You're staring at that white dot in the middle of your screen and honestly, it’s frustrating. Maybe it’s too small. Maybe the bloom is driving you crazy during a frantic box fight. You want a bright neon green plus sign or a tiny static dot like the ones you see in Valorant or Counter-Strike. You’ve dug through every single tab in the settings menu, past the sensitivity sliders and the keybinds, looking for a way to change crosshair in Fortnite, but it feels like you're chasing a ghost.
That’s because, officially, the setting doesn’t exist.
Epic Games has been weirdly stubborn about this for years. While almost every other competitive shooter on the planet gives you a dedicated "Crosshair" tab to tweak thickness, gap, and color, Fortnite locks you into a dynamic reticle that changes based on the weapon you’re holding. It’s a design choice tied to the "bloom" mechanic—the way your bullets spread out the longer you hold down the trigger. If Epic let you have a static custom crosshair, it might hide the fact that your AR is currently spraying bullets everywhere except where you're aiming. But just because there isn't a button in the menu doesn't mean you're stuck with the default.
The Reality of Customizing Your Aim
Let’s get the bad news out of the way first. If you are playing on a PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, or a Nintendo Switch, your options are basically zero. You can't install third-party software on a closed console ecosystem. You’re essentially playing the game the way Epic intended, which is fine, but it’s definitely a disadvantage when you’re trying to track a moving target through a cluttered builds-heavy endgame.
On PC, the world opens up a bit. People have been trying to figure out how to change crosshair in Fortnite since the Save the World days, and the solutions range from "super low-tech" to "software-heavy."
The most common "pro" workaround isn't actually changing the game code. It’s an overlay. Because Fortnite runs in various windowed modes, you can essentially "draw" a new crosshair on top of the game window. This doesn't trigger Easy Anti-Cheat (usually) because you aren't modifying the game's internal files. You're just putting a sticker on your monitor, metaphorically speaking.
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The Hardware Trick (The "Old School" Way)
Seriously, some of the best players in the early days of competitive Fortnite used a piece of transparent tape and a Sharpie. You put a tiny dot of red ink on the tape, stick it right over the center white dot, and then turn off the "Reticle" option in the Fortnite HUD settings. It’s ugly. It’s primitive. But it works 100% of the time, uses zero CPU cycles, and is impossible to ban.
Modern gaming monitors have actually turned this into a built-in feature. If you own an ASUS, ZOWIE, or LG UltraGear, look through your monitor’s physical OSD (On-Screen Display) menu. Most have a "Game Plus" or "Crosshair" setting. This renders a hardware-level crosshair directly onto the screen. Since the monitor itself is doing the work, Fortnite has no idea it's happening. It’s the cleanest way to get a custom look without risking your account.
Software Solutions That Actually Work
If your monitor doesn't have a built-in aim point, you’re looking at software. The gold standard for this right now is Crosshair X, which you can find on Steam. It’s a paid app, but it’s the most robust way to change crosshair in Fortnite without feeling like you're hacking.
Why use something like Crosshair X?
Customization is the big one. You can import crosshairs used by pros like Bugha or Clix, or design your own that specifically counters the lighting of the current Fortnite map. If the grass is too green, you make a magenta crosshair. If you’re fighting in the snow biome, you go with a thick black outline.
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Does Using Custom Crosshairs Get You Banned?
This is the million-dollar question. Technically, using any third-party software that interacts with a game is a "use at your own risk" situation. However, Epic Games has historically been very quiet about overlay software. Because apps like Crosshair X or Custom Crosshair (available on the Microsoft Store) do not inject code into the Fortnite.exe process, they generally don't trip the anti-cheat sensors. They are essentially just "Topmost" windows sitting in front of your game.
That said, never use a program that requires you to go into the Fortnite game files (the .ini files) to change textures. That is a one-way ticket to a permanent ban. If a "tutorial" tells you to replace a file in your "Content" folder, close the tab immediately. It isn't worth losing your skins over.
How to Set Up an Overlay Without Breaking the Game
If you decide to go the software route, there’s a specific dance you have to do to make it feel right.
- Launch your chosen overlay app (like Crosshair X or the free, open-source Crosshair V2).
- Open Fortnite and head into a Creative map alone.
- Go to your Settings -> Game UI (the little box icon).
- Find Reticle and toggle it to OFF.
Suddenly, your screen is empty. Now, you align your software crosshair with the center of the screen. The tricky part is that Fortnite’s third-person camera is slightly offset. If you just center the crosshair to your resolution, your bullets might land slightly to the left or right of where you think you're aiming. Always test your alignment with a sniper rifle or a First-Person weapon (like the Marksman Rifles) to ensure the dot is pixel-perfect.
Why You Might Actually Hate a Custom Crosshair
There is a massive downside to this. Remember that "bloom" thing I mentioned?
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Fortnite’s default reticle is dynamic. When you jump, the lines spread out to show you that your accuracy is garbage. When you crouch and stay still, the lines tighten to show you have First Shot Accuracy. If you change crosshair in Fortnite to a static dot, you lose all that visual feedback. You might think you’re lined up for a perfect headshot, but because you just landed from a shockwave grenade, your bloom is at its maximum, and your bullet will fly into the stratosphere.
High-level players often find a middle ground. They keep the in-game reticle ON but at a very low opacity (maybe 50%) and then place a high-contrast static dot in the middle. This gives you the precision of a custom crosshair while still letting you "feel" the bloom of your weapon.
The Mental Edge of a Better Reticle
Aiming is 90% confidence. If the default white crosshair gets lost in the bright sky of a daytime match, you’re going to hesitate. Hesitation is what gets you sent back to the lobby. By using a high-contrast color—cyan and lime green are the scientific favorites for human eye tracking—you reduce the "visual noise" your brain has to process.
You stop looking at the crosshair and start looking through it at the enemy. It’s a subtle shift in focus that separates the casual players from the guys hitting 200-pumps consistently.
Actionable Steps to Improve Your Aim Today
If you're ready to stop complaining about the default UI and actually fix your setup, do this:
- Check your monitor settings first. Look for "Custom PC Mode" or "Game Assist" in your monitor's physical buttons. It's the safest and lowest-latency option.
- Try Crosshair V2 on the Microsoft Store. It’s free, lightweight, and won’t tank your FPS.
- Go into Creative Mode "Aim Trainer" maps. Spend 10 minutes just getting used to the lack of a dynamic reticle. You need to relearn the timing of First Shot Accuracy without the visual cues.
- Adjust your HUD Scale. Sometimes the problem isn't the crosshair shape, but that your entire HUD is too big. Drop your HUD scale to 75% or 60% in the Game UI settings. This clears up the space around your reticle, making it easier to see what you're actually shooting at.
Don't expect a new crosshair to suddenly turn you into Peterbot. It's a tool, not a cheat code. But in a game where a single pixel determines if you win a $100,000 tournament or finish in 50th place, every little bit of clarity helps. Focus on your positioning and your piece control, and let the custom crosshair just be the thing that simplifies the final click.