Fortnite feels like a permanent part of gaming, but the battle royale hasn’t been out for a decade yet. Epic Games is celebrating the ninth anniversary with an in-game event right now, and the official birthday falls on September 26, 2026. Despite this, “When did Fortnite come out?” has two correct answers.

Fortnite first came out on July 25, 2017, when Epic Games launched the Save the World mode in paid early access. However, the free Battle Royale mode, which is much more popular, didn’t arrive until September 26, 2017. This guide covers every Fortnite release date, how old Fortnite is in 2026, and the game’s biggest milestones.

When did Fortnite come out?

Fortnite came out on July 25, 2017, as a paid early access game on PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. That first release was Save the World, a co-op campaign where squads of up to four players build forts and fight off zombie-like husks. Players who pre-ordered a Founder’s Pack got a four-day head start on July 21, 2017.

Fortnite Battle Royale came out on September 26, 2017, as a free-to-play mode. The developer uses this date for the official Fortnite birthday, as Battle Royale is the version that most players simply call Fortnite. That’s why the annual birthday events start in late September, even though Save the World is two months older.

The Fortnite release date gets even more confusing once the 2011 reveal enters the picture. Because of this, some players believe that the game came out in 2011, which is not the truth. Here are the key dates for each part of the game, from the first trailer to the day the original campaign became free:

Milestone	Date
Fortnite revealed at the Spike Video Game Awards	December 10, 2011
Save the World head start for Founder’s Pack buyers	July 21, 2017
Save the World paid early access launch	July 25, 2017
Battle Royale free-to-play launch	September 26, 2017
Creative launch for Battle Pass owners	December 6, 2018
Save the World becomes free-to-play	April 16, 2026

How old is Fortnite in 2026?

Fortnite is nine years old as of September 2026, counting from the Save the World launch on July 25, 2017. Fortnite Battle Royale turns nine on September 26, 2026, which is the date the studio celebrates every year. If you count from the 2011 reveal instead, the Fortnite project is almost 15 years old.

Epic Games is marking the anniversary with the Fortnite Birthday event, which runs from September 21 to October 1, 2026. Completing three, six, and nine Birthday Quests unlocks the Choco-9 Cake Back Bling, Cake Crusher Pickaxe, and FNCS Sentry Back Bling, respectively. In addition to the quest rewards, a new Birthday Sprite is set to arrive on September 26.

How Fortnite was made between 2011 and 2017

Epic Games revealed Fortnite at the Spike Video Game Awards on December 10, 2011, with a trailer. The concept looked fun, and Epic pitched the project as a colorful world where players explore, scavenge, build, and survive.

Fortnite then spent years in development, and closed alpha tests began in December 2014. The developer followed them with closed beta tests in 2015 before the game went quiet again. Two years later, Epic Games finally announced paid early access, with Founder’s Pack costing between $39.99 and $149.99.

Interestingly, Epic also promised a free-to-play version of Fortnite in 2018. However, this promise took nearly nine years to fulfill, with Epic shifting its focus to Battle Royale after the mode took off. The Battle Royale mode became a worldwide sensation, while the PvE mode was left behind, receiving no significant content for years.

Save the World Founders enjoyed many benefits in the Battle Royale mode for a long time, including daily rewards and V-Bucks missions. Epic removed daily rewards from the game, but Founders can still complete daily quests for V-Bucks.

When did Fortnite Battle Royale come out?

Fortnite Battle Royale came out on September 26, 2017. Epic built the 100-player mode after PUBG took off earlier that year. The game developer revealed that the development took only two months, and the decision to make the mode free came in the final weeks of the development.

The free-to-play model paid off right away, as Fortnite Battle Royale reached 10 million players in the first two weeks and 125 million by June 2018. Epic introduced the first Battle Pass on December 14, 2017, and the seasonal pass format is still at the core of the game nine years later.

Fortnite release dates on every platform

Fortnite Battle Royale launched on PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, and the developer brought the game to every major platform over the next few years. Mobile access started with invite-only betas, as Epic Games let players in gradually, so the iOS and Android versions have more than one release date:

Platform	Release date	Notes
PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One	September 26, 2017	Save the World arrived on July 25, 2017
iOS	March 15, 2018	Invite-only beta, open to everyone on April 2, 2018
Nintendo Switch	June 12, 2018	Revealed and released during E3 2018
Android	August 9, 2018	Samsung Galaxy devices first, open to everyone on October 11, 2018
Xbox Series X/S	November 10, 2020	Available at the console’s launch
PlayStation 5	November 12, 2020	Available at the console’s launch
Nintendo Switch 2	June 5, 2025	Available at the console’s launch

Apple and Google removed Fortnite from their mobile stores in August 2020, after Epic Games added a direct payment option to the game. Fortnite returned to the U.S. App Store on May 20, 2025, came back to Google Play worldwide on March 19, 2026, and returned to the App Store in almost every country on May 19, 2026.

Every Fortnite chapter and when it started

Epic Games splits Fortnite Battle Royale into chapters, and each new chapter brings a fresh island along with major gameplay changes. Fortnite is currently in Chapter 7, and these are the start dates for every chapter so far, including the reported date for Chapter 8:

Chapter	Start date	Biggest changes
Chapter 1	September 26, 2017	Original island, Battle Pass, and Creative
Chapter 2	October 15, 2019	New island, swimming, fishing, and boats
Chapter 3	December 5, 2021	Flipped island, Unreal Engine 5, sliding, and Zero Build
Chapter 4	December 4, 2022	Unreal Engine 5.1, UEFN, and the Fortnite OG season
Chapter 5	December 3, 2023	LEGO Fortnite, Rocket Racing, and Fortnite Festival
Chapter 6	December 1, 2024	Japanese-inspired island and the permanent Fortnite OG mode
Chapter 7	November 29, 2025	Hollywood-themed Golden Coast island, Sprites
Chapter 8	November 28, 2026 (reported)	TBA

Chapter 7 Season 4, also known as Override, launched on August 20, 2026, and it’s scheduled to end on November 1. According to Hypex, a reputable Fortnite leaker, Chapter 8 will reportedly begin on November 28, 2026. However, Epic Games hasn’t confirmed the date, and the leak dates back to January, so plans could still change.

Biggest moments in Fortnite history

Fortnite has changed so much since 2017 that the original island feels like a completely different game today. Live events, concerts, and new modes have shaped the game over the years, and these are the key milestones since the Battle Royale launch:

Date	Milestone
June 30, 2018	The Blast Off rocket launch becomes the first Fortnite live event
October 13, 2019	The End event pulls the island into a black hole for nearly two days
April 23, 2020	Travis Scott’s Astronomical concert draws 12.3 million concurrent players
March 20, 2022	Zero Build launches as a permanent mode
March 22, 2023	Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) launches for creators
November 4, 2023	The Fortnite OG season sets a record of 44.7 million players in one day
November 30, 2024	Remix: The Finale concert draws 14.3 million concurrent players
April 16, 2026	Save the World becomes free-to-play and launches on Nintendo Switch 2

Fortnite’s ninth year has been a turbulent one. Epic Games laid off more than 1,000 employees in March 2026, shut down Ballistic and Festival Battle Stage in April, and confirmed that Rocket Racing will leave on October 1. The cuts suggest that Epic is refocusing on Battle Royale and the seasonal content that made Fortnite popular in the first place.

Fortunately, Fortnite Battle Royale will keep receiving more content, and the next on the list is the Fortnitemares 2026 event. In the meantime, Epic is offering a couple of free Fortnite skins to everyone, while those who want to level up faster can use some of the best Fortnite XP maps.

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