The writing has been on the wall for Rocket Racing for some time. Debuting alongside Fortnite Festival and Lego Fortnite in December 2023, the mode offered a fun, if unremarkable, addition to Epic Games' multiplayer giant. However, updates over the past few years have failed to maintain momentum, and support has gradually dwindled. Now, Epic is finally pulling the plug, with Rocket Racing set to close on Thursday, October 1, 2026.
In case you missed it, Epic Games confirms in its support resources that "some Fortnite experiences have been or are being retired." This includes Festival Battle Stage and Ballistic, both of which were removed in April 2026. Rocket Racing is the latest mode to face the axe, with Epic also confirming that all UEFN islands built using its Rocket Racing templates will be retired in Fortnite.
The silver lining is that your vehicle locker remains unaffected. You can still cruise around the island in cars from Rocket League, including original designs and crossover vehicles such as the Batmobile. However, Epic offers little explanation for the decision, stating that "Epic Games Support is unable to share further details about this matter." That leaves the reasons behind the shutdown open to speculation.
Epic's mass layoffs earlier this year may have affected its ability to maintain these additional experiences, particularly with fewer developers available to support them. It also raises questions about which Fortnite modes could be next.
I think Fortnite Festival remains one of the best additions to the game, but it doesn't seem to generate the same excitement it did when Metallica or Sabrina Carpenter headlined. Meanwhile, Jam Stage, a playlist dedicated to mixing music in-game, often struggles to attract more than 600 players on a good day.
Changes to Fortnite's emote and music wheel haven't helped, either. Mixing stems is more complicated than ever, taking some of the fun out of the experience. When Epic first introduced these modes in December 2023, it promised that "these are brand new games entirely, not LTMs", adding that they'd be "here to stay." With Rocket Racing's impending closure, that promise clearly hasn't held up.