Fortnite is one game with several modes running side by side. As of 20 October 2026, Epic’s main modes are Battle Royale (including the no-build Zero Build variant), Reload, Blitz Royale, two LEGO games, the music mode Festival and Creative with player-made islands. Ballistic, Festival Battle Stage and Rocket Racing are gone. This guide covers how the modes differ, how many players you meet in each and what exactly was retired.
Modes at a glance
| Mode | Players | Building | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battle Royale | 100 | yes, Zero Build variant without building | last player or team on the island wins |
| Reload | 40 | yes, Zero Build variant without building | battle royale with reboots and rotating maps |
| Blitz Royale | 32 | no | smaller map, weapons and shield from the start |
| LEGO Fortnite Odyssey | not stated | LEGO building | survival, crafting and villagers in open worlds |
| LEGO Fortnite Brick Life | 32 per server | – | social roleplay in a city |
| Fortnite Festival | not stated | – | playing and mixing music |
| Creative | depends on island | depends on island | games and islands made by the community |
Player counts come from the island pages on fortnite.com. Where Epic does not give a number, the table says “not stated”. Playing with friends on other platforms is covered in our Fortnite crossplay guide.
Battle Royale and Ranked
Battle Royale is the mode Fortnite is famous for. There are 100 players on the island (you and 99 others), the Storm gradually shrinks the playable area and the goal is a Victory Royale, being the last one standing. In the standard version, building is part of every fight.
Battle Royale has two variants. Zero Build is the same game without building, more on that below. Ranked is the competitive version with a ladder you can climb all the way to Unreal. What changes this season is tracked in our current season guide.
Zero Build: Battle Royale without building
Zero Build launched on 29 March 2022 as a mode without building. It suits anyone who wants to shoot rather than build. Instead of building, every player has an Overshield, a recharging shield that acts as your first layer of defence.
Without building, you gain height in other ways:
- Ascenders pull you up to the Blimps.
- Mantling lets you climb onto a ledge, such as a wall or a roof.
- You sprint between pieces of cover.
Zero Build is no longer a separate island. Epic lists it as a variant in the descriptions of both Battle Royale and Reload: the same game, just without building. The original introduction is in Epic’s 2022 announcement. We do not describe where exactly you switch between building and Zero Build in today’s menu, because the official description dates from 2022 and the lobby has changed since.
Reload
Reload is a smaller battle royale for 40 players. The key difference is the reboot: when you are eliminated, you come back as long as your team is still active. Maps rotate. Like Battle Royale, Reload has a Zero Build variant and Ranked.
Blitz Royale
In Blitz Royale, 32 players drop from the Bus already holding weapons and a shield, onto a smaller map. There is no building. Eliminations and surviving circles raise your Blitz Level, and with it the quality of your loot. According to fortnite.com, both Blitz Royale and Reload are rated PEGI 12, which is worth knowing if a child is playing. More in our guide to Fortnite parental controls.
LEGO Fortnite: Odyssey and Brick Life
LEGO Fortnite has its own category in Discover and two different games:
- LEGO Fortnite Odyssey is a survival game in open worlds. You build with LEGO bricks, gather resources, craft, tame animals and have villagers of your own.
- LEGO Fortnite Brick Life is social roleplay in the city of Brick Bay. You get your own home, go to work (as a Fortune Teller or Sushi Chef, for example) and hang out with friends. There are 32 of you on a server.
Fortnite Festival
Festival is Fortnite’s music side and now has two stages. On the Main Stage you play hit songs (Jam Tracks, the selection rotates) in a band with friends or solo, competing for the best performance and a spot on the leaderboards. On the Jam Stage you mix Jam Tracks from your Locker together with other players.
Creative and player-made islands
Creative uses matchmaking to send you into the best games made by the community. You find player islands in Discover or search for them by name or code:
- Download Fortnite (it is free).
- Open Discover or search.
- Enter the island code or name.
- Launch the island.
How island codes work, and which ones are not what they promise, is covered in our Fortnite codes guide.
Other islands by Epic
Beyond the main modes, as of 20 October 2026 Epic also runs smaller islands: Horde Rush (survive endless waves of monsters, solo or in a team), Party Royale, Respawn Rumble and Legends Landing. The co-op Save the World belongs here too, and it has been free since 16 April 2026. Unlike the rest of Fortnite, it is not available on the original Switch, phones or tablets. More in our Save the World guide.
Fortnite OG also runs separately, with the original map and its own OG Pass. What is currently live there is in the season guide.
What Fortnite retired
Epic removed three modes in 2026:
- Ballistic ended on 16 April 2026. The tools for first-person shooters remain in UEFN.
- Festival Battle Stage also ended on 16 April 2026. Main Stage and Jam Stage carry on.
- Rocket Racing ended on 1 October 2026. Islands built from its UEFN templates are unplayable. Your Vehicle Locker stays, though, and you can keep using your cars in Fortnite.
The dates are confirmed in Epic’s help article. Epic says it cannot share further details.
Join our Discord to find teammates for Battle Royale, Zero Build or LEGO: GamersTogether Discord.
FAQ
A variant of Battle Royale and Reload without building. Instead you get a recharging Overshield, and you gain height with Ascenders or by Mantling onto ledges.
Battle Royale has 100 players, Reload 40 and Blitz Royale 32. LEGO Fortnite Brick Life has 32 players per server.
No, Rocket Racing ended on 1 October 2026. You can still use the cars from your Vehicle Locker in Fortnite.
Not entirely. Only Festival Battle Stage ended on 16 April 2026. Main Stage and Jam Stage are still running.
In Discover, or search for an island by name or code and launch it straight away.
Information verified on 20 October 2026. More guides are in our Fortnite guides section.