History of Fortnite Timeline

Epic Games prepared to release Fortnite as a paid early access title in July 2017, with original plans to make it fully free-to-play in 2019 while gathering player feedback to improve the game.

By September 2017, Epic was ready to release battle royale as a second mode within the paid-for early access, but instead launched it as a standalone free game, Fortnite Battle Royale, supported with microtransactions.

A creative sandbox mode launched on December 6, 2018, synchronized with the start of season 7 of Fortnite Battle Royale, giving players tools to build their own islands and experiences.

Image source: Fortnite Creative

Ultimately, Epic opted to release Save the World as a premium title rather than going free-to-play as originally planned, bringing it out of early access on June 29, 2020.

In March 2023, Epic released the Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN), a standalone Windows editor that empowered creators to build far more advanced custom experiences within the Fortnite ecosystem.

In October 2023, Epic redesigned the main Fortnite client to present its own various modes alongside the many creative modes as part of Fortnite Experiences, comparable to Roblox in presentation.

Epic introduced three new first-party modes in December 2023: Lego Fortnite, a survival game developed with The Lego Group; Rocket Racing, an arcade-style driving game by Psyonix; and Fortnite Festival, a rhythm game developed by Harmonix.

Image source: Lego Fortnite

Many improvements in UEFN were announced in March 2024, including Unreal Engine's MetaHuman character rendering technology and additional assets from Lego, Rocket Racing, and Fall Guys.

Fortnite Ballistic, a five-on-five round-based tactical shooter comparable to Counter-Strike and Valorant, launched in early access on December 11, 2024, expanding Fortnite into the tactical shooter space.

Image source: Fortnite Ballistic

Epic announced that Save the World would become free-to-play for most console and computer versions in April 2026, ending years of pay-to-play status and making all Fortnite modes free-to-play.

The 'Battle Stage' mode was removed from Fortnite on April 16, 2026, as Epic continued to refine the game's lineup of experiences.

Revenue from Fortnite Battle Royale during the first half of 2018 was estimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars per month, showcasing the enormous earning power of the free-to-play model.

Analysis firm SuperData Research estimated Fortnite's total 2018 revenue at $2.4 billion, making it one of the highest-grossing games of the year.

Total revenue for Fortnite reached more than $9 billion by the end of 2019, making it one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time.

In 2020, Epic reduced the cost of V-Bucks purchases made directly in-game or via Epic's website by 20%, to $7.99 for 1000 V-Bucks, while still charging $10 through Google Play and the Apple App Store, arguing their 30% revenue cut was excessive.

With the expansion of Fortnite's game modes in 2023, two additional passes were added alongside the battle pass: the Festival Pass for Fortnite Festival and the Lego Pass for Lego Fortnite, each requiring progression in those modes to earn rewards.

The price of V-Bucks increased by about 12.5% in 2023 to offset inflation, with 1000 V-Bucks now costing $8.99 when purchased through Epic's storefront.

In November and December 2024, Epic changed the pass mechanics so both extra passes could be progressed using experience points earned in any Fortnite game mode, and renamed the Festival Pass to Music Pass.

A second V-Bucks price increase in March 2026 amounted to about a 20% rise in cost, with 800 V-Bucks now priced at $10 when purchased through Epic's storefront.