Fortnite’s Winterfest 2025 brought holiday cheer with free gifts-until players realized the presents no longer stack. What started as a festive bonus now feels more like a daily grind, sparking debate across the community about Epic Games’ latest tweak to tradition.
Furthermore, the update also brought back Crackshot’s Cabin to the island, alongside a DeLorean vehicle that players can use to travel into a time warp and claim some OG loot. While this year’s Winterfest update may not seem as heavy on collabs as it always has been, there’s plenty of gameplay content with the new Chapter 7 update.
But one feature that players always look forward to with every Winterfest is the Winterfest Lodge and daily presents that they can open to get free cosmetics. This year, the lodge returned once again, but with a major change that avoids a feature players loved – stacking gifts and opening them all on a single day. The presents no longer stack, and instead, the game turns it into a daily chore, which triggered an instant backlash from the community.
Massive Fortnite Winterfest Change Upsets Players as It No Longer Allows You To Stack Presents
Many players are frustrated with Fortnite’s latest Winterfest change, which no longer allows presents to stack. Instead of saving them for later, users must now open one each day, turning what used to be a fun stockpiling event into a daily login routine. This shift has sparked debate across the community, as some feel the update removes the freedom and excitement that made previous Winterfests more enjoyable.
Fortnite Winterfest update brought back the Winterfest Lodge this year, and it brought 14 gifts for players to open each day from December 18, 2025, until January 5, 2026. Each year, when the lodge presents came around, players used to wait until Christmas or the final day of the update and open all the presents at once. That didn’t require them to log in each day, but rather enjoy holidays and open the presents at their own convenience. However, with the latest update, Epic has changed that.
In the fine print of the update patch notes, it clearly reads, “To clarify, you can only open one present each day from today to January 5 at 9 am ET – they don’t stack.” This means you’ll need to log in to the game every day to claim a present, and if you miss a present for that day, you won’t be able to open or claim it again, thus turning this fun yearly ritual into a daily chore.
When players realized it once dataminers pointed it out on social media, they quickly started bashing Epic for making such a decision without community feedback, as they have been doing it for all year on their X page. One such player wrote, “What’s with them ruining every free cosmetic opportunity this Chapter? First, the changes to Ranked rewards and now this.” Another chimed in, “Daily presents only? That’s painful holiday discipline.” A third user commented, “They really are desperate for that daily player count, aren’t they?”
I get that Epic is definitely trying to get players to play the Winterfest update each day, thanks to all the new gameplay content and collabs, but the enforcement of such a feature that alters the joy of “opening presents” is absolutely unnecessary. Free rewards, as per my experience with Fortnite for 8 years now, should be available to claim as the player wants them, and rather than be locked behind a daily login structure like those scammy mobile games.
How many total presents are in Winterfest 2025
Fortnite Winterfest 2025 features a total of 14 presents. This count includes 12 presents available at the event’s start on December 18, 2025, plus two additional ones that unlock after opening seven and 13 presents, respectively.
Present Details
The event ran until January 5, 2026, with one present openable per day after the 9 a.m. ET reset, and no stacking for missed days. Rewards include outfits like Glacial Dummy and Cheeks (the latter after 13 opens), pickaxes, back blings, emotes, and more, spread across two lodge stacks.
Accessing Presents
Players visit the Winterfest Lodge via the snowflake icon in the main menu, selecting any available gift to unwrap. Since the event has ended as of January 18, 2026, unclaimed presents are no longer available.
When do Winterfest 2025 presents reset each day
Winterfest 2025 presents reset each day at 9 AM ET (6 AM PT), aligning with Fortnite’s standard daily reset time.
Reset Details
This timing allowed players to open one new present starting at that moment, with the previous day’s opportunity expiring if unused due to the no-stacking rule. The cabin refreshed automatically, making new gifts available without needing to restart the game in most cases.
Time Zone Notes
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9 AM ET matches Eastern Time, used across official announcements and community guides.
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Equivalent to 2 PM UTC or 6 AM PT for players in other regions.
Since the event ended on January 5, 2026, resets no longer occur.
