Is Fortnite free to play?

Yes. Fortnite is free to download and play. Epic's own store lists the base game as "Free", with the note "Includes in-app purchases". The same store page also lists Reload, LEGO Fortnite: Odyssey and Fortnite Festival as free experiences inside Fortnite.

Is Fortnite Save the World free?

Yes, now. Save the World, the original co-op mode, used to be sold separately. Epic's help page says: "Save the World is free-to-play as of April 16, 2026. No purchase is required." You open it from the Fortnite menu, under "Other Experiences by Epic".

The PlayStation Store UK lists it as Free, released on 16 April 2026, with optional in-game purchases. It runs on PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch 2. Epic says it is not available on the original Nintendo Switch, phones or tablets.

What do you pay for in Fortnite?

Everything you pay for is bought with V-Bucks, Fortnite's paid currency, or through a subscription:

• Battle Pass: 800 V-Bucks a season, according to Epic's help page. The OG Pass is also 800 V-Bucks, and the LEGO Pass and Music Pass are 1,200 V-Bucks each.
• Fortnite Crew: a monthly subscription that includes the Battle Pass. Epic's store lists it at $11.99 a month in the US.
• Item Shop: skins and other cosmetics, priced in V-Bucks. You see the item before you buy it.

On the PlayStation Store UK (read on 11 November 2026), 800 V-Bucks cost £6.99, so the Battle Pass costs £6.99 if you buy exactly that pack. The largest pack, 12,500 V-Bucks for £69.99, works out at about 0.56p per V-Buck, against about 0.87p in the smallest. The Fortnite page lists every pack.

How does Fortnite compare with other free games?

In Fortnite's Item Shop you see what you're buying before you pay. Warframe also sells a paid currency, but players can trade it between themselves: see is Warframe free to play. Guild Wars 2 is different again, with a free core game and paid expansions: see is Guild Wars 2 free to play.

How we checked

The Epic Games Store wording and Epic's Save the World help page were read on 22 October 2026; both block our checks now. On 11 November 2026 we confirmed on the PlayStation Store UK that Fortnite and Save the World are both listed as Free, and re-read the pass prices (Epic's help page), the Fortnite Crew price (Epic Games Store) and the V-Bucks prices (PlayStation Store UK).