Fortnite’s Playground mode is coming back – here’s what we know

FORTNITE is set for another update that will bring Playground mode back.

The Playground mode basically turns the hit video game into a Minecraft spin-off, letting players build freely – and it could get kids even more hooked on the game.

Fortnite Playground Mode release date – when is the update out?

In May, Epic Games confirmed that Fortnite would be getting a Playground Mode "soon".

It launched with the game's 4.5 update, along with the usual slew of new weapons. bug fixes, and the like.

It took a while to come online properly thanks to issues with matchmaking, and then went away before the start of season 5 - but it's back!

It will be available again from July 25, with team select options, ATKs and "lots more loot".

Fortnite Playground Mode revealed – what is it, what can you do, and how does it work?

Fortnite has ballooned to popularity due to its endlessly replayable multiplayer mode, Battle Royale.

Dumping 100 players onto a virtual island in a last-person-standing deathmatch was always going to be fun.

But the high risk of death means players can't use the game's building mechanics to create amazing structures as easily as they'd like.

Enter Playground Mode, a new game option that lets you build freely – in complete safety.

You get to play in the same Battle Royale map you're used to.

But you now get extended time to roam the map – the storm won't close in for 55 minutes, with the mode ending after an hour.

You also gather resources (wood, bricks, and metal) at 10 times the normal rate which should make it easier to throw up grand structures quickly.

Adding to the fun are 100 llamas – the game's loot crates – and all chests and ammo boxes spawning for you.

Friendly fire will be turned on, but you'll only be playing with friends (up to a maximum of four).

You also get instant respawns unless killed by the storm, so don't worry if you die falling off a massive tower you've built.

Obviously stats and challenges won't be tracked, so don't think this will be an easy way to smash through your weekly challenge roster.

The second version of Playground brings in ATKs and more loot.

Will this mean kids are even more addicted to Fortnite?

It's a clear attempt by Epic Games to bank on some of the success of rival hit video game Minecraft.

Minecraft has been hooking British children for years (much like Fortnite's recent popularity), because it lets gamers build almost anything they like.

Letting Fortnite players throw up amazing virtual architecture in safety opens the game up to a whole new genre of YouTube videos – inevitably boosting its success.

But it could mean that Fortnite ends up being even more addictive than it is right now.

Earlier this month, a nine-year-old British girl was reportedly entered into rehab over her addiction to Fortnite.

The girl is believed to have wet herself during a 10-hour-long binge on Fortnite, and even hit her dad in the face when he tried to confiscate her Xbox.

The Sun recently revealed all the ways Epic Games designed Fortnite to get kids hooked on the game.

And we also warned parents over the signs of gaming addiction they need to look for in their children.

What's the first thing you're going to build in the new Playground mode? Let us know in the comments!

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