Winterfest is one of the most awaited yearly events in Fortnite, and the new Christmas skins are one of the most awaited costume drops. These skins just have this weird charm that's hard to explain, like the creepy little nutcracker Crackshot you can find in the Item Shop almost every December. The past nine years have been a mix and match of iconic and forgettable, but it's always a vibe. Here we name all the most iconic drops of each year.
All Fortnite Christmas Skins at a Glance
Here is the full table of all Fortnite Christmas skins listed under the year they debuted:
The 2017 Christmas Skins That Started It All
Nothing beats the OG. Ever since Fortnite's first big holiday dropback in Chapter 1, everyone has been in love. They've been around even before Winterfest earned its name, with Crackshot the nutcracker being in the lead for 2,000 V-Bucks, coming in 5 styles. Gingerbread lovers were having a field day and earned new fans with Merry Marauder and Ginger Gunner. Then came Nog Ops with an eggnog sweater, Red-Nosed Raider with the reindeer magic, and Yuletide Ranger to round up the launch squad. Not to mention Codename E.L.F., which a lot of players want back into the shop, but rarely does. Supply and demand!
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How Winterfest Grew Up: 2018 to 2024
The 2018 batch took a dark and strange turn with Sgt. Winter arriving as the buff Santa (it has its charms), and Krampus giving an especially menacing aura next to festive picks like Red-Nosed Ranger. Other than that, the sweeter, winter-themed skins like Crackabella, Glimmer, Grimbles, Slushy Soldier, Sugarplum, and Tinseltoes kept the shop busy that holiday season.
The Winterfest cabin was built for the first time in 2019, and things just started to escalate from there. Epic handed out Lt for dedicated players; some of you might've gotten it. The shop was buzzing that year, with Evergreen, Wooly Warrior, Cozy Commander, and the Globe Shaker in it. It was an elite lineup. You could really feel the holiday spirit, seeing Cutiepie, Dolph, Frosted Flurry, Frozen Fishstick, Frozen Nog Ops, Holly Jammer, Jolly Jammer, Kane, PJ Patroller, Polar Patroller, Shiver, The Devourer, and Yule Trooper in your lobby that very season. That's seventeen holiday outfits, and that record hasn't been topped since.
If you haven't seen a snowman fused with a commando before, then 2020 really showed you. Snowmando, the people's champion, was in Chapter 2 Season 5. Who would've thought it'd become an instant classic? It was a strong year, with Cozy Jonesy Gingerbread Raider, Blinky, Fa-La-La-La-Fishstick, Frost Squad, Holly Striker, Karve, Mr. Dappermint, and Snowbell being in the same lineup.
Past that were more weird and collab-heavy sets of drops. Year by year:
2021: Polar Peely, the free frozen blue banana, came from the cabin, Blizzabelle went free to every PC player through the Epic Games Launcher, and Krisabelle and Cozy Knit Jonesy held down the shop.
2022: Guff doubled up with two separate outfits: Guff Gringle, the free PC launcher giveaway, and Sled-Ready Guff, earned by opening every present in the Winterfest Lodge. Arctic Adeline, Snowdancer, and Graveheart rounded out the block.
2023: Winterfest Bushranger, a walking Christmas tree, and Holiday Boxy both went free from the cabin.
2024: Snoop Dogg and Yulejacket both came free from the cabin, while the Guffmas Tree and full Santa Claus versions of Mariah Carey and Shaquille O'Neal all landed in the shop.
Fortnite Winterfest 2025: Snow Miku, Santa 'Brina, and Hogwarts
The latest Winterfest 2025 in Chapter 7 Season 1, which ran from December 18 into early January 2026, was by far the most stacked collab slate the event has ever run. With Glacial Dummy and Cheeks as the free cabin gift, it was both a fly and absurdly cute holiday.
The paid skins were also legendary. You have Snow Miku, who hit the shop on December 19, Santa 'Brina (Sabrina Carpenter's christmas-themed attire) on December 22, and a full set of ten Hogwarts students landed December 18 at 1,500 V-Bucks each: Dynamic Dreamer, Audacious Adventurer, Radiant Rebel, Prank Prodigy, Story Seeker, Fearless Friend, Hallway Hero, Knowledge Keeper, Mischief Maker, and Creature Caretaker.
The more affordable option in the form of the Winterfest Bandit at 800 V-Bucks is also a bargain, a nod to Home Alone that's also a staple Christmas movie.
One would think, “That's peak!” but it didn't stop there. Another collab on December 20 brought Bleach home with Ichigo Kurosaki, Rukia Kuchiki, Orihime Inoue, and Uryu Ishida. Meanwhile, late December brought Chilly, Icy Metal Mouth, and Alpine Lexa, and January 2026 brought Gale as the Crew skin that carried Winterfest into the new year.
Ranking The Best Christmas Skins
After listing everything, I'll do the obvious and end with a ranking. Crackshot is number one, and it's not even close. As one of the oldest Christmas skins in the game, the nutcracker is also the most recognizable, and most community rankings put it at or near the top for good reason.
Snowmando takes second on pure charm and its challenge-only origin, which keeps it off casual lockers.
I'll have Merry Marauder and Ginger Gunner share third for being gingerbreads, because it never gets old. Nog Ops earns a place on OG credibility alone, and Codename E.L.F. closes the list off of pure rarity. The newer collab skins are gorgeous, and Snow Miku might be the prettiest outfit of the whole bunch, but OG is OG. It has nostalgia built into it; you can never beat that.
Winterfest is already permanently etched in the Fortnite in-game calendar, and it's the same pattern every year. Some free new skins to keep everyone logging in, a stack of collabs to move V-Bucks, and one or two originals that move on to become classics.
It's fun until you have to wait a full year for some of your faves to circle back, and when they do, you keep refreshing the shop at 7 pm nightly. If you'd rather not, a locker that already has the good ones might be the shortcut you need.
