Fortnite Snowdown 2020: When it starts, every new skin, and everything else we know

With Fortnite season 5 proving to be a hit despite a distinct lack of Marvel characters, many players are wondering what Epic will pull off for the annual winter event. This year, Fortnite's winter event is dubbed 'Operation: Snowdown'. Last year, we had Winterfest and 14 Days of Fortnite, so this sounds like a whole new riff on the holiday.

Previous years have seen Fortnite Winterfest dole out free gifts for players who logged in throughout the event, new game modes, and new challenges to complete. It's usually a hit with players and a good chance to get some new cosmetics. Much like the real Christmas, we can hardly wait for it, and we're looking for any leaks or hints as to what the holiday will bring.

When does Fortnite Operation Snowdown start?

In 2019, Epic started the Fortnite winter event on December 18 and ran it until January 6. So it typically doesn't line up to end with the holiday itself, but at least that means you'll get to have about two weeks after Christmas to wrap up any challenges, earn some news skins, and play with friends.

Keep in mind, Epic will probably release an update for Fortnite sometime shortly before the event starts. So if you want to hop in immediately with friends, keep an eye on when they say their update goes live.

Our best guess is that Epic starts Operation Snowdown around December 17 through January 8. Keep in mind that they haven't confirmed anything yet, though.

Fortnite Operation Snowdown skins

Data miner HYPEX has us covered when it comes to new skins for Fortnite's Operation Snowdown update. Click through the gallery below for a look.

I particularly love Cozy Jonesy with his winter aviator hat, and Mr. Dappermint is clearly meant to evoke the same Cronenbergian horror of Peely and the Brat.

There will also be two free skins that anyone who completes the Snowdown challenges should get, including the Snowmando and the Frost Squad skins.

The Snowmando and Frost Squad Outfits will be able to be earned for free by completing challenges. #Fortnite pic.twitter.com/VsvdyiSo23December 15, 2020

Fortnite Operation Snowdown challenges

Of course, it's not an event without some new stuff to do. 14 Days of Fortnite/Winterfest is a great chance to play some fun LTMS and mini-games with friends, and season 5's new map could make for some interesting matches if Epic changes things up with some snowfall.

Thanks to longtime Fortnite data miner HYPEX, we know that a snowman NPC may be added to the season 5 map. Season 5 featured NPCs who allowed players to hit them up for valuable bounties on other players, challenges, or exotic weapons. According to HYPEX, this snowman NPC will grant you similar quests and/or explode. A little variety never hurt, I guess?

Here's the full list of challenges you can expect to see become available once Snowdown starts:

• Complete Epic Quests (73)
• Visit different Snowmando Outposts (1)
• Deal damage with Lever Action Rifle (100)
• Dance at different Holiday trees (5)
• Search chests at Snowmando outposts (5)
• Place top 10 with friends in squads (3)
• Destroy Nutcracker Statues (5)
• Travel 5,000 meters in X-4 Stormwings (5,000)
• Shoot down opponent structures with X-4 Stormwings (10)
• Collect gold bars (100)
• Catch a Snowy Flopper (1)
• Revive a player in different matches (3)
• Hide inside a Sneaky Snowmando in different matches (3)
• Play duo/squads with friends (5)
• Stoke a campfire (2)
• Deal damage at Snowmando Outposts (250)
• Use Chiller Launcher to apply icy feet to opponents (10)

HYPEX also uncovered the coming addition of a "snowy flopper" fish that will heal 15 health per use.

Upcoming/Available Floppers:- Rift Flopper > max stack 2- Snowy Flopper (Snowman?) > heals 15 & max stack 3- Zero Point Flopper > heals 15 & max stack 5December 2, 2020

And here's a look at what the Snowdown lobby will look like, courtesy of HYPEX.

Epic has recently said that there will be no in-person Fortnite events, so holiday events like Winterfest will almost certainly be one of your only chances to hang out with friends outside of normal matches.

We'll be updating this post with any new information about Fortnite's holiday event, so make sure to check back later. Don't forget to check out the rest of our Fortnite guides and news, where you can find guides for all the latest challenges and quests.