Update on July 31, 2025: Due to player backlash, all bots have been removed from the Fornite OG Expert mode.
Fortnite players hoping to test their skills against real human opponents in the game’s supposedly “bot-free” mode have been unknowingly battling AI instead. According to prominent data miners and leakers, the mode marketed as free from artificial opponents , specifically the “OG Expert Mode,” actually contains substantial numbers of AI-controlled bots in each match.
The leaked data shows a huge difference between what players expected and what’s really happening. According to widely circulated information, these supposedly competitive matches regularly include at least 60 bots, with a maximum of only 10 actual human players per match. This means lobbies are often over 80% AI-controlled, even though the mode was supposed to appeal to skilled players looking for pure human competition.
Multiple leakers such as AllyJax_ with reliable track records of Fortnite data mining have backed up these findings. Some players think this might have happened because of some miscommunication or even a technical slip-up, with one report claiming Epic pushed a fix and rollback shortly after the info came out.
Bots have been part of Fortnite since Chapter 2, Season 1, which launched in October 2019. Epic Games first brought them in to help new players get the hang of the game’s mechanics without getting knocked out by veterans immediately. These AI opponents tend to act less cleverly and are usually easier to beat than real people.
The news has gotten people talking again about how upfront Epic is about matchmaking in all Fortnite game modes. Many players have swapped stories about finally realizing their impressive win streaks were against computer opponents, not real folks.
“I played Fortnite for the first time a few months ago and I was surprised on how ‘good’ I was at the game, even winning matches, until I realized that it was mostly full of bots and maybe 2-3 players. I felt really stupid,” one player admitted.
Using bots to fill lobbies isn’t just a Fortnite thing. Plenty of well-known battle royale games use the same approach to cut down wait times, create a steady experience, and help out newer players. Still, not being clear about when and how many bots get used hasn’t gone down well with competitive gamers.
The bot-tle royale continues
Epic Games hasn’t put out an official statement about the bot numbers in the “OG Expert Mode.” The company usually doesn’t mention how many bots are in public matches, but they have talked about it a few times in blog posts or patch notes.
What makes this situation stand out is the clear mismatch between what the mode promises and what players actually get. Players looking for a seriously competitive experience against other skilled humans instead landed in lobbies almost entirely filled with AI – leaving a lot of folks wondering just how clear Epic is being about their matchmaking across the different game modes.
