Fortnite Winter Trials event: When is it and what rewards can be earned by collecting badges

If you're trying to find out more about the Fortnite Winter Trials, then you've probably heard about this event but are unable to see any official information. That's because it was accidentally leaked by Epic putting it live on their website before they were ready, but helpfully data miner HYPEX captured the details prior to the page being taken down again. This isn't the first time we've found out about events in Fortnite due to leaks, and as the site listed the contest as starting on January 25 we do need to take the information with a pinch of salt, but here's everything we know so far about the Fortnite Winter Trials.

What is the Fortnite Winter Trials event

Fortnite Winterfest — (Image credit: Epic Games)

From what was listed on the website before it was pulled, it appears the Fortnite Winter Trials event is a combination of an influencer tournament and a community vote for upcoming challenges, with players earning badges for supporting a team, voting on tasks, and generally racking up playtime in Fortnite. The badges earned will be used to unlock Fortnite Winter Trials rewards, though if you don't keep collecting these merits within the required time frames then you'll be removed from the contest due to inactivity as slots are limited.

As we mentioned early, it was originally stated that the Fortnite Winter Trials would start on January 25, a deadline that has already passed, so at this point we're not sure when the event will begin or if it will even go ahead at all. It should also be noted that the website stated the contest would only be available to players 13 years of age or older who are resident of North America, but Epic are "planning on expanding Trials to other markets in the future." It's unclear if this is placeholder information, or whether the Fortnite Winter Trials will be geographically restricted at first.

What are the Fortnite Winter Trials rewards

New "WINTER TRIALS" Free rewards, read more: https://t.co/rFAcUdb6s6 pic.twitter.com/uTCQAAboDdJanuary 25, 2021

From the leaked information, it looks like there are three Fortnite Winter Trials rewards available for earning different amounts of badges. For one badge, which you should get just for logging on for the first time, there's a unicorn cloud spray. Keep working through the tasks and for six badges you'll get a snowball emote, then once you've reached a total of 12 badges a swirly colored wrap for weapons and vehicles should be yours.

As soon as any official information is announced we'll update this guide, so be sure to check back again soon.