Fortnite is nine years old, and Epic is running its usual September anniversary bash with free cosmetics you earn by playing. Update v42.20 already carries the birthday files, and the celebration is now live across all platforms.
Quick answer: The Fortnite 9th Birthday event started on Monday, September 21st, 2026 and runs until around Thursday, October 1st, giving you roughly 10 days to finish the quests and claim every reward.
9th Birthday event start times by time zone
The event went live on September 21st. Here is when it kicked off in major regions.
| Time zone | Date and time |
|---|---|
| PT | Sunday, September 20 – 11:00 PM |
| ET | Monday, September 21 – 2:00 AM |
| CET | Monday, September 21 – 8:00 AM |
| IST | Monday, September 21 – 11:30 AM |
| JST | Monday, September 21 – 3:00 PM |
| AEST | Monday, September 21 – 4:00 PM |
The party wraps up around Thursday, October 1st. Once the decorations come down, the birthday cosmetics leave the game, so claim them before the window closes.
All 9th Birthday free rewards and how to unlock them
There are five free cosmetics this year, including a back bling, a pickaxe, a second back bling, a spray, and a full skin. Three of them come straight from Birthday Quests, while the spray and the skin work differently.
| Reward | How to get it |
|---|---|
| Choco-9 Cake Back Bling | Complete 3 Birthday Quests |
| Cake Crusher Pickaxe | Complete 6 Birthday Quests |
| FNCS Back Bling | Complete 9 Birthday Quests |
| 9th Birthday Sprite Spray | Enter the Lobby Hack Admin Panel code shown during the event |
| 9th Birthday Skin | Master 28 Sprites |
The three quest rewards stack, so finishing all nine quests nets you the Choco-9 Cake Back Bling, the Cake Crusher Pickaxe, and the FNCS Back Bling together. Each unlock lands in your locker as soon as the quest counter hits its threshold.
Getting the Sprite Spray and the 9th Birthday Skin
The 9th Birthday Sprite Spray comes from a hidden code that you type into the Lobby Hack Admin Panel. Epic reveals that code partway through the event, and entering it grants the spray as a gift. The code is not out yet, so check back once it appears in-game.
The 9th Birthday Skin is tied to Sprites instead of quests. You earn it by mastering 28 Sprites collected during Chapter 7 Season 4. Once you hit that mastery count, the skin is added to your locker.
Birthday Sprite release date
The Birthday Sprite arrives on Saturday, September 26th, and that date is officially confirmed. It matches the real anniversary, since Battle Royale first launched on September 26, 2017.
With the Birthday Sprite active, looting chests or eliminating opponents may randomly cause a birthday cake to appear, restoring both health and shield. This is also the Sprite you must master to progress toward the free skin.
Birthday items on the island
Expect a redesigned Birthday Battle Bus, throwable in-game birthday gifts, and extra XP during the celebration. The returning items behave the way they did last year.
- Birthday Cake slices restore 10 HP and 10 shield each.
- Birthday Presents are Legendary items you throw to open for loot.
Balloons have not shown up in the birthday files this year, so do not count on them returning.
Birthday Quests
You need nine Birthday Quests total to claim the quest-based rewards. The exact 9th Birthday quest list has not gone live yet. For reference, last year’s event asked players to complete tasks like these.
- Wish the Bus Driver a happy birthday.
- Search containers before damaging a single player in a match.
- Dance by a Birthday Cake found at Named Locations.
- Throw Birthday Presents.
- Consume slices of Birthday Cake at Named Locations.
Once this year’s quests appear in-game, work through them across a few matches. Each completed quest ticks the counter forward, and the back blings and pickaxe drop into your locker automatically at the 3, 6, and 9 marks. With about 10 days on the clock, a handful of sessions is enough to grab the whole set before the party ends.
