Fortnite is marking eight years with its annual birthday event, and this time the cosmetics unlock from your account levels, not from turning in quest completions. Play during the event window, earn levels, and you’ll automatically receive the themed items. Birthday quests are still here, but they serve as fast XP to help you reach the required levels.

How the rewards work

  • Earn 2 account levels: “You’re 8” Spray
  • Earn 4 account levels: 8th Anniversary Pickaxe
  • Earn 6 account levels: Slurpfinity Cake Back Bling

You can gain account levels in any core mode. The birthday quests exist to accelerate XP, but they don’t directly grant the cosmetics this year.

Birthday quests (2025)

These limited-time quests rotate into your log during the event and are designed to complete through normal play. They include:

  • Wish the Bus Driver a happy birthday
  • Search containers before damaging a single player in a match (8 total)
  • Dance by a Birthday Cake found at Named Locations
  • Throw Birthday Presents! (3 total)
  • Ascend to 80 meters using Balloons
  • Eat slices of Birthday Cake found at Named Locations (8 total)
  • Emote in different matches (3 total)
  • Land from the Bus in different matches (3 total)

Where to find event items

  • Birthday Cakes: Large cakes spawn at multiple Named Locations. You can emote nearby and eat the slices for shield/health and quest credit.
  • Balloons: Found as floor or chest loot. Equip and stack balloons to gain altitude; release as needed to hit the 80-meter ascent safely.
  • Birthday Presents!: Throwable loot that creates a loot box on impact. Keep one for the “throw presents” quest, then break it open for gear.

Fast XP, minimal friction

  • Front-load the easy checks: emote in a match, thank the Bus Driver, land from the Bus. Those add up across games with little effort.
  • Route through a Named Location with a birthday cake. Dance for instant progress, then eat slices while you path to nearby chests and ammo boxes to work on the “search containers before damage” objective.
  • Prioritize avoidance until the container requirement is done in that match; taking or dealing damage early can invalidate the condition.
  • Hold Balloons if you find them and create a safe ascent window—ideally after looting and before rotating into combat hotspots.
  • Stash a Birthday Present! for a calm moment; you need three throws, not three openings.

Event notes

  • These cosmetics are free and unlock automatically as soon as you hit the specified account levels during the event.
  • Timing varies year to year. Check the in-game Quests tab and News feed for the live countdown so you can pace your leveling.
  • Historically, birthday cosmetics are limited to their year and don’t return, so plan to claim them while the quests are active.

Fortnite’s birthday map dressing—cakes, balloons, and presents—exists to make these quests quick. A few focused matches should be enough to collect the XP you need and secure the spray, the pickaxe, and the back bling before the celebration wraps.