The latest Fortnite update made Save the World, the game’s PvE mode, free-to-play. This move by Epic Games has been successful, as the mode saw a massive surge in players immediately after going free. It set the record for the most concurrent players, and player reception has been largely positive.
The update also removed three Fortnite modes, as Epic shifts its focus back to Fortnite’s core experience. Instead of targetting different kinds of players, the company will pay more attention to Battle Royale and other modes that made Fortnite popular. One of these modes is Save the World, which was the first mode Epic released.
The first 24 hours of the free-to-play launch were strong, and with more PvE content coming in the future, the player count should continue to surge.
Fortnite Save the World has had a successful free-to-play launch
Epic Games released Fortnite Save the World back in July 2017. The PvE mode, which features base defense and fights against hordes of husks, was a paid game. With the rise of the battle royale genre, Epic quickly shifted its focus, releasing Fortnite Battle Royale just two months later and turning it into a worldwide sensation.
While Fortnite Battle Royale took over the world, the game’s PvE mode took a backseat and stayed in the early access phase much longer than it was planned to. It was riddled with bugs, some of the areas were unfinished, and it seemed that Epic had given up on it. However, that is no longer the case.
With the game going free to play on April 16, Epic has attracted hundreds of thousands of new players. Fortnite Save the World peaked at 103,813 players in the first 24 hours after becoming free. It was the game’s second most-popular mode for almost an entire day, which shows that players are still interested in co-op PvE action.
To put this into perspective, Fortnite’s PvE mode reached a peak of 76,630 concurrent players in December 2023, before becoming free. It failed to reach even 40,000 concurrent players since 2025, so making it free appears to have been the right decision.
While it’s still too early for Epic to do victory laps, it’s almost certain that Fortnite Save the World has a bright future. In the future, the mode is also expected to receive more content and finish the Twine Peaks storyline. In the meantime, new players can try the mode out and explore more of Fortnite’s lore, including the origin of the Storm.
To encourage players to try Save the World, Epic is offering a free Fortnite skin tied to the PvE mode. Players can unlock a couple of other skins for free at the same time and use some of the best Fortnite XP maps to level up and unlock cosmetics from the Battle Pass.
