I would go as far as saying that Fortnite might be the most incredible, rich library of content jam-packed into one game. Fortnite, outside of its Save The World component, is free-to-play across at least 10 platforms, from PlayStation to iOS. It might be harder to argue that Fortnite isn’t the best free-to-play game ever at this point.
As someone who hadn’t touched Fortnite properly (outside of the odd work purpose) for roughly seven years, it’s hard to describe the blast I had with Fortnite when I hopped in for the now-legendary The Simpsons collaboration. The cartoon is one I hold dear to my heart, and getting to run around Springfield—with more Easter Eggs than a Cadbury’s factory—was more than enough justification to pull me back in.
Fortnite really does have no limits now, and it gets to a point where you simply have to take your hat off to Epic and say, “Bravo.”
It Had Been Longer Than A Fortnite, Sorry, Fortnight
There I was, getting ready to play my first full game of Fortnite in seven years, in my 2018 Rabbit Raider skin, feeling lost. Within minutes, I remembered why I put so many hours into the game in its first year or so. The crispy movement, the satisfying nature of the gunplay; while maps, loot, skins, and events have all come and gone, the game’s fundamentals remain rooted in their simplicity and success.
Fortnite is simply a fun video game, accessible and suitable for all ages. This makes its appeal worldwide and endless. An alien could fly down from another galaxy and probably start dropping 10-kill games before long. I could never adjust to the building nature of Fortnite’s formative years, making Zero Build a metaphorical heaven for myself. Skill issue, boomer issue, whatever you want to call it, I don’t care. Zero Build breathed new life into Fortnite.
The Fortnite package is a world buffet at this point. It offers almost every option and targets accessibility across the board. Generally, Epic Games delivers what people want. This brings in more players and retains its already sizable base. Currently in Fortnite, you have the following free-to-play options:
- Fortnite Battle Royale
- Fortnite Creative
- LEGO Fortnite
- Rocket Racing
- Fortnite Festival
- Fortnite Ballistic
I could go on. Here, you’ve got a complete battle royale game, a Rocket League/kart racer hybrid, a custom LEGO world builder, a Counter-Strike alternative, etc. These are fully fledged games within one game, with one common trend—they’re all free.
Its player base never seems to drastically waver either. According to Fortnite.GG, it was only a year ago that the game hit its all-time player peak of 14,343,880 concurrent players, and while 2025’s highest only delivered 9,745,466 concurrent players, this is still lightyears beyond most other free-to-play games. Yes, Roblox has more players, but is it offering the level of high-grade polish?
A License To…License
Every time you think there’s a boundary Fortnite can’t cross, it does. The day Kratos and Master Chief walked into Fortnite was huge. The licenses and collaborations have snowballed since: Marvel, Star Wars, DC, Squid Game, Sabrina Carpenter, WWE, you name it, Fortnite has pretty much done it all.
2026 is already lining up Back To The Future, Kill Bill, Playboi Carti, and, allegedly, South Park and Harry Potter are on the way. There is no mountain that Fortnite can’t climb, and there’s not a single license safe from Epic Games. The company is willing to pay millions and billions in the hope you’ll part ways with your real-life V-Bucks.
Now, we come full circle. Fortnite took a huge gamble by turning the Fortnite map into one big homage to The Simpsons. It drew big numbers for the game, and there are a lot of Simpsons fans. Epic is not only able to get a sizable The Simpsons crossover like this, but also isn’t afraid to take a chance on something so drastic that it remains permanent for weeks on end.
Fortnie in 2025 has gone up another level, and the same is likely to happen in 2026. Is there a free-to-play game still played by millions of people every year, offering this much (and depth) of content, pretty much beloved by everyone? If you can think of one, head to the Insider Gaming Discord Server and let us know.
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