Every Fortnite season ranked from worst to best

Fortnite Season 11 is nearly upon us with the latest leaks and teasers hinting a brand new map – so, in anticipation, we’ve ranked all the seasons so far from worst to best. 

No one would have ever expected Fortnite to reach the levels of popularity it did. The game, launched in open beta, took the world by storm, breaking multiple records along the way. 

If you had shown gameplay from the recent Fortnite World Cup to a Season 1 player, they would have told you they were playing a different game. Building is no longer used to reach a hard to find chest, rather it’s inherent to getting a victory in the game. 

With Season 11 just around the corner, we attempt to rank all the seasons so far, from best to worst.

10. Fortnite Season X

An absolute no brainer for the worst Fortnite season in history is the one that is about to end. Fortnite Season X was arguably the most hyped season in history, launching after the $30m World Cup with teasers hinting at old locations returning. Dusty Depot did come back, as did Retail Row and Greasy Grove, but not without awful gimmicks.

Retail Row was infested by zombies, arguably one of the most annoying things Epic Games have ever added to Fortnite. On the other hand, in Greasy Grove, you are made to dance at different intervals, rendering you helpless when fighting enemies.

However, nothing could possibly be worse than battling a M.E.C.H. The two-man vehicle is easily the most overpowered item ever added to Fortnite, allowing players to dominate the competition with little risk of being eliminated. Their introduction caused #RemoveTheMech to be trending worldwide and cements Season X as the worst in Fortnite history.

9. Season 9 

Just ahead of Season X is the one that preceded it – Season 9. The futuristic theme made the game feel like something entirely different. A huge slipstream was added around the map, allowing players to jump out at any opportunity and pick up the leftovers of a fight hundreds of meters away from their first location.

Both Tilted Towers and Retail Row were revamped but lost their iconic feel. Fights in these locations no longer felt rewarding due to the massive metal structures that replaced the buildings players had grown to love. 

Worst of all was the removal of the pump shotgun. It’s replacement – the combat shotgun – dealt huge damage from massive distances in quick succession. The weapon was dominant and was a must-have in any inventory. It was later vaulted in Season X and the pump shotgun returned alongside the legendary tactical variants. 

8. Season 7

As terrible additions to the game go, Season 7 had them all. Planes were added at the start of the season and caused havoc on the map. The X4-Stormwing could fly through builds with little threat of damage as well as shoot opposing players with the on-board gun. They quickly became a useful tactic in competitive games with players often making a truce in the air with other planes – laughable. 

As well as planes, Epic Games decided to add their first ‘mythic’ item; the Infinity Blade. Found in Polar Peak – which sadly replaced the much-loved Greasy Grove – the sword was unbeatable. On release, you could harvest materials, jump insane distances while dealing 75 damage with each swing. The blade lasted just three days before it was vaulted.

The one saving grace that keeps Season 7 from being lower down this list was the addition of Siphon in update v7.4. Siphon grants players health and materials on elimination and the faster farming rate made games seem far less tedious. The widely loved mechanic was the only positive in the seventh season of Fortnite.

7. Season 8

The introduction of Season 8 saw the removal of some much-loved points of interest. Wailing Woods – a staple of Fortnite – was replaced by a huge volcano while the container yard to its outh was also destroyed. Lazy Links was replaced by Lazy Lagoon, but at least the planes were vaulted.

There were plenty of positives in Season 8 too though. Reboot vans were a welcome addition that allowed you to revive your fallen teammates after they were eliminated provided you picked up their card. The reboot system was implemented perfectly. The flint-knock pistol and buried treasure maps were also fun to use.

Nevertheless, Epic Games made the decision to remove siphon which sheds a poor light on the season. There was also The Baller vehicle, which gave players free rotations around the map from the safety of a plastic ball. The Boom Bow was also a silly overpowered low skill weapon. 

6. Season 6 

The launch of Season 6 saw massive changes to the map with Loot Lake being completely destroyed and the floating island taking its place. Haunted Hills was also introduced in the northwest corner of the map.

In terms of content updates, Season 6 was fairly normal. Balloons and dynamite were both eventually vaulted while the quadcrashers were a welcome addition to players looking to rotate the map quickly. The introduction of the heavy assault rifle also provided some variety in the AR loot pool.

However, the mounted turret was not well received as upon release it was extremely overpowered. The legendary trap had unlimited ammunition and early hit-box bugs meant players were essentially invincible. Like most OP items, they were nerfed and eventually vaulted – thankfully. 

5. Season 4

Season 4 saw drastic changes to the Fortnite landscape. Dusty Depot was hit by a meteor becoming Dusty Divot, Risky Reels and the Mansion POI were also added. Furthermore, the evil villain base appeared near Snobby Shores as well as the Soccer Stadium.

Content additions were questionable with items like the jetpack proving to have no place in a game so focused on building. Shopping carts were useful for mobility and bouncers were widely loved. However, the drum gun was a major issue at the time of release, giving players almost no chance to defend against it.

All in all, it was a solid season of Fortnite with a storyline that was easy to follow. 

4. Season 1

Indeed, it’s hard to judge Season 1 given it was the first iteration of player progression in Battle Royale.

Nevertheless, there are plenty of memories from the early stages of the game when the building mechanic was foreign to most.

3. Season 2

Season 2 of Fortnite was a time when the game was starting to gain popularity rapidly. The introduction of the battle pass gave players the opportunity to earn Battle Stars and rank up to earn cosmetic rewards.

As players became accustomed to the game mechanics, more players were learning how to build after watching pro players such as Team SoloMid’s Ali ‘Myth’ Kabbani. 

Challenges were a brilliant addition for players who wanted a change of pace. 

2. Season 5

A potentially controversial pick, but Season 5 ranks as second in my list. Indeed, there were plenty of unpopular content additions, but the map was arguably the best Fortnite had ever seen. Paradise Palms and Lazy Links were fantastic additions while the Viking Outpost was also a nice change. 

Dusty Divot became a viable landing spot after trees were added to give players to chance to harvest some materials before fighting. 

Items such as the Compact SMG, Double Barrel Shotgun and the Guided Missile were unhealthy for the game. However, the shockwave grenade and suppressed assault rifle softened the blow. 

Season 5 also saw the first time that Fortnite introduced limited-time modes, giving players a brand new way of experiencing battle royale. 

1. Season 3

Building on the success of Season 2, Fortnite Season 3 was arguably the peak of the game’s popularity. Millions of players were logging in every day and streamers were beginning to post massive numbers, no-one took over quite like Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins.

The former Halo pro’s skills transitioned perfectly to Fortnite and after mastering building, he became unstoppable at times. His success cultivated in a streaming appearance alongside legendary rapper Drake which broke records on Twitch.

A great battle pass made Season 3 the best time to ever play battle royale.