Delivering new weapons, map updates and collabs, Fortnite Seasons and Chapters have been a consistent way to provide new content to fans. For the game’s seven year history, here are the dates every Fortnite Season starts and ends.
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Fortnite Chapter 1
While we fans know it at the time, the first two years or so of Fortnite Battle Royale comprised the game’s first Chapter. From the very early days of the game to the black hole which swallowed The Island, many Fortnite fans remember this OG era most fondly. Fortnite Chapter 1 was by far the game’s longest yet, and will likely remain so as Chapters now reset annually.
From the Fortnite Pre-Season launch to Season X, here is every season start and end date in Fortnite Chapter 1.
Pre-Season: September 12th, 2017 – October 25th, 2017. The Fortnite Pre-Season was the Battle Royale at its most barebones, with even core features players come to expect not yet being present.
Season 1: First Steps: October 26th, 2017 – December 13th, 2017. Fortnite’s very first season introduced the Item Shop, Limited Time Modes, and even debuted the Fortnitemares Halloween event. However, Fortnitemares back then focused more on the Save the World survival mode, which was Epic’s main focus before the massive success of BR.
Season 2: Fort Knights: December 14th 2017 – February 21st 2018. This Medieval themed season introduced the iconic Battle Pass system as well as Daily Challenges to progress it. This season introduced iconic skins like the Black Knight, and gave players more customization options with the introduction of Gliders and Emoticons.
Season 3: Meteor Strike: February 22nd, 2018 – April 30th, 2018. This Space themed season premiered Weekly Challenges, Loading Screens, Back Blings and Contrails. However, it is perhaps most well remembered for its Battle Pass’ John Wick inspired skin, called The Reaper.
Season 4: Brace For Impact: May 1st, 2018 – July 11th, 2018. This Superhero themed season was where was Fortnite truly found its footing, introducing a storyline which was progressed through Live Events. This Season also featured a major collaboration between Fortnite and the MCU, allowing players to find an Infinity Guantlet and play as Thanos to tie into Avengers: Infinity War.
Season 5: Worlds Collide: July 12th, 2018 – September 26th, 2018. It added Weekly Challenges for The Free Battle Pass, as well as Toys for players to use.
Season 6: Darkness Rises: September 27th, 2018 – December 5th, 2018 This season added Music Packs, Pets and Cube Monsters. Cube Monsters were an enemy NPC players could fight. This Season also included 2018’s Fortnitemares event, which added new items, skins, and challenges to celebrate Halloween.
Season 7: You Better Watch Out: December 6th 2018 – February 27th 2019. This Winter themed season reinvented the map just in time for the Holidays. Season 7 featured a major update coating the island in crisp snow, and debuted the controversial Planes vehicle which players found unbalanced. Season 7 also gave players new loot to find and customization to equip, adding Mythic items and Wraps for their weapons. This season also debuted Fortnite: Creative, which allowed players to build custom levels.
Season 8: X Marks The Spot: February 28th, 2019 – May 8th, 2019. This season centered around Pirates, and added in challenges parties could assist each other with. It also added treasure maps, Animated Sprays and Traversal Emotes.
Season 9: The Future is Yours: May 9th, 2019 – July 31st, 2019. The penultimate season of Chapter 1 was themed around a futuristic aesthetic. It added Dual-Wield harvesting tools and “Fortbytes”, a collectible found on the map which could unlock a new Loading Screen.
Season X: Out Of Time: August 1st, 2019 – October 13th, 2019. This season ended Chapter 1 with an iconic Live Event which saw the Island enter a Black Hole. It added Missions, giftable Battle Passes, and fan made loading screens.
Fortnite Chapter 2
Fortnite Chapter 2 debuted in Fall 2019, and reinvented the game across eight seasons. Here’s every Chapter 2 Season start and end date.
Season 1: New World: October 15th, 2019 – February 19th, 2020. The start of Chapter 2 reinvented Fortnite with a new look and feel. The game received a brand new Island map, as well as a new art style and models which improved upon the game’s graphics. This season also gave players the ability to swim and drive boats. There were also some smaller additions, like XP Coins, Synched Emotes and Free Pass Missions.
Season 2: Top Secret: February 20th, 2020 – June 16th, 2020. This season centered on spies and secret agents. It introduced the now iconic character of Midas, as well as other AI bosses and henchman for players to fight within matches.
Season 3: Splash Down: June 17th, 2020 – August 26th, 2020. Splash Down flooded the Fortnite island for an added focus on Chapter 2’s swimming mechanic and boats. It gave new players new ways to traverse the island by adding cars and gas for them.
Season 4: Nexus War: August 27th, 2020 – December 1st, 2020. This season was all about Marvel, adding iconic heroes and villains to the Battle Pass and their powers in the loot pool. The Fortnite map also received some Marvel POIs, such as Doom’s Domain which changed Pleasant Park. This season also housed Fortnitemares, this time titled Midas’ Revenge.
Season 5: Zero Point: December 2nd, 2020 – March 15th, 2021. Zero Point debuted Troy Baker as Jonesy in cutscenes and promo videos as the character dealt with a multiversal dimensional collapse with the Fortnite island at its epicenter. Jonesy recruited all sorts of “Hunters” to help, which added characters from all over pop culture. This included (but was not limited to) Kratos from God of War, Ellen Ripley and the Xenomorph from Alien, Daryl and Michonne from The Walking Dead, and The Mandalorian from the Disney+ Star Wars series.
Season 6: Primal: March 16th, 2021 – June 7th, 2021. Among the least popular Fortnite seasons, Primal took the island to a primitive age. This featured an all new loot pool centered around bows and makeshift firearms. It added crafting and wildlife to hunt.
Season 7: Invasion: June 8th, 2021 – September 12th, 2021.This alien invasion themed season harkened back to summer blockbusters like Independence Day. It debuted a new Battle Pass system and HUD, as well as the Discovery menu where players could play custom games made by Epic or the Fortnite community.
Season 8: Cubed: September 13th, 2021 – December 4th, 2021.This season saw Fortnite get taken over by monsters, cubes, and set the Island into a new apocalyptic state. This made it an incredible backdrop for 2021’s edition of Fortnitemares.
Chapter 3
Fortnite Chapter 3 reinvented its Battle Royale and found a whole new audience with Zero Build. It also started the cadence of new Fortnite chapters arriving annually. Here’s every Fortnite Chapter 3 season start and end date.
Season 1: Flipped: December 5th, 2021 – March 19th, 2022. This season flipped the Island for a whole new map. It also debuted a new movement style which allowed sliding, and added scopes which made weapons go into first-person perspective. This season is remembered perhaps most fondly for Klombo and its inclusion of Spiderman and his Web-Slingers, just in time for the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home in theaters.
Season 2: Resistance: March 20th, 2022 – June 4th, 2022. Resistance added Zero Build as a temporary feature as building was disabled in the storyline. However, the mode became so popular with new and returning audiences that it became a main stay. To this day, Zero Build is still just as popular (if not more) than the original Fortnite Battle Royale experience. To give players new ways to move in the absence of building, this season added Sprinting, Mantling, and Shoulder Bashing to speed up the game’s movement.
Season 3: Vibin’: June 5th, 2022 – September 17th, 2022. This season was a big summer party, adding rideable wildlife, Marksman Rifles and more.
Season 4: Paradise: September 18th, 2022 – December 3rd, 2022. This season added Chrome to the map, which gave players the ability to transform into a blob which allowed them new movement and to change size.
Chapter 4
Fortnite Chapter 4 was relatively light on innovation compared to prior Chapters. However, it had the ultimate payoff with the return of the original Fortnite map. Here’s every Fortnite Chapter 4 season start and end date.
Season 1: A New Beginning: December 4th, 2022 – March 9th, 2023. This season introduced a new island, premiering with a medieval theme. It also introduced Dirt Bikes and Augments. While Augments are no longer in the game, this system allowed for earnable perks within matches and was a main stay in Chapter 4.
Season 2: MEGA: March 10th, 2023 – June 8th, 2023. MEGA centered around the aesthetic of Neo-Tokyo, and added a hyper-colorful, neon-bathed Mega City POI. Here, players could grind on rails for high speed.
Season 3: WILDs: June 9th, 2023 – August 24th, 2023. This season themed around the jungle, with the biome added to the Island. The season also added Raptors which fans could ride as well as mud. This season also added Optimus Prime from Transformers in its Battle Pass.
Season 4: Last Resort: August 25th, 2023 – November 2nd, 2023. This heist-themed season added all sorts of new weapons, like the Rocket Ram, Sticky Grenade Launcher, and Shield Breaker EMP. As a result, Last Resort was one of the most explosive Fortnite seasons ever.
Fortnite OG: November 3rd, 2023 – December 2nd, 2023. This nostalgic mini-season/event returned players to the original Fortnite Island. Classic loot returned, and the game updated several times to reflect various Chapter 1 seasons. Zero Build was playable in Fortnite OG, and the Battle Pass featured new skins which combined and remixed classics from the early days of Fortnite Battle Royale.
Chapter 5
Fortnite Chapter 5 expands on the popular Battle Royale mode, while evolving Fortnite into a platform which houses other games. Here is every Chapter 5 Season.
Season 1: Undergound: December 3rd, 2023 – March 8th, 2024. The start of Chapter 5 adds a new map and changes to UI and Animations. The early weeks of the season also released three new games within Fortnite; LEGO Fortnite, Rocket Racing, and Fortnite Festival.
Season 2: Myths & Mortals: March 9th, 2024 – May 24th, 2024. This season themed around Greek Mythology added several new Gods as skins, and added their powers to the loot pool as Mythic items. The season also contained a May 4th event for Star Wars Day with new characters, items and more.
Season 3: Wrecked: May 24th, 2024 – August 15th, 2024. Wrecked added desert POIs and a Mad Max inspired apocalyptic wasteland with custom vehicles. The Fortnite: Reload mode also released this season, allowing players to respawn in waves for an action packed experience on a small map featuring classic Fortnite POIs and loot.
Season 4: Absolute Doom: August 16th, 2024. The current season of Fortnite is centered around Marvel and Doctor Doom, featuring new characters, skins, and superpowers.
What Is Next for Fortnite?
Based on a Roadmap leak at in April 2024, Fortnite Chapter 5 is expected to follow the trend set by last year’s Chapter. Absolute Doom will house Fortnitemares, and the season will end on November 2nd at 2am ET. The next season is expected to be another edition of Fortnite OG, this time focusing on the map and items from Fortnite Chapter 2. After that, expect Chapter 6 to launch some time in early December.
Fortnite is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and mobile devices in some territories.
Published: Sep 30, 2024 11:09 pm