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Fortnite Update on December 18 Brings Patch 4.96 Winterfest Content

by Alex Co December 18, 2025 7:13 am in Title Updates and Patches

Epic Games has rolled out a new Fortnite update on December 18, bringing the Winterfest 2025 content to gamers. Console gamers will see this download appear as Fortnite update 4.96, and this is a bigger download than usual.

Expect map changes, new rewards to earn, and a lot more. Regarding the larger-than-expected download, Epic notes, “We’re aware that the v39.11 update and install size is much larger than intended for some players on PC who didn’t have some installation options selected, and that those options are missing.” The dev team is investigating this and will offer an update once they can.

Not only that, but we also included the datamined content from the patch, which shows us some of the incoming items planned by Epic.

Fortnite’s Update on December 18 Brings Winterfest 2025 via Version 4.96

Winterfest 2025 kicks off today, December 18 at 9 am ET/6 am PT/10 pm HKT and will last until January 5 (ending at the same time as it starts).

Epic states, “Unwrap presents and shop Sabrina Carpenter’s Santa ‘Brina, Hatsune Miku’s Snow Miku, and Harry Potter Hogwarts house-themed Outfits you can customize to rep Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin.”

Lt. Winter arrives with 14 presents to open this year! You can open one present each day. Unwrap the Glacial Dummy Outfit after you’ve opened seven other presents, and the Cheeks Outfit after you’ve opened 13. You can open the rest of the presents in any order you’d prefer. The cabin refreshes daily at 9 AM ET.

Looking for accessories? Also unwrap presents like the Winterfest Bow Back Bling, Festive Gwinny Back Bling, Wrapped Axe Pickaxe, and Festive Bat Pickaxe.

When it comes to datamined info, some of the planned content has been spotted. Needless to say, if you don’t want anything spoiled, turn away now.

Update: Epic Games has released the Battle Royale balance adjustment changes made with today’s patch.

Fortnite Update 4.96 Battle Royale Balance Adjustments

Several weapons have been powered up with new adjustments:

Vengeful Sniper Rifles now deal more base and headshot damage

Snipers needed a boost to stay competitive as a long-range option against other scoped weapons. Thanks for the feedback on this!

Sovereign Shotguns have been upgraded with a better spread, faster fire rate while aiming down sights, increased damage, and quicker reloads

A holistic improvement to make the Sovereign feel like a stronger pick against the Iron Pump and Twin Hammer Shotguns.

Dual Micro SMGs now reload faster, hold more ammo, and retain damage better at range

The damage output felt right, but the close range pressure you can apply while wielding them had room for improvement.

Holo Rush SMG now deals more damage at longer ranges

A scoped SMG should perform a bit better at mid-range – this closes that gap.

Deadeye Assault Rifles are now less accurate from the hip with slightly more recoil while ADSing

The Deadeye has been the strongest weapon this season, so this brings it more in line with other ARs in the loot pool.

Tactical Assault Rifles now reload faster with reduced recoil

Better recoil and reload speed makes this a more ideal pick for fast-paced fights at closer ranges.

Enforcer Assault Rifles now deal slightly more damage with tighter ADS accuracy

Improved damage and accuracy gives this a stronger identity against the Deadeye.

Grenades now deal more damage to players, but less damage to structures

Grenades now deal more damage to players, but less damage to structures. More effective in fights, less oppressive against builds.

Energy now starts to regenerate slightly faster in both Battle Royale and Zero Build

Energy is now synced across modes with less downtime before it kicks in.

Latency Fixes Live Now

We’ve implemented some calculation changes which should slightly decrease latency as part of v39.11. Previously, the in-game latency number included some server processing time, which made it less accurate and harder to diagnose issues. These calculations have been updated so it now purely reflects your network latency, the same way you see it in the menu before a game.

Locker Search Improvements

Some improvements to Locker search just dropped in time for Winterfest. With v39.11, we’ve added new search tags to a good number of holiday-themed cosmetics. These updates should make digging through your Locker for that perfect winter Loadout a little smoother.

Confirmed data spotted in Fortnite Wintrefest 2025 Update

Thanks to reliable dataminer HYPEX, we have a rough outline of what’s incoming for Fortnite players soon!

SPONGEBOB COLLAB INCLUDES A SPATULA PICKAXE – “Whosoever shall pull this from the deep fryer grease…”
BATMAN & JOKER (BEYOND) x FORTNITE — SOON – “Gotham City’s future hope, trained by Bruce Wayne… And the re-emerged leader of the Jokerz, with a lil birdie’s secret.”
FORTNITE JANUARY 2026 CREW SKIN