000 and was won by viewer CrumblePvP. Apart from giving back to his community with tournaments, Nick Eh 30 has laid back streams that are chat-focused and chill. He is also known for attending events and broadcasting them to the world. Nick Eh 30 uses the same Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro headphones that Ninja uses. Typically streaming with a face-forward camera angle as opposed to Ninja’s side view, Nick Eh 30 gives us added insight into how they look when worn.
Best Gaming Headset for Fortnite
Another interesting thing to consider is why a streamer might use the Beyerdynamic or JBL at all when either of them have microphones? While this might be one of the first things you consider when getting a headset, it is completely viable to have a separate gaming mic. Most streamers use condenser microphones for better sound input. When compared to having gaming headphones that include a mic, players with a separate condenser mic get more freedom to focus more on headphones that give the optimum sound quality that can really aid in-game. Not only to enjoy the game but also to have an advantage over enemies in identifying key sounds (i.e. gunshots & footsteps) and their locations. There are a ton of gaming headsets out there, and what works for the pros might not suit your style. If none of these pick your fancy, be sure to check out our ultimate guide to picking the right gaming headset.
Conclusion
Unlike players from our PUBG and CS:GO lists, those playing Fortnite seem to have more varied tastes. Some prefer using audiophile headphones, while others prefer to use traditional gaming headsets. Even so, there are some similarities to their choices, namely:
Crystal clear audio quality for better spatial awareness Excellent mic clarity to make it easier to communicate with a squad Lengthy, tangle-free cables or going wireless to prevent restriction of movement
Now that you know what kind of gaming headset the best Fortnite players prefer, it’ll be much easier for you to shop for yourself from here on out. As usual, let us know in the comments what you feel about this list.
