Start with Google Public DNS (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4), then compare Cloudflare (1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1) with your ISP’s resolver. DNS can make Fortnite and Epic services resolve more reliably and can improve connection setup, but it is not a guaranteed way to lower ping during a match. The useful choice is the resolver that responds consistently from your own network when tested against an Epic regional endpoint, both idle and under the household load that normally causes trouble.
What DNS changes—and what it cannot change
DNS, or the Domain Name System, translates names into IP addresses. When Fortnite, the Epic Games launcher, authentication services, matchmaking, or an update server needs a hostname resolved, your device asks a DNS resolver. A fast, reliable answer can shorten that lookup and prevent failures during sign-in or connection setup.
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After the game has resolved the service and established a session, the resolver is usually no longer in the data path for every packet. Match ping is then dominated by the route between your ISP and the selected game server, congestion, matchmaking-region selection, Wi-Fi conditions, packet loss, and jitter. Changing DNS cannot repair a saturated wireless channel, a bad cable, an overloaded router, or an ISP route that is taking an unnecessarily long path.
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Recommended DNS addresses for Fortnite
| Resolver | IPv4 addresses | IPv6 addresses | When to try it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Public DNS | 8.8.8.88.8.4.4 |
2001:4860:4860:0:0:0:0:88882001:4860:4860:0:0:0:0:8844 |
Best first comparison because Epic documents these values for consoles, Windows, and other platforms. |
| Cloudflare Public DNS | 1.1.1.11.0.0.1 |
Not stated in the supplied setup guidance | Useful comparison when Google or the ISP resolver is inconsistent; Cloudflare also documents encrypted DNS. |
| ISP-provided resolver | Displayed by your router or device | Displayed by your router or device | Keep it if it wins your local tests or if manually configured DNS causes failures. |
There is no globally fastest provider. Distance to the resolver, your ISP’s peering, cached records, filtering policy, IPv4/IPv6 behavior, and temporary outages all affect the result. A resolver that is excellent in one city can be less responsive in another.
Google Public DNS
Enter 8.8.8.8 as the primary IPv4 resolver and 8.8.4.4 as the secondary. If your device exposes IPv6 DNS fields, use 2001:4860:4860:0:0:0:0:8888 and 2001:4860:4860:0:0:0:0:8844. Use the pair together rather than mixing an arbitrary address from another provider.
Cloudflare Public DNS
Cloudflare’s standard resolver uses 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1. Cloudflare describes 1.1.1.1 as an alternative to the resolver supplied by your ISP and documents DNS over HTTPS (DoH) and DNS over TLS (DoT) for encrypted DNS queries. Encryption protects the DNS request in transit; it does not shorten the route to an Epic match server or hide gameplay traffic.
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Your ISP’s resolver
The automatically assigned resolver is a valid baseline. Some ISPs operate nearby caches and route their DNS traffic efficiently. Others may have intermittent lookup failures or filtering that interferes with a service. Do not remove it solely because a public resolver is popular; retain whichever option produces repeatable results on your connection.
Measure the problem before changing anything
A before-and-after test is the only dependable way to tell whether DNS changed your symptom. Record the resolver currently in use, the Fortnite region or subregion, the in-game ping, and what other people or devices are doing on the network.
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Choose an Epic regional endpoint
Test an endpoint near the region in which you normally play. Epic lists examples including:
ping-va.ds.on.epicgames.comfor Virginiaping-or.ds.on.epicgames.comfor Oregonping-gb.ds.on.epicgames.comfor the United Kingdomping-de.ds.on.epicgames.comfor Germanyping-tok.ds.on.epicgames.comfor Tokyo
Testing a distant region can be useful for comparing routes, but it is not a prediction of the server used in your next match.
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Run a repeatable Windows test
- Open Windows Terminal or Command Prompt.
- Run
ping ping-va.ds.on.epicgames.com -n 50, replacing the hostname with the regional endpoint you selected. - Record the minimum, maximum, and average times, plus the percentage of lost packets.
Run the command once with the current DNS configuration, change DNS, reconnect, and run it again. Repeat the pair while the household is downloading, uploading, streaming, or otherwise reproducing the condition that causes Fortnite to rubber-band.
Run a repeatable macOS test
- Open Terminal.
- Run
ping -c 50 ping-va.ds.on.epicgames.com, substituting the endpoint that matches your normal region. - Save the average, minimum, maximum, and packet-loss results before and after the DNS change.
Know what the numbers mean
- Average latency: the typical round-trip time to the tested endpoint; it is not automatically the ping of your next Fortnite match.
- Packet loss: Epic identifies 0% as the target. Loss that remains consistently above about 1% can cause in-game problems.
- Jitter: variation between packets. Low variation is preferable; minimum and maximum values should be reasonably close.
- ICMP limitation: the ping command uses ICMP, while Fortnite gameplay uses UDP. A clean ICMP result does not completely rule out a problem on the gameplay path.
Use the same endpoint, packet count, device, connection type, and network load for each comparison. A single short test can be distorted by a transient queue or route change.
Change DNS on your gaming device
Menus vary by system software and manufacturer. Write down the original automatic setting so you can restore it. Enter only the addresses from one resolver pair, save, reconnect to the network, and then repeat the tests.
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Windows 11
- Open Settings and select Network & internet.
- Choose Wi-Fi or Ethernet, then open the connected network’s properties.
- Next to DNS server assignment, select Edit.
- Change Automatic (DHCP) to Manual, enable IPv4, and enter the primary and secondary addresses.
- If you deliberately use IPv6, enter the matching IPv6 pair as well; otherwise leave IPv6 automatic.
- Select Save, disconnect and reconnect, then run the 50-packet test.
For a whole-home change, configure the addresses in the router’s Internet or DHCP/LAN DNS settings instead. Router labels differ, and a router-level setting affects every connected device, so change it only when you want that scope.
Xbox consoles
- Open Settings and go to General > Network settings.
- Select Advanced settings > DNS settings > Manual.
- Enter
8.8.8.8and8.8.4.4, or enter1.1.1.1and1.0.0.1. - Save, reconnect, and check Fortnite’s in-game network statistics during the same mode and region you used for the baseline.
PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5
- Open Settings > Network and choose Set Up Internet Connection.
- Select your Wi-Fi network or wired connection, then choose Advanced Settings.
- Set DNS Settings to Manual.
- Keep IP address, DHCP host name, and proxy settings on their normal automatic or do-not-use choices unless your network requires otherwise.
- Enter the selected primary and secondary DNS addresses, save, reconnect, and test.
Nintendo Switch
- Open System Settings > Internet > Internet Settings.
- Select the saved network, choose Change Settings, and open DNS Settings.
- Change the setting from automatic to manual.
- Enter the primary and secondary resolver addresses, save, and run Test Connection.
- Launch Fortnite and compare packet loss and match behavior with your baseline.
If a console reports a DNS error, return to automatic DNS, restart the console and router, and test again. A resolver change should not be allowed to turn a working connection into an outage.
Compare Google, Cloudflare, and automatic DNS fairly
| Measure | What to record | How to decide |
|---|---|---|
| Lookup reliability | Whether Fortnite, Epic login, and update domains resolve without retries | Prefer the resolver with no intermittent failures. |
| Resolver responsiveness | Repeated lookup or connection-start behavior from your network | Small differences matter only if they are repeatable. |
| Epic endpoint behavior | Average latency, loss, and spread between minimum and maximum | Prefer stable results, not one unusually low sample. |
| Under-load behavior | The same measurements while the normal household upload or download is active | A resolver is not a fix if the link still loses packets under load. |
| Privacy and encryption | Whether your chosen setup supports DoH or DoT and how it fits your network policy | Choose encrypted DNS when its operational trade-offs are acceptable. |
Changing DNS can alter which service address is returned, so a small route difference is possible. That does not make the resolver responsible for every resulting ping change, and it does not guarantee that the next matchmaking session will use the same path.
Fix packet loss, rubber-banding, and high ping when DNS is not the cause
Restart the network in the right order
- Close Fortnite and other latency-sensitive applications.
- Power off the modem and router, wait for them to finish shutting down, then power them back on.
- Wait for the Internet connection to stabilize before restarting the console or PC.
- Repeat the Epic endpoint test and an in-game session.
This clears temporary modem, router, and session state; it does not change an ISP routing policy.
Use Ethernet before fine-tuning DNS
Epic recommends a wired connection because wireless interference and signal loss can add delay and packet loss. A Cat6 Ethernet cable is a practical way to connect a PC or console directly to the router. It cannot guarantee a lower ping, but it removes Wi-Fi as a variable in the test.
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Stop competing transfers
Pause cloud backups, game downloads, operating-system updates, large uploads, and high-bitrate streams while testing. Upload saturation is especially damaging because it can fill the upstream queue and delay small game packets. If the problem appears only when someone else uses the connection, the evidence points to queueing or insufficient capacity rather than DNS lookup speed.
Enable queue management when available
Many routers label traffic controls QoS, Smart Queue, or Gaming Mode. Configure the service according to the router’s instructions, set realistic upload and download limits based on your actual line rate, and then test under load. Aggressive or incorrect limits can reduce throughput or favor the wrong device, so compare results rather than assuming the feature is helping.
Check placement, firmware, and Wi-Fi band
- Place the router in an open, central location rather than inside a cabinet or behind dense obstacles.
- Install stable router firmware updates and reboot after applying one.
- Compare 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi from the same room. 5 GHz can provide more capacity at short range, while 2.4 GHz can travel farther but is often more congested.
- Keep the console or PC close enough for a strong signal, or use Ethernet for a definitive comparison.
Use the appropriate Fortnite subregion
In Fortnite’s settings, select an appropriate matchmaking subregion instead of forcing a distant region. A nearby region generally offers a shorter path, but the lowest displayed estimate can change with ISP routing and current server conditions. Recheck after changing the setting.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When to escalate to your ISP or Epic Support
Escalate when loss or large latency swings remain after a wired test, competing traffic is stopped, the router is restarted, and more than one DNS resolver has been compared. Give the ISP evidence they can act on:
- the tested Epic hostname, such as
ping-va.ds.on.epicgames.com; - the date and approximate time of each test;
- average, minimum, maximum, and packet-loss results;
- whether the test used Ethernet or Wi-Fi and whether the connection was idle or under load;
- the Fortnite in-game ping and the affected mode, such as Ranked or Reload;
- the resolver used for each run.
Ask the ISP to investigate routing, line errors, and congestion rather than merely changing DNS again. If the ISP finds no fault, send the same data to Epic Support and identify the affected mode and region. The ICMP caveat matters: support may need additional gameplay-path evidence because command-line ping is not identical to Fortnite’s UDP traffic.
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Troubleshooting decisions by symptom
Fortnite will not sign in or services fail to resolve
Test automatic DNS against Google and Cloudflare. If one resolver consistently resolves Epic domains while another times out, keep the reliable pair and document the result. Also restart the modem and router, because stale network state can mimic a DNS failure.
Menus load slowly but match ping is normal
A resolver can plausibly affect lookup and connection-start time even when the established match has normal latency. Compare repeated starts from the same device and network. Do not infer that a faster menu lookup will lower the in-match number.
Ping is high only during evening use
Run the Epic test during the affected period and again when the line is quiet. If latency or loss rises under household traffic, prioritize Ethernet, transfer control, and QoS or Smart Queue. DNS is unlikely to remove congestion that appears only at busy times.
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Keep the wired connection, improve router placement, compare the two Wi-Fi bands, and check firmware. The controlled difference identifies the wireless link as the likely source; changing resolvers does not correct radio interference.
One DNS choice works briefly, then fails
Repeat tests over several sessions and record the times. A temporary resolver or route event should not be mistaken for a permanent advantage. Restore automatic DNS if manual settings cause intermittent sign-in or update failures.
Advanced notes on IPv6 and encrypted DNS
If your network uses IPv6 end to end, configuring only IPv4 resolvers may leave some requests on an automatically supplied IPv6 resolver. Configure both families only when your device and router expose the fields and you understand the network’s IPv6 setup. Mixing a manually entered IPv4 pair with an unrelated IPv6 pair makes comparisons harder.
DoH and DoT encrypt DNS queries between the device or resolver client and the DNS provider. They can reduce exposure of DNS requests on an untrusted network, but they add another configuration layer and do not encrypt Fortnite’s gameplay packets. If encrypted DNS causes captive-portal, parental-control, or enterprise-policy problems, return to the network’s supported automatic configuration.
Quick Recap
A practical order of operations
- Record your current DNS, Fortnite subregion, connection type, in-game ping, and the time of day.
- Run 50 pings to the appropriate Epic regional endpoint while idle and under the normal problem load.
- Try Google’s documented pair, reconnect, and repeat the identical tests.
- Try Cloudflare’s pair only if you need a second comparison, and repeat the same tests again.
- Keep the resolver with the most reliable lookups and the steadiest results; otherwise restore automatic DNS.
- Move to Ethernet, stop large transfers, configure QoS or Smart Queue, check router placement and firmware, and compare Wi-Fi bands.
- Confirm the in-game subregion, then escalate with the complete test record if loss or route instability remains.
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