To onboard a new player means to make them familiar with the basic rules of the game, how to win, and any other information that might not be obvious.
Don't assume that all players will know how to play your game without some simple onboarding. Onboarding is important for aspects of a game that are not immediately intuitive to the player. A smooth onboarding process gets the player into the game quickly, and with enough knowledge of the game objective to start playing.
If you don't successfully onboard players, they could leave your game before understanding it, and never return. This reduces player traffic, potential revenue, and even a shot at being featured in Discover. Good onboarding makes users excited to play your game.
There are three places where you can onboard your players:
- In the game description
- In a pregame lobby
- In the game itself
The Game Description
When you're ready to share a game, you can publish it privately (to share with friends and collaborators), or publicly. Any description you add to the Description page can do a lot to orient a player to the gameplay.
To add a description to your game from Fortnite Creative:
- While on your island, press Tab, then select My Island. Click the Description tab.

The description you enter shows when a player goes to your island link.
It also shows on the island Overview tab when you press the M key on a keyboard.

You have a limited word count here, so make each word count in a way that will capture a player's attention.
You can add more info later using the devices described below.
The Pre-Game Lobby
Don't assume that players know the game's rules or goals, and don't expect them to take the time to read about the game's rules after the game starts.
Adding a pre-game lobby to your game is perfect for showing the player what's expected once the game starts.

An example of a pre-game lobby with billboards that explain basic gameplay.
For an example of pre-game lobby onboarding:
- Go to your golden rift and press E.
- Select Create New, then Template Islands.
- Scroll down to Create A Wave Defense Map.
- With the template selected, click Confirm.
- Highlight the island you just created, then click Set Portal. Explore how the messaging is set up in this template island.
For more on how to set up a pre-game lobby, see Building Pre-Game Lobbies.
In-Game Orientation
Keeping the player oriented while the game is in progress is also an important part of onboarding.
Sometimes the player needs a hint of what to do next, or a reference point that they can see to show which direction to move in.
There are a number of informational devices that can help you onboard and orient the player in both the pre-game lobby and in-game.

Using Informational Devices
An informational device is any device in Fortnite Creative that you can use to communicate information to a player.
For any device that can be used to add text, keep the following in mind:
- Keep the text brief, one or two sentences at the most.
- Use multiple devices if needed. Don't try to tell everything the user needs to know on one device.
- Show the player important information as soon as they spawn.
- Make sure your onboarding information is accurate and complete, without being overwhelming. The best way to guarantee all of the above is in place is to get your friends to playtest your island and give you feedback.

For any informational device, make sure there is at least one tile of clear space between the device information and any items that could block the player's view. It can be frustrating to have to run around things to see the info.
Following are some of the informational devices available and suggestions of where and how to use them.
Billboards
A Billboard device can display short messages to players. They are typically used for onboarding in the pre-game lobby, or providing in-game instructions.
A billboard can hold up to 150 characters.You can control the appearance of both the billboard and the text displayed.
Where possible, place billboards where they align to support visual information.

In this example, a guard appears in front of the billboard.
Billboards are useful when you want the information to persist while the player reads it.
Pop-Up Dialogs
A Pop-Up Dialog device gives you a way to make pop-up messages that a player can interact with.

You can control when these messages appear, and the players who can see them. You can also queue multiple messages and have them pop up sequentially.
Pop-up messages do not pause gameplay, but the message will remain on the screen until the player clicks it.
HUD Messages
The heads-up display, or HUD, is a message that shows the player information during a game. It's a heads up because you can see the info on your screen without looking away from the screen. An example of a HUD is the bars at the top of the screen in-game that show a player's health, score, or ranking.
But there are also other kinds of HUDs.
A HUD message is a text overlay that you can add to the game or pre-game lobby. You can use these messages to set a player up for the game, or to keep the game moving along once it starts.

HUD messages are temporary and can be quickly read by the player without interrupting gameplay.
Map Indicator Markers
The Map Indicator device lets you add points of interest to your island that can help players quickly orient to where they are in relation to where they want to go.
These markers display on both the minimap and the overview map.

Beacons
Beacons are also useful for directing a player's attention to one or more specific locations.
You'll find beacons in the Beacon Gallery on the Galleries tab instead of as a device on the Devices tab. There are a variety of beacons to select from. You can also customize a beacon after adding it to your island.
Make sure that any beacons or badges you place are not hidden by buildings or other large props.]

The beacon will either show in world view, as a badge in the HUD, or both.
HUD Controller
Use the HUD Controller device to toggle different HUD messages on and off.
Go to the Onboarding Sample Island to see more ways these devices can be used for onboarding.
Also check out the Onboarding Video for more info!
Playtesting
Playtest frequently to ensure that all of your informational devices are working when and how you expect them to.
Also get your friends in on the playtesting, ask what they thought about their onboarding experience, then tweak your onboarding based on their comments to make it even better!