Epic Games just gave Fortnite veterans the best gift: permanent OG mode

By Patrick Hearn Published December 5, 2024

If you’re a long-time Fortnite player who can’t stop asking where Tilted Towers disappeared to, this update is for you. Epic is bringing back Fortnite OG — this time, for good. The game mode will cycle through the game’s first season and let players revisit their favorite locations and loot just as they remember it from way back in 2017.

And when Epic Games says it’s going back, it means all the way back. The mode will initially go through the seasons of Chapter 1, including all the loot changes and feature introductions. Think of it something like a crash course in the evolution of Fortnite; you can experience it just as players did back then and learn as you go. As a veteran of those early battle royale years, I can promise it was a vastly different experience than it is now.

Despite its return to form, the game mode will retain all of the quality-of-life updates that have been added over the years. Building mechanics will match what you can play in the main Battle Royale mode today, and movement mechanics like sprint, slide, mantle, and door bash remain in place. You’ll even be able to move while healing (and that’s a welcome change after becoming intimately familiar with what a sitting duck feels like.)

OK, so it’s not strictly a return to the original, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The charm of the game’s early rough edges will return, like Reboot Vans, the glare from a sniper scope, double pump for shotguns, and more.

If you’re construction-adverse, you’ll still be able to play Zero Build (now with added traversal options to help you get around the map).

Of course, it wouldn’t truly be Fortnite without a battle pass. The Fortnite OG Pass has 45 different tiers of rewards, all throwbacks to the first season, and you have until January 31, 2025, to work on earning every reward. Seems a little short? That’s because it is. Seasons won’t last as long in Fortnite OG as they do in standard gameplay modes.

Fortnite OG will be playable starting on December 6, and season 1 will end at the end of January.