Fortnite OG is back, baby: Chapter 1 season 1 is returning in December and this time it's here to stay

The Fortnite Battlebus.
(Image credit: Epic Games)

Good news for Fortnite players yearning for a return to the glory days of 2017: Fortnite OG is back, baby, and this time it's not going away.

Real heads will know that the true OG Fortnite is "a game about PvE base-building, and killing zombies, and watching cutscenes, and grinding for color-coded epics and legendaries in high-level zones."

But that's not what Fortnite OG is: Originally a limited-time event that ran last year, it's a return to Fortnite battle royale as it existed at the moment Epic pivoted from the original game to launch the mode that now rules the world.

"OG is coming BACK and is here to stay," the big announcement says. "Relive Battle Royale from the start and explore the OG map, collect OG loot, and relive OG seasons. Drop back in on December 6."

Also, this guy is excited:

(Image credit: Ninja/Epic Games (Twitter))

Maybe the most notable part of all that OG-ing are the words "here to stay." Epic brought back Fortnite OG in November 2023 and it was a resounding success, pulling in more than 6.1 million concurrent players at one point. But that was a limited-time event—this new trip back to the future will apparently stay on tap permanently.

Returning to the old ways seems to be something of a trend for major live-service games these days. Apex Legends recently returned to its roots with the Launch Royale limited-time mode, while Overwatch brought back its 2016 heroes and maps in the Overwatch: Classic LTM. As usual, PUBG beat them both to the punch, redeploying its original Erangel map back in April. But Epic's been rolling with some throwback Fortnite for a while now too: It's currently in the midst of Chapter 2 Remix, "with weekly location and loot drops inspired by the best of early Chapter 2 gameplay." That's set to run until November 30.

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Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.