Fortnite: How to See Footsteps

Fortnite is a game reliant on positioning. Knowing where enemies are and grabbing high ground before them is all-important, especially in the game’s Zero Build Mode, where cover and elevation are significantly reduced. Also vital to Fortnite is sound, as searching for elusive chests hidden deep in labyrinthine structures or finding out where enemy players are hiding can be the key to a successful game.

However, whether due to hearing problems or simply needing to keep the noise down, not every player can play with sound. Luckily, Fortnite has an incredibly useful feature that allows players to visualize sound effects in relation to their character, giving them that much-needed edge when looting and shooting in Fortnite’s Chapter 3 Season 3. This guide will show players how to enable this feature, so they can take themselves to a silent Victory Royale.

How to See Footsteps

To turn on visualized sound, boot up the game and sit in the lobby. From here, press the pause button – “☰” on PlayStation and Xbox, and “Escape” on PC by default. Then, navigate down to the settings tab, indicated by the cog, and click on it.

Now, use the arrow keys on PC or the bumpers on console to switch to the “Audio” tab, marked by the speaker icon.

On this menu, players can adjust the individual sound settings of their game; after tuning them to their liking, scroll down to the “Sound” section and switch on the “Visualize Sound Effects” option and click “Apply” to save the change.

Players will know the setting has been enabled when they load into Fortnite’s pre-match island, as they should see icons abound; if the setting isn’t on, they can revisit the sound menu in-game and turn it on from there.

Turning this feature on will disable 3D audio, meaning headphone players will be unable to distinguish the direction of footsteps with stereo sound.

Nevertheless, the benefits of visualized sound arguably outweigh this method of tracking noise, as the on-screen effects make seeing the direction of chests and footsteps much easier. In fact, many of the most popular Fortnite streamers, such as Ninja, use this setting to track enemy movements.

For players new to this setting, footsteps, gliders, and player-driven vehicles (and animals as of Chapter 3 Season 3) are rendered in white, with small icons in the middle distinguishing the sound. Moreover, explosions and gunfire are colored orange, while chests have a golden glow.

Fortnite is currently available for Android, Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.