Fortnite goes free‑to‑play

Fortnite’s original Save the World mode became free to play on April 16, ending the paid access requirement for the cooperative player-versus-environment campaign. (fortnite.com) Save the World launched as Fortnite’s first mode, built around scavenging materials, building forts and fighting computer-controlled monster waves called Husks. Epic Games now says anyone can jump in on personal computer, PlayStation, Xbox, cloud streaming and Nintendo Switch 2. (fortnite.com) The Epic Games Store page says missions can be played solo or with up to three friends, with four hero classes: Soldier, Ninja, Outlander and Constructor. The store page also describes the maps as destructible and dynamically generated, meaning each run changes the layout and loot. (store.epicgames.com) Epic stopped selling Save the World starter packs on March 11 at 8 p.m. Eastern to prepare for the switch, and its support page says those access bundles are no longer on sale. Existing players kept access during the transition. (fortnite.com) (epicgames.com) The move folds Fortnite’s paid campaign into a platform that has spent years training players to expect free entry. Battle Royale helped make Fortnite a global hit in 2017, but Save the World stayed behind a paywall even after Epic made the rest of the ecosystem free. (fortnite.com 1) (fortnite.com 2) Epic paired the launch with a pre-registration push that offered community reward milestones before April 16. The company also said current players would receive Superchargers, Vouchers and Gold on launch day as a thank-you for “the last nine years of world saving.” (save-the-world.fortnite.com) (fortnite.com) Epic drew a line between longtime Founders and newer players. Founders will continue to earn V-Bucks through Daily Quests, Mission Alerts, Storm Shield Defense missions and existing challenges, while the free-to-play rollout opens basic access to everyone else. (fortnite.com) On Fortnite’s main site, Save the World now sits alongside Battle Royale, Reload, Fortnite Festival, LEGO Fortnite Odyssey and other modes inside one launcher. After years as the mode that started Fortnite, it is now also one of the game’s free entry points. (fortnite.com)