Fortnite will be taking three modes offline in the coming months.
Fortnite announced that it will be taking the Ballistic, Festival Battle Stage, and Rocket Racing modes offline in the near future. Epic stated they are grateful for the support on these game modes, but they ultimately "failed to build something awesome enough to attract and retain a large player base."
This news comes after Epic Games announced layoffs of over 1,000 employees, citing "industry-wide challenges" and the need to "keep the company funded" as the rationale. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney maintains that the layoffs are not related to AI.
— Fortnite Status (@FortniteStatus) March 24, 2026
The previous round of layoffs took place in 2023, when over 800 employees were laid off. The latest round of layoffs may have played a part in the decision to downsize Fortnite's roster of modes.
Rocket Racing, an arcade-style racing mode developed in partnership with Pysonix, will be removed from Fortnite in October 2026, along with all UEFN islands built with Rocket Racing templates.
Rocket Racing Quests and the current track creation template will be removed from UEFN in the coming week. Customized cars can still be used in Fortnite following the mode's cessation.
Ballistic, a first-person PvP mode, will be shut down on April 16, 2026, in the 40.20 release. Players can still play and rank up in Ballistic up until the mode's removal. Meanwhile, the first-person shooter tools in UEFN and first-person shooter creator islands will continue to be supported.
Festival Battle Stage, one of the three music modes in Fortnite alongside Festival Main Stage and Festival Jam Stage, will be taken offline on April 16, 2026, with the 40.20 release. Quests will continue to be available until then. Epic asserted that it will now focus its attention on improving the Festival Main Stage and Jam Stage.