It's Officially the End of an Era for Fortnite

Fortnite Save the World has officially gone free-to-play, marking the end of an era. Gamers have had to pay to play Fortnite Save the World since its early access release in 2017, and now, for the first time, they’re able to hop in and give the survival game a try completely free of charge.

Fortnite Save the World is a PvE co-op survival game, and was initially supposed to be the primary game mode. However, the enormous popularity of Fortnite‘s Battle Royale game mode meant that Epic’s priorities shifted, as Save the World was pushed further into the background. The initial plan was for Fortnite Save the World to go free-to-play as early as 2018, but this was shelved in favor of a paid release in 2020. Now, almost nine years after its early access launch, it has finally fulfilled that plan.

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Fortnite Save the World is Officially Free to Play

In an Epic Games forum post, the developer confirmed that as of April 16, 2026, Fortnite Save the World is officially free to play on all platforms. The move coincides with the launch of its Nintendo Switch 2 version, which occurred on the same day. Epic Games initially announced Fortnite Save the World’s free-to-play shift back in March, giving fans an update that they had been asking about for years. According to the developer, gamers who pre-registered on the Save the World website before April 16 will have access to all community rewards, while everyone who previously paid for the game will “also receive Superchargers, Vouchers and Gold for keeping the fight going.”

The update has made a significant change to Fortnite Save the World’s Homebase, turning it into a “fully explorable space that grows alongside your Save the World journey.” Players can move between two floors, where they’ll be able to “find familiar characters and spots inspired by the classic menus, with the atmosphere changing as you unlock features and make progress.” There are also some Fortnite Save the World Twitch Drop rewards available to earn until April 21.

how to get XP in Fortnite Save the World

To celebrate Save the World going free-to-play, Epic Games is hosting a crossover event between its survival game mode and Battle Royale until June 5. Players who earn 350,000 XP during the event in Save the World can unlock the Jess Outfit for their lockers. Only XP earned playing Fortnite Save the World counts towards this progress. Meanwhile, Jess and Penny can be found in Battle Royale as quest givers, with exclusive rewards available for those who complete their questlines throughout the duration of the event.

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It hasn’t all been great news at Epic Games and Fortnite of late. The developer recently laid off over 1,000 staff members due to a downturn in engagement for Fortnite. As a result, it also confirmed that three Fortnite game modes are being shut down: Rocket Racing, Ballistic, and Festival Battle Stage. Rocket Racing will remain active until October 2026, while both Ballistic and Festival Battle Stage were taken offline as part of the Save the World free-to-play update.