Fortnite live events have been a big part of the game's popularity since the early days of Chapter 1. From rockets falling toward the island, to Marvel villains seeking to swallow the island whole, to some of the world's biggest musical artists starring in their own virtual tours, Fortnite has become a hub of unexpected, grandiose, and trailblazing in-game live events for years. With so many to choose from, we're taking a look at which in-game events dazzled us more than the rest. Here are our picks for the best Fortnite in-game events.
Blast Off - Chapter 1, Season 4
The Blast Off event was Fortnite's first foray into live events. As a rocket slowly ascended toward the sky, players looked on for days wondering what it could mean. Eventually, it created a mysterious crack in the sky that would go on to have serious story implications for seasons to come. To this day, players are dissecting what this event and all that has followed means for the greater Fortnite story. It also became the blueprint for not just Fortnite's own live events, but other games like Warzone, Destiny 2, and more.
The Butterfly - Chapter 1, Season 6
The Butterfly was a fun event in its own right, but it earns a spot here because it was the first major spotlight for Kevin The Cube. We got glimpses of a strange alternate reality called The In-Between, and like a lot of Fortnite lore, we're still waiting to learn more to piece it all together. Kevin's cubes, meanwhile, have since appeared in a starring role for Chapter 2, Season 8. What's up with these six-sided, sentient aliens?
The Final Showdown - Chapter 1, Season 9
Check Out Fortnite's Monster-Robot Mech Final Showdown Live Event
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The Final Showdown is the closest Fortnite has come to the third act of a Power Rangers episode. Its kaiju-like battle featured two gigantic beasts, one mechanical and one organic, going toe-to-toe for all of the island to witness. Players picked sides in the days leading up to the event and rooted for their preferred contender with their own emotes. While this one seems less important to the lore these days, it remains a fan favorite simply for its spectacle.
The End - Chapter 1, Season X
Fortnite Deletes Itself | The End Event Gameplay (With Black Hole)
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Remember when Epic ended Fortnite? Okay, it really didn't, but the word around some schoolyards was exactly that--Fortnite was over for good--even as most of us understood the black hole cinematic and subsequent extended server downtime was just a really cool way to introduce Chapter 2. When the game came back online, we got a new island, new mechanics like fishing and driving boats, and the biggest refresh to Fortnite to date. We expect Fortnite to go even bigger for Chapter 3 which, if past scheduling is telling, should arrive in the second half of 2022.
The Rise Of Skywalker Premiere - Chapter 2, Season 1
While the JJ Abrams- and Geoff Keighley-led Star Wars sneak preview is nothing like anything else on this list, it serves as an early example of Fortnite's transmedia appeal. Star Wars is one of the world's biggest properties, so for Disney to choose Fortnite as the platform on which The Rise of Skywalker would debut an exclusive early look was a sign of things to come. Today, Fortnite has about one or two collaborations each month, but this one showed everyone that those crossovers can and will extend beyond character skins for sale.
Travis Scott's Astronomical - Chapter 2, Season 2
Travis Scott X Fortnite Astronomical Concert Event (Full Gameplay)
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I think most people would say the Astronomical concert is among Fortnite's best live events anyway, but I admit it was always going to be here because it's the event that got me into the game on a whole new level. A casual player before Chapter 2, Season 2, I fell in deep with Fortnite after the Astronomical show revealed a whole new level to the live-service game. To me, this is when Fortnite truly became a platform, not just for battle royale and other game modes, but for whatever Epic wants it to be.
We The People - Chapter 2, Season 3
With such a massive platform, one may argue that Epic has an obligation to use its soapbox for good, and after years of staying neutral, Epic put together the We The People in-game event. The event was really more of a pre-recorded roundtable discussion featuring some prominent black thought leaders who discussed racial injustice, the Black Lives Matter movement, and voter suppression. As arguably the premier social media platform for young people today, Fortnite represents an enormous opportunity to educate and communicate with players around the world.
Marvel's Galactus Boss Battle - Chapter 2, Season 4
Full Fortnite Galactus Event PC Gameplay
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The Devourer Of Worlds event saw Fortnite achieve new heights once again. This time it came at the culmination of the all-Marvel Season 4. After players spent months playing as heroes and villains such as Iron Man, She-Hulk, and Doctor Doom, loopers around the world banded together to take on Galactus, who planned to literally eat the island--a pastime according to the villain's comic book history. The good guys successfully thwarted his meal plan, but seemingly not for good. Expect to see Galactus and more Marvel crossovers as Fortnite ventures on.
Ariana Grande's Rift Tour - Chapter 2, Season 7
Fortnite X Ariana Grande Rift Tour Concert Gameplay
fortnite galactus wallpaper
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Building off of concerts from Marshmello and Travis Scott before her, pop superstar Ariana Grande got her own Fortnite concert in the summer of 2021. The visual display somehow exceeded those past performances and gave us a starlit, sometimes Seussian marvel of virtual concert-going. As it's one of the newer events on this list, it's also a great example of how far Fortnite has come in this area. Watch an earlier event and then this one to witness the massive strides the game has made in just a few years.
Operation: Sky Fire - Chapter 2, Season 7
Fortnite Season 7 Finale Event Gameplay - Operation: Sky Fire
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Season 7 leaned into the Fortnite storyline like no other, so it's only fitting we got one of the most story-heavy season finale events ever seen in Fortnite. Doctor Slone's recruitment and eventual betrayal of you and other loopers would be an event all of its own, but when she blows up the alien Mothership without a care for your safety, you seem only to survive because of Kevin The Cube, who this time has brought countless others with him to mysteriously take over the island. It feels like we've crossed a new threshold with Fortnite lore and it's forever going to beat the forefront going forward.
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