Have you ever played a ranked match in Fortnite, and choked? Then suddenly the message “Rank Protected” pops up on your screen. You realize that the Fortnite gods may have blessed you and your rank has not been affected. You probably wondered what this means whenever you encounter this notification. Don't worry, because I got you covered! Here's everything you need to know.

What is Rank Protection?

We all like playing ranked games, especially in Fortnite. It lets us know if we are getting better or worse in the game. However, there are times that on our first game, we would land awkwardly, or get sniped right away. Usually, we would be punished with a lowered rank.

Well, not anymore! The new rank protection feature means that your rank points are protected even if you played badly. Normally, when you perform poorly in a ranked game, you would lose your ranked progress. This rank protection feature safeguards your ranked progress after a poor performance in a single match daily.

When does Rank Protection reset in Fortnite?

Notice the word “single,” meaning only once per day. This feature only activates when you play your first ranked match of the day. After that, the next matches will apply the typical rank rules, where rank progress can be gained or lost depending on your performance.

This rank protection feature resets at 8 PM EST/ 5 PM PST / 1 AM GMT daily, as mentioned in an X post last October 2023.

What's so good about this Rank Protection feature?

To many, this ranked protection feature is a godsend. It allows you to perform badly at least once a day, and it happens on your first match of the day, which is when we're just getting warmed up. Other features that you should know about include:

  • The Rank Protection Feature activates automatically on your first game. You don't have to do anything to set this feature up, and you can just jump right into your first ranked match.
  • This feature could make your first ranked game a little less stressful on your part since you do not have to worry about losing rank progress.
  • If you performed well, points are still added to your ranked progress. Only negative performances are erased.
  • It resets every day!

So, how do you best utilize this feature? Simple:

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  • Warm-up: With this feature activated, think of your first ranked match as a way of warming up. You may be a little bit dusty, and you could use a little bit of warm-up before you get used to the game again.
  • Risky plays: Try your new game plays in a ranked game for the first time without thinking of negative consequences in your progress. Even if your play turned out bad, what's the worst that could happen right?
  • Play ranked match daily: You can abuse this system and just play a single Fortnite ranked match every day to protect your rank. But we all know nobody can resist the urge and excitement of queueing for another match.

Why did Fortnite implement this Rank Protection feature?

This feature is officially called the Daily Ranked Loss Protection. I'm sure the Fortnite gods saw us struggling with our ranks that's why. It's safe to think that they implemented this because they know that we all have bad days in gaming. It may be because we tried a new strategy that did not work, or we encountered some bad luck, or perhaps it's really not just your day.

No matter how pro we think we are, there will still be days that we would just suck at it. And that's okay because the Fortnite gods have our backs. They implemented this feature so that we would not be discouraged and just be cool about playing ranked games without the fear of losing all our progress.