News - Fortnite's New Winterfest Rules Stir Player Debate

Epic Games has made a significant change to the 2025 Winterfest event in Fortnite, altering how players receive event rewards. Previously, Winterfest gifts could accumulate, allowing players flexibility to collect presents by logging in just once during the holiday season. This system accommodated players with multiple accounts or those traveling during the holidays. However, the new system requires daily logins to access each day's gift, as they will no longer accumulate. In past Winterfest events, the system was designed to consider the holiday season, recognizing that players might be away from their devices. Gifts could pile up during absences, allowing players to catch up later by opening multiple gifts at once. The option to wait until the event's end to open accumulated gifts is now obsolete. Starting November 2025, gifts reset every 24 hours at 9 AM Eastern Time, and players must collect daily to ensure they don't miss any rewards. This particularly affects acquiring event-exclusive free skins, where timely participation is crucial. For instance, unlocking the Glacial Dummy skin requires opening seven previous gifts, while obtaining the Cheeks skin requires 13 presents. Missed days could result in missed important rewards. The update has caused concern among players, with many hoping for a return to the stacking system in future editions. For those worried about maintaining daily logins, the game's availability on cloud services like Xbox Cloud Gaming and GeForce Now offers a convenient solution to participate in the event remotely. Apart from the changes to the gift system, Epic Games is offering a special chance for collectors to expand their Fortnite locker. A selection of cosmetics will be available at a 50% discount through January 12, 2026, providing players with an affordable opportunity to collect favorite items. As the community adapts to these changes, many express a desire for Epic Games to revisit gift stacking policies for the benefit of players worldwide.