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Fortnite Car Pickaxe Bug: Exploit or Intentional Feature?

James Leeland

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Editor

Publish Date: 07/05/2025

Fact checked by: Mike McKean

Key Points

Players can kill vehicle drivers by exploiting a pickaxe glitch
Epic Games hasn’t confirmed whether it’s a glitch or a feature
Many players believe it to be cheating to secure a kill this way

Is the Fortnite Car Pickaxe Glitch a Hidden Mechanic or a Game-Breaking Exploit?

A game like Fortnite, especially one that is constantly updating, will always have some bugs. But one particular Fortnite car pickaxe bug is the talk of the town, as it allows players to exploit it to kill a vehicle driver.

But is it even a bug at all? With some players claiming to have been using this glitch to their advantage for years, is it an intentional feature? Whether you have been the victim of the glitch or you have used it yourself, this guide will walk you through everything about what it is and how it works.

car pickaxe bug

What is the Fortnite car pickaxe bug?

If a player swings their pickaxe at the right moment, it allows them to appear in the passenger seat of the car. When this happens, the player can continue to swing their pickaxe, meaning they can kill the driver. As it’s unexpected for many players, it’s a sneaky way of securing a kill that a lot view as cheating, while others see it as an intentional feature that’s designed to be used.

During the seasons when there were a lot of cars in the game, this ‘bug’ was heavily used. This caused some players to feel confused as to why they were being killed while in a vehicle, while other players were either accidentally or intentionally using it to their advantage.

Is the Fortnite car pickaxe glitch intentional?

The FNCS pickaxe bug is one of the strangest we have encountered, as no one knows whether it’s actually a glitch to begin with. For now, Epic Games hasn’t confirmed or denied this, so we are completely in the dark.

As it’s one of the most debated ‘bugs’ we have come across, we wanted to share some thoughts. In simple terms, there are a few possible scenarios, which we will run through now:

👤 Type	💡 Description
Intentional feature	Offers players a way to counter those who are shielding themselves in cars.
Glitch	A bug or glitch that hasn’t been picked up by Epic Games yet.
Accidental feature	A bug that Epic Games has opted to keep as a feature.

What players are saying about the pickaxe glitch

While many players have only just started to become aware of it, other players are reporting that it’s been around since cars were introduced in Fortnite. If that’s the case, you may have noticed it while watching matches on Fortnite betting sites.

For this reason, many players are convinced that it’s not a glitch at all, but rather an intended feature that can be used to gain an advantage. At the very least, it seems unlikely that Epic Games was 100% unaware that using the pickaxe in this way is possible.

Those who are happy to believe that it’s a feature are using it during matches. However, it doesn’t sit right with some. Some players are saying that it’s cheating and calling for those who use it to win to be banned from Fortnite.

pickaxe glitch

So, has Epic Games fixed the FNCS pickaxe Fortnite bug?

In the latest update, Epic Games decided to partially fix the issue. When we say ‘partially’, this is because the fix doesn’t apply to all pickaxes. As such, some pickaxes can still cause this ‘glitch’. But it’s unknown as to why Epic Games has decided to take this approach. Surely this means that Epic Games has intentionally kept the ‘glitch’ to become a feature?

Or, will they finish fixing the bug in subsequent updates? Perhaps the fix didn’t work as Epic Games intended? One thing’s for sure, we will have to wait and see.

As of right now, if you use a standard pickaxe, the glitch won’t happen. However, if you use a two-handed pickaxe, the glitch occurs, and you can take full advantage of it. Whether this is intentional or not remains to be seen.

The pay-to-win debacle

One of the unintentional consequences of this partial fix is that it breaks one of Fortnite's major principles. The principle that skins should never give players a competitive advantage of any kind.

Because only certain pickaxe skins can perform the car trick now, players who own those skins have a very small but very real advantage compared to those who don't. In other words, Fortnite now has a tiny bit of pay-to-win.

This is such a big departure from the way Epic Games has handled the game in the past that to many, this is clear evidence that the feature is indeed a glitch and the two-handed pickaxe exception was an accident. Still, we have no confirmation either way.

Fortnite car pickaxe bug

Fortnite car pickaxe bug: What happens now?

With the ‘glitch’ being partially repaired, we will have to wait and see if another fix is released in the next update. If Epic Games chooses not to repair the bug in full, it might be sticking around for good. But without Epic Games confirming or denying anything, players aren’t sure what to think.

As for the competitive scene, Fortnite tournaments have always had the option to implement specific rules for any competition. So if this controversial feature/bug stays in the game, it is possible that we could still see this action banned from different competitions.

Pros and cons of the pickaxe glitch

Pro and Con

Gain an advantage over opponents
Enemies can’t shield in cars
Not officially against the rules

Some players say it’s cheating

Conclusion: Intentional feature or a glitch?

Whether it’s a glitch or a feature that Epic Games has decided to keep, one thing’s for sure: not many players are happy about it. Players can now use a two-handed pickaxe to kill a vehicle driver, which, according to players, shouldn’t be possible.

Whether it’s a glitch or a feature remains to be seen, as Epic Games has partially rectified the issue. For now, we will have to wait and see what happens in the upcoming updates.