Key Takeaways
- Rare
Fortnite
skins like Reflex remain absent for years, despite fan demand for their return. - Exclusive skins like Paradigm are limited-time and remain unavailable despite fan expectations.
- Highly popular skins like Travis Scott’s are eagerly awaited by fans, sparking speculation on their return.
For years, Fortnite has provided players with a near-endless supply of creative skins that they can use in Battle Royale, and the more recent metaverse content with Rocket Racing, Fortnite Festival, and even LEGO Fortnite. Yet, with these skins featuring as part of Battle Passes, events, and even in something as simple as the Item Shop, they often disappear without a trace, far longer than fans would have expected considering their popularity.
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As such, Fortnite‘s rarest skins are often sought after due to their rarity, with many players seeking to claim these outfits for themselves. There is a deep history with these rare Fortnite skins, and some have not been seen for multiple years for seemingly no reason, whether it’s a Fortnite original or a collab, the disappearance of these rare skins should be noted.
This list does not involve Battle Pass cosmetics.
Updated on November 21, 2024, by Jake Fillery: Fortnite isn’t afraid to get nostalgic with the impending release of Fortnite OG as a continuing season method. While the OG Battle Passes won’t be returning, there is still hope for some rare cosmetics that have since been and gone. Whether exclusive to certain platforms, quests, or just rare in the Item Shop, here are the rarest skins in Fortnite.
18 Blue Team Leader
Last Seen: June 12, 2018
- Price: $9.99, Free for PlayStation Plus users
- Introduced In: Chapter 1 Season 2
- Release Date: February 14, 2018
The Blue Team Leader outfit was one of the original outfits designed for Fortnite and features the classic model with a blue beanie and a tank top. The outfit itself is nothing completely original, especially in today’s spoiled cast of Item Shop goodies with collabs and bundles galore.
However, this is a true mark of a veteran, as PlayStation and Fortnite often collab on unique packs for PS Plus users, with Celebration Pack 1 being the very first. So, while Blue Team Leader doesn’t look all that special, her rarity in the community is something to keep in mind.
17 Tart Tycoon
Last Seen: August 23, 2020
- Price: Score 10 Points in the #FreeFortnite Cup
- Introduced In: Chapter 2 Season 3
- Release Date: August 28, 2020
One of the most impacting events to come out of Fortnite in the real world was their feud with Apple and the amount of money the company would take from V-Bucks purchased on the App Store. With such restrictions in place, Epic Games decided to enter into legal warfare against Apple, and thus iOS and macOS players were punished.
The campaign for “Free Fortnite” began with a seemingly parodying skin of Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, with a free and villainous Fortnite skin that saw him with an Apple for a head with a suit and in the same TV-static that was featured in Apple’s famous 1984 commercial. While obtaining the skin just required a victory in the #FreeFortnite Cup, it’s something that’s been and gone, and will likely never return due to its controversy.
16 Havoc
Last Seen: May 8, 2018
- Price: Purchase the Twitch Prime Pack 1
- Introduced In: Chapter 1 Season 3
- Release Date: February 28, 2018
In the early days of Fortnite, most skins were not all that unique from one another, and the concept of V-Bucks wasn’t worth what they are today. One such skin that promoted a lot of love was Havoc, a skin exclusive to those who claimed a Fortnite Pack from Twitch Prime which provided them with a rather unique outfit.
Havoc is one of the rarest skins due to how it comes from Twitch’s first collab with Fortnite, and it’s a skin that hasn’t returned, and probably won’t. It’s still a well-used skin to this day thanks to its status among veterans for its distinct style and OG status.
15 Royale Bomber
Last Seen: May 1, 2018
- Price: Purchase a PS4 with the Royale Bomber Bundle (RRP $299.99)
- Introduced In: Chapter 1 Season 6
- Release Date: May 1, 2018
The Royale Bomber joins a long list of outfits that are exclusive to those who purchase specific consoles. PlayStation 4 was infamous for the Royale Bomber Bundle, which would provide players with this skin with 500 V-Bucks. It’s an outfit only obtainable through this purchase, and that’s not something everyone can splash some cash out on.
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Purchasing a PS4 just for an obsolete skin might not be the best investment, and most Royale Bomber codes can be found on the internet for over $100. It’s a mediocre skin now, but at the time it was a luxury item that allowed players to brag.
14 Reflex
Last Seen: March 4, 2019
- Price: 1,200 V-Bucks / $7.99 GeForce Fortnite Bundle
- Introduced In: Chapter 1 Season 6
- Release Date: November 29, 2018
Perhaps the rarest skin in Fortnite, Reflex has not been seen in the Item Shop for over 5 years. Whilst there is nothing special about this skin in terms of its design, it’s worth noting that the reason it’s so rare is because of its accidental release into the Item Shop, as it was originally an exclusive skin for those who purchased the GeForce Bundle. Yet, even when the GeForce Bundle was replaced with a new skin, Reflex didn’t return to the shop, and so he remains as the rarest outfit in Fortnite, perhaps forever.
13 World Warrior
Last Seen: July 28, 2019
- Price: 800 V-Bucks
- Introduced In: Chapter 1 Season 9
- Release Date: July 26, 2019
An uncommon skin, World Warrior was to promote and celebrate Fortnite‘s competitive World Cup for 2019. With the skin announced on July 26, 2019, by Fortnite‘s official channels on X, players didn’t expect that to only be for one weekend, as Fortnite confirmed in the following days that the World Warrior Outfit was only around “for this weekend”. Never taking it as a literal “one-chance Item Shop purchase”, World Warrior still has not returned, despite the fact that it’s almost been 5 years, and other World Cup skins have been and gone.
12 The Paradigm
Last Seen: October 13, 2019
- Price: 1,200 V-Bucks
- Introduced In: Chapter 1 Season 10
- Release Date: November 11, 2019
Perhaps the first of its kind, the Paradigm is a limited-time outfit that ended up being an exclusive skin to Chapter 1’s final live event, The End. This outfit could be purchased from the Item Shop and brought about yet another mysterious member of The Seven. Only arriving in the Item Shop for 3 days in 2019, players didn’t have long to purchase this rarity, even after Fortnite‘s X account announced it was exclusive and available for a limited time, which has led many fans of The Seven to expect a comeback, to no avail.
For an unknown reason, the Paradigm was released briefly on August 7, 2024, but was quickly removed. Fortnite was quick to state that this was a mistake, and Paradigm will remain out of the Item Shop, but those who purchased her get to keep her.
11 Shaman
Last Seen: December 2, 2019
- Price: 1,500 V-Bucks
- Introduced In: Chapter 1 Season 8
- Release Date: March 31, 2019
A mystical-looking skin that helps access the world of good and evil, the Shaman was an interesting outfit that took influence from real-life shaman culture in Asia and America. Whilst the design is pretty good for Fortnite’s renders, it’s debatable why this skin has been absent from the Item Shop for almost 5 years.
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Whether it’s due to the real-life respect for shamans, or simply because those in charge of the Item Shop have forgotten about it, fans can only speculate on if this skin will ever return.
10 Trench Raider
Last Seen: January 18, 2020
- Price: 1,200 V-Bucks
- Introduced In: Chapter 2 Season 1
- Release Date: November 16, 2019
Chapter 2 is when Fortnite really started to enter the market with collabs, so it’s no surprise that an outfit that seems as standard as Trench Raider is lost. There’s nothing too special about it, as it’s more or less a generic soldier in a sneaking suit. Strangely enough, other cosmetics from the Fathoms Deep set have seen the light of day in the Item Shop, but for whatever reason, the Trench Raider is lost to the depths.
9 Fourth Down Skins
Last Seen: February 3, 2020
- Price: 1,500 V-Bucks (each)
- Introduced In: Chapter 1 Season 6
- Release Date: November 10, 2018
A set of skins that saw Fortnite team with the NFL, the Fourth Down set brought about new NFL outfits to the game, which were perfect for those who loved American Football and the Super Bowl. The outfits featured Fortnite-original characters in football gear but with the addition of their favorite teams to the outfits, like the New York Giants, Patriots, and other iconic teams. However, despite this collaboration with the NFL, these outfits have been missing for quite some time, which leads to speculation on perhaps a team or two from the NFL not agreeing to return.
8 Travis Scott & Astro Jack
Last Seen: April 22, 2020
- Price: 1,500 / 2,000 V-Bucks
- Introduced In: Chapter 2 Season 2
- Release Date: April 27, 2020
Perhaps no Icon series skin has been in such demand as this, and Travis Scott remains one of the most iconic Fortnite skins on the market, and indeed one of the rarest. Travis Scott is a beloved artist, and a name constantly involved in Fortnite‘s most asked question: when is Travis Scott returning to the Item Shop? With no answers given, or even hinted at from Epic Games, players can only wonder why he’s been absent for so long. Does Travis Scott have control of his image and not want to come back, or is it a direct result of the Astroworld tragedy?
7 Rue
Last Seen: May 27, 2020
- Price: 1,200 V-Bucks
- Introduced In: Chapter 2 Season 2
- Release Date: April 25, 2020
Another skin that seems rather adorable upon first inspection, Rue was available from the Item Shop for a short time, before fans of the game quickly noticed a rather sinister and seemingly unintentional flaw in her design. Rue has actually been blacklisted from the Item Shop for over 4 years, and that’s due to a controversy that arose in regard to her outfit, as her uniform closely resembles that of a Nazi officer.
6 Psycho Bandit
Last Seen: May 31, 2020
- Price: 2,000 V-Bucks / Purchase Borderlands 3 on Epic Games Store (before December 31, 2020)
- Introduced In: Chapter 1 Season 10
- Release Date: August 27, 2019
The famed Psycho from Borderlands, the character that features on all the covers for the iconic mask and spiraling comedic insanity, comes to Fortnite alongside Claptrap as a back bling. Featuring as part of the Gaming Legends series, one would expect the Psycho Bandit to hold some staying power, especially since he was given his own POI when released in Chapter 1’s Season 10.
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Yet, despite all the fuss surrounding his arrival, the Psycho Bandit has had a long period of absence from the Item Shop, and purchasing Borderlands 3 on the Epic Games Store will no longer grant Fortnite players this great prize.
5 Dante
Last Seen: November 1, 2020
- Price: 1,500 V-Bucks
- Introduced In: Chapter 1 Season 6
- Release Date: November 2, 2018
A more unique skin for the Chapter 1 era, Dante is a strange one that seems to have been forgotten. Whilst nothing seems out of the ordinary for a distinct skin to celebrate the unknown and free the spirits, this Muertos Set outfit has been left out of the Muertos Item Shop release in both 2021 and 2023, and perhaps beyond it. Why the skin is left out is unknown, but it’s quickly approaching 4 years since players have seen this outfit in the shop.
4 Kratos
Last Seen: March 19, 2021
- Price: 1,500 V-Bucks
- Introduced In: Chapter 2 Season 5
- Release Date: December 4, 2020
Another skin that fans have demanded return, Kratos came to the Fortnite island as part of the bounty hunter season but has been missing ever since. With growing popularity, thanks to God of War Ragnarok, the increase in rarity has made Kratos a sought-after skin among fans and collectors alike. It’s surprising that Kratos has not returned, especially with the usual collabs between Sony’s PlayStation and Fortnite, and the fact that the skin received a recent update for the Item Shop, but still has not returned, even missing anniversaries and the chance to appear in a season all about Greek Mythology.
3 Sofia
Last Seen: March 25, 2021
- Price: 1,500 V-Bucks
- Introduced In: Chapter 1 Season 9
- Release Date: June 28, 2019
One of the first ever collab skins, Sofia joined John Wick to enter the Battle Royale island in celebration and promotion of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. For the longest time, John Wick was lost to the Item Shop, but he’s now become rather common. Sadly, for whatever reason, Sofia hasn’t received the same treatment, and whilst John Wick returns to the Item Shop, Sofia does not, and has not for over 3 years, meaning to those who want to play Halle Berry’s character, they are out of luck.
2 Major Lazer
Last Seen: June 13, 2021
- Price: 1,600 V-Bucks
- Introduced In: Chapter 1 Season X
- Release Date: August 23, 2019
One of the first Icon Series skins is Major Lazer, who came to the Item Shop during Fortnite‘s most chaotic season and the final part of Chapter 1. Major Lazer is a group of musical artists who have recorded a few famous songs with a few famous people, and the outfit presented is in reference to the Peace Is the Mission album. Whilst the lack of content from the band could be a reason that the skin has not come back, it’s more than likely the skin and cosmetics were developed for a promotional deal that has not entered 2024.
1 Snake Eyes
Last Seen: August 11, 2021
- Price: 1,800 V-Bucks
- Introduced In: Chapter 2 Season 5
- Release Date: August 11, 2021
To promote G.I. Joe‘s spin-off movie, Snake Eyes, the titular and seemingly silent character seemed the perfect fit to bring into Fortnite. With his ninja skills, a cool outfit, and silence, Snake Eyes added an awesome collab and one that even fought Batman in a crossover comic. Yet, whether it’s due to the dwindling popularity of G.I. Joe among younger audiences, or the box office bomb of Snake Eyes‘ movie, the character has not returned to the Item Shop in almost 3 years.