> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://devdocs.xbox.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Fortnite & Unreal Engine case study

> How Epic combined the XBOX Sustainability Toolkit with Unreal Engine features to save an estimated 73 GWh per year across Fortnite's player base.

**Studio:** Epic Games<br />**Shipped:** 2023<br />**Contributors:** Ben Woodhouse (Epic)

Epic combined the XBOX Sustainability Toolkit with existing scalable features in Unreal Engine to introduce sizeable energy-efficiency improvements across Fortnite — without lowering visual fidelity or menu responsiveness. Because the improvements live in engine features many studios already use, other Unreal titles can apply the same techniques.

## Estimated impact

* **\~200 MWh per day** in savings across the Fortnite player base.
* **\~73 GWh per year** — equivalent to 14 wind turbines running for a year (source: EPA equivalency calculator, 2023).
* Direct reduction in energy bills for players on XBOX and other platforms.

## Epic's key finding

> It's possible to make a significant difference to a game's energy efficiency without a large development effort. Even small configuration changes can make a noticeable difference to overall power consumption, and significant savings are possible with careful tuning and logic.

## Read the white paper

For the full technical breakdown — the Unreal Engine features used, the profiling approach, and the specific changes made — read Epic's dedicated white paper:

<Card title="Reducing Fortnite's Power Consumption" icon="file-lines" horizontal href="https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/blog/white-paper-reducing-fortnite-s-power-consumption">
  Epic Games white paper covering the tools, methodology, and code-level changes behind Fortnite's energy-efficiency work.
</Card>

## Takeaways for other studios

* **Unreal Engine already ships scalable features** for many of the Sustainability Toolkit techniques — you may already have what you need.
* **Small config changes compound.** Epic's savings came from many careful tunings, not one big rewrite.
* **Scale matters.** A modest per-player win multiplied by Fortnite's audience becomes tens of gigawatt-hours per year.

## Related case studies

* [Halo Infinite](/build/game-principles/sustainability/case-studies/case-studies-halo)
* [Call of Duty](/build/game-principles/sustainability/case-studies/case-studies-cod)
* [The Elder Scrolls Online](/build/game-principles/sustainability/case-studies/case-studies-elder-scrolls-online)
* [Energy Efficiency Essentials](/build/game-principles/sustainability/energy-efficiency-essentials)


## Related topics

- [Minecraft case study](/build/game-principles/sustainability/case-studies/case-studies-minecraft.md)
- [For Honor case study](/build/game-principles/sustainability/case-studies/case-studies-for-honor.md)
- [Halo Infinite case study](/build/game-principles/sustainability/case-studies/case-studies-halo.md)
- [The Elder Scrolls Online case study](/build/game-principles/sustainability/case-studies/case-studies-elder-scrolls-online.md)
- [Star Wars Outlaws case study](/build/game-principles/sustainability/case-studies/case-studies-star-wars-outlaws.md)