GameSir’s Fortnite Mobile Controllers: G8 Plus and X5 Lite Editions From $49.99

GameSir went and put Fortnite on two of its phone controllers, and you can buy them right now. The GameSir Fortnite controller collection covers the G8 Plus and the X5 Lite for XBOX, three character designs each, starting at $49.99. Think of it as merch you can actually play with, plus a little something for your locker.

What’s in the GameSir Fortnite controller collection?

Two controllers, three designs each. The G8 Plus comes as Peely, Cuddle Team Leader and Victory Royale, and the X5 Lite for XBOX comes as Durrr Burger, Black Knight and Jonesy. GameSir announced the whole thing in a September 20 press release, with the Fortnite licence arranged through IMG Licensing.

The designs go all in on the characters. Peely is yellow and blue, Cuddle Team Leader is pink, and Victory Royale is dark with green buttons. On the X5 Lite side, Black Knight is smoky translucent black with red buttons, Jonesy is translucent with olive green, and yes, there’s a teal and orange Durrr Burger one. GameSir ships each of them in what it calls premium collectible packaging.

How much are they, and can you buy one now?

The G8 Plus Fortnite Edition is $89.99 and the X5 Lite for XBOX Fortnite Edition is $49.99, and yes, you can buy them now from GameSir’s own store. Those were its prices on October 20, with free US shipping in four to six business days. Five of the six editions showed as in stock. The odd one out is the Victory Royale G8 Plus, which is a pre-order with an expected ship date of October 31.

GameSir says other stores are coming. Its press release names Amazon, Best Buy, AliExpress, TikTok Shop and Walmart as retail partners. Not yet, though: a search of Amazon US on October 20 turned up the regular G8 Plus and X5 Lite and no Fortnite Edition. GameSir’s site only lists US dollar prices so far.

What do you get in Fortnite?

One cosmetic, as a code on an item redemption card in the box. Which one? That depends on the edition. On the G8 Plus, GameSir’s artwork pairs Peely with the Bully emote, Cuddle Team Leader with the Burpee emote and Victory Royale with the Gun Show emote. On the X5 Lite, Durrr Burger comes with the Extra Cheese Glider, Black Knight with the Storm Sigil Glider and Jonesy with the On Your Mark emote.

Here’s a little mystery. The press release lists more items than there are editions: it also names the Page-Turner, Go! Go! Go! and Harmony emotes and the Cerberus and Snow Squall gliders, and no edition on sale carries them. GameSir hasn’t said what they’re for, so more designs could be on the way.

What is the GameSir G8 Plus Fortnite Edition?

It’s GameSir’s G8 Plus, a Bluetooth controller that stretches around a phone or small tablet, in Fortnite colours. You get drift-resistant Hall effect sticks, which read their position with magnets, plus Hall effect analog triggers. On top of that: two back buttons, rumble from two motors and a gyro for motion aiming.

It fits devices from 110 to 215 mm long, runs on a 1,000 mAh battery and weighs 318 g. It pairs over Bluetooth with phones, tablets and a Switch or Switch 2, and it connects to a PC by cable or with a 2.4 GHz wireless dongle. Heads up, that dongle isn’t in the box. GameSir sells it separately for $9.99. The regular G8 Plus is $79.99 at GameSir and on Amazon, so the Fortnite Edition costs $10 more.

What is the GameSir X5 Lite Fortnite Edition?

It’s the X5 Lite for XBOX, a controller that plugs straight into your phone’s USB-C port, in Fortnite colours. It carries an official Xbox licence and Apple’s MFi (Made for iPhone) certification. Because it plugs in, there’s no pairing and no battery to charge. You still get Hall effect sticks and analog triggers, plus pass-through charging for your phone, but no rumble, gyro or back buttons. It fits devices from 105 to 213 mm long and weighs 145 g.

Don’t let the Xbox name fool you, though. GameSir’s manual says it can’t connect to an Xbox console at all. The Xbox licence is for Xbox Cloud Gaming and Remote Play on your phone.

The regular X5 Lite for XBOX is $44.99, so this one is $5 more. Both boxes include an Xbox Game Pass card and a storage case, and the Fortnite one adds the item redemption card. I’ve already spent some time with the regular one, so if you want to know how it fits a phone in a case and how its analog triggers behave, my first impressions cover it.

Do they work with iPhone?

Yes, with one catch: the X5 Lite only works with USB-C iPhones. It has to plug in, and USB-C iPhones means the iPhone 15 and later. No Lightning version in the collection. The G8 Plus pairs over Bluetooth with iPhones on iOS 13 or later, and funny enough, its manual says it shows up there as a DualShock 4 controller.

Android is simpler. Both work with Android 8.0 or later, and GameSir’s G-Touch mode maps the controller onto touch controls for Android games that don’t support controllers. That touch mapping isn’t available on iPhone or iPad, so Apple folks miss out there.

Can you use a controller on Fortnite mobile?

Yes, and Epic says so plainly, in case you were worried. Its help page says external controllers are fine on mobile and won’t get your account banned. Epic adds that it can’t test every device, so it points you to the controller maker for compatibility. GameSir, for its part, pitches both controllers at Battle Royale, Zero Build, Reload and player-made games.

How do they compare with the regular versions?

They barely differ, apart from the paint and the price. GameSir’s spec sheets list the same sticks, triggers and buttons for each pair, and one manual covers the regular and Fortnite versions of each controller. Both X5 Lite pages also list the same 105 to 213 mm stretch. The only gap is on the G8 Plus, and it’s tiny: the Fortnite Edition page lists a 110 mm minimum fit and 318 g, against 120 mm and 314 g on the regular G8 Plus page.

G8 Plus vs X5 Lite: which one should you get?

Wireless or plug-in, that’s the whole question. The G8 Plus is the bigger, wireless one, with rumble, gyro, back buttons and Switch and PC support. The X5 Lite weighs less than half as much, needs no pairing or charging, and costs $40 less. If you play on a USB-C iPhone or an Android phone and just want light and simple, the X5 Lite covers it.

	G8 Plus Fortnite Edition	X5 Lite for XBOX Fortnite Edition
Price on October 20	$89.99	$49.99
Regular version	$79.99	$44.99
Editions	Peely, Cuddle Team Leader, Victory Royale	Durrr Burger, Black Knight, Jonesy
In-game bonus	Bully, Burpee or Gun Show emote	Extra Cheese Glider, Storm Sigil Glider or On Your Mark emote
Connection	Bluetooth; cable or 2.4 GHz dongle (sold separately) on PC	Built-in USB-C plug, wired only
Works with	iPhone, Android, Switch and Switch 2, PC	USB-C iPhones, iPad, Mac, Android
Fits devices	110 to 215 mm long	105 to 213 mm long
Sticks and triggers	Hall effect	Hall effect
Back buttons	2	None
Rumble and gyro	Yes, both	Neither
Battery	1,000 mAh	None (runs off the phone)
Weight	318 g	145 g
Licensing	Fortnite	Fortnite, Xbox, Apple MFi

Who is it for?

Fortnite players on phones who want a controller that looks the part, and anyone hunting a gift with an in-game bonus attached. Design doesn’t matter to you? The regular versions do the same job for less. And if you’re on an older Lightning iPhone, the G8 Plus is the only one of the two that will work.