What Year Did Fortnite Come Out? (Full Launch History)
Fortnite came out in 2017. Epic Games first released the co-op game Save the World in paid Early Access on July 25, 2017. The free Fortnite Battle Royale mode followed on September 26, 2017. So if you are asking when Fortnite began, the answer is 2017; if you mean the Battle Royale mode most players recognize, its launch date was September 26.
Those dates are close together, but they mark two different experiences. Save the World started as a cooperative fight against waves of monsters. Battle Royale added a free, competitive 100-player mode, and that second launch pushed Fortnite into a much wider audience.
The two Fortnite launch dates
| Release | Date | What launched |
|---|---|---|
| Save the World Early Access | July 25, 2017 | Paid co-op player-versus-environment campaign |
| Fortnite Battle Royale | September 26, 2017 | Free 100-player player-versus-player mode |
Epic's July 2017 launch announcement describes the original game as a paid Early Access release. The later Battle Royale announcement confirms that the new mode would be free on September 26 and initially arrive on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Mac.
July 25, 2017: Save the World comes first
The first public version of Fortnite was Save the World, an online co-op campaign. Players gathered materials, built and upgraded defenses, crafted weapons and traps, then fought off monster-like enemies called Husks. Fort-building was central to its design: the walls, ramps, and traps were tools for surviving a coordinated attack, not just a way to gain height in a shootout.
Epic had planned for the game to evolve over time, and the launch was explicitly labeled Early Access. That matters when comparing Fortnite's original debut with later milestones: July 25 is the date commonly used for the game's release, while September 26 is the separate Battle Royale launch that made the name globally familiar.
September 26, 2017: Battle Royale goes free
Epic announced Fortnite Battle Royale as a separate mode within Fortnite. Its launch formula was easy to understand: 100 players dropped onto one island, searched for equipment, and tried to be the last player or team standing. What made this version distinctive was the combination of that familiar survival-match structure with Fortnite's building and destructible environments.
The free launch lowered the barrier to trying the game, while the building system gave matches a recognizable rhythm: players could gather materials and quickly create cover or reach higher ground. Epic said it would keep the player-versus-player mode separate from Save the World's PvE campaign. In other words, Battle Royale was not the original Fortnite campaign renamed; it was a new mode launched inside the same game.
How Fortnite expanded after its 2017 launch
Fortnite's growth came through more than one mode or map. Epic kept adding ways to play, then began organizing major Battle Royale map and story resets into numbered Chapters. The dates below are the launch dates listed in Epic's own announcements.
| Date | Milestone | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| March 2018 | Battle Royale mobile invite event begins on iOS | Epic started extending the same 100-player game to phones and tablets. |
| August 2018 | Android beta begins | Mobile availability expands beyond iOS. |
| December 6, 2018 | Fortnite Creative becomes available | Players can make and share their own islands and game ideas. |
| October 15, 2019 | Chapter 2 begins | A new island and chapter structure refresh Battle Royale. |
| June 30, 2020 | Save the World leaves Early Access | It remains a premium mode at that time; it does not become free in 2020. |
| December 5, 2021 | Chapter 3 begins | The Chapter 2 island flips to reveal a new island. |
| December 4, 2022 | Chapter 4 begins | Epic introduces a new island and Unreal Engine 5.1 features on supported platforms. |
| December 3, 2023 | Chapter 5 begins | A new island continues the game's yearly reinvention. |
| December 1, 2024 | Chapter 6 begins | A new island and movement features arrive. |
| November 29, 2025 | Chapter 7 begins | Epic launches the Pacific Break chapter and a new Battle Royale island. |
| April 16, 2026 | Save the World becomes free-to-play | The original co-op mode opens to free players, nearly nine years after its Early Access launch. |
The first year also brought Fortnite to mobile and added Creative. Epic's March 2018 mobile announcement opened iOS sign-ups, its August 2018 Android beta announcement began Android access, and the Creative announcement set December 6 as the mode's availability date.
Battle Royale's audience grew rapidly after launch. In June 2018, Epic said Fortnite had reached 125 million players in less than a year. That is a player total reported by Epic, not a monthly-active-user figure. The free entry point, the building mechanic, mobile releases, and regular updates help explain how the game broadened its reach, but the milestone itself is the clearest official measure of its early scale.
What changed in 2020—and what changed again in 2026?
One common point of confusion is the status of Save the World. On June 30, 2020, Epic said it was bringing the mode out of Early Access while keeping it a premium experience. It did not become free at that time. Epic later announced that Save the World would switch to free-to-play on April 16, 2026. That means two things can both be true: Save the World began as a paid Early Access game in 2017, and it is now free-to-play.
Battle Royale, by contrast, has been free since its September 2017 launch. Epic's 2020 Save the World update and 2026 free-to-play announcement mark the change in the original mode's business model.
Fortnite Chapter release timeline
Epic's Chapter system began in 2019, after the original Battle Royale era. The numbered chapters mark major island and season transitions; they are not separate games or a new first release each time.
- Chapter 2: October 15, 2019 — a new island launches after Chapter 1.
- Chapter 3: December 5, 2021 — the island flips to reveal a new map.
- Chapter 4: December 4, 2022 — Unreal Engine 5.1 features arrive on supported hardware.
- Chapter 5: December 3, 2023 — a new island launches.
- Chapter 6: December 1, 2024 — a new island and movement options arrive.
- Chapter 7: November 29, 2025 — Pacific Break begins.
For exact chapter details, Epic's launch posts cover Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, and Chapter 7.
Frequently asked questions
Did Fortnite come out in 2017 or 2018?
Fortnite came out in 2017. Save the World entered paid Early Access on July 25, 2017, and Battle Royale launched free on September 26, 2017. The game expanded to mobile in 2018, but that was not its original release year.
When did Fortnite Battle Royale come out?
Fortnite Battle Royale launched on September 26, 2017, as a free 100-player mode.
Was Fortnite always free?
No. Save the World launched as a paid Early Access experience. Battle Royale was free from its 2017 debut. Save the World later left Early Access as a premium experience in 2020 and became free-to-play on April 16, 2026.
Who made Fortnite?
Epic Games developed and publishes Fortnite. Epic's official Fortnite website provides the current game information and announcements.
The short answer
Fortnite came out in 2017: Save the World launched first on July 25, and Battle Royale followed on September 26. Mobile and Creative arrived in 2018, Chapter 2 began in 2019, and the numbered Chapter era continued through Chapter 7 in 2025. The original co-op mode also became free-to-play in 2026, adding a new milestone to Fortnite's launch history.
