What is Hidden Matchmaking Delay in Fortnite? Explained

The Fortnite community is a colorful motley of designers, streamers, theorists, and interesting gamers from all across the world. That said, livestreaming the title remains the most popular type of content associated with the title. Content creators like Ninja and Ali-A can testify to this.

However, livestreaming has its own share of pitfalls. There are constant distractions that can impede the production of content. From inconsiderate comment spamming to stream sniping, there is a superfluity of things that can lead a broadcast astray. Thankfully, Hidden Matchmaking Delay can help things in this regard.

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Stream sniping in Fortnite is nothing new

Stream sniping is a nuisance that has plagued Fortnite streamers since time immemorable. Unfortunately, there is a small group of players who derive pleasure from disrupting livestreamers' pursuit of the Victory Royale. Many popular content creators like SypherPK and Nick Eh 30 have fallen prey to this.

Thankfully, the developers are aware of the problem and have offered a competent counter to oust stream sniping: Hidden Matchmaking Delay. Introduced back in 2018, this feature acts as a deterrent that checks attempts at stream sniping. Over the years, it has evolved and now stands as the patron saint of streamers.

Simply put, Hidden Matchmaking Delay hides the ETA of a streamer trying to enter a match to prevent possible snipers from joining the same match. When enabled, this Fortnite feature delays the queue and matchmaking. Its purpose is to minimize the chances of stream sniping.

Although this feature is commonly employed by streamers, any player can use it. However, it should be noted that enabling Hidden Matchmaking Delay elongates the matchmaking process. This happens at random, and gamers can hardly intuit the time matchmaking will take.

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How to enable or disable Hidden Matchmaking Delay

Hidden Matchmaking Delay is an important feature of the game and a necessity for streamers. Since this feature isn't exclusive to content creators, any player can follow these easy steps and enable or disable it:

• Open the game.
• Once inside the lobby, click the hamburger button on the top right of the screen.
• From the drop-down menu, select Settings.
• Once inside the Settings, navigate to Account and Privacy Settings. (Right-most icon)
• Once inside Account and Privacy Settings, navigate to Gameplay Privacy.
• Under Gameplay Privacy select Hidden Matchmaking Delay
• Use the adjacent slider to adjust the delay (one to 100)
• Once final, click Apply on the bottom-right corner of the screen.

Players can adjust the delay to between one and 100 seconds. However, they should note that this feature works at random and can last anywhere between the upper and lower limit. For instance, if a player has a delay set to 25 seconds, the Hidden Matchmaking Delay can last anywhere from one to 25 seconds. As of Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 4, the feature is still available within the in-game settings.

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While there are a plethora of Battle Royale video games out there, Fortnite remains unrivaled. With its patronage of over three million players, the game is a favorite of content creators. And features like Hidden Matchmaking Delay ensure that they can make livestreams without too many disruptions.