It’s hard to believe, but Fortnite Battle Royale is turning nine this week, and Epic Games is pulling out all the stops to make this anniversary one to remember. If you’ve been dropping into the island since the early days or just joined the party, there’s never been a better time to celebrate. Starting today and running until the next major patch, the game is littered with birthday presents, enormous cakes, and exclusive cosmetic goodies — all waiting to be grabbed. But wait, did you hear that right? Free cosmetics just for playing? Absolutely. The catch is that you’ll have to hop in fast, because these birthday quests won’t stick around for long.
I’ll be honest, when I first loaded into a match and saw nine birthday candles on the Battle Bus, I got a little nostalgic. But then the urgency hit: six limited-time quests, each handing out a massive 20,000 XP, and a bonus reward track that demands my attention. Want to know how to blaze through every single one of them before the timer runs out? Let me break it down.
The Nine-Year Quest Checklist
There are exactly six Birthday Quests, and while they’re fairly straightforward, some demand a bit of grinding. Here’s what you need to do:
🎈 Wish the Bus Driver a Happy Birthday – Nine Times
Remember when you could only thank the bus driver? Now, during the birthday event, you’re wishing them a happy birthday instead. Before you leap out of the Battle Bus, hit that emote button — but don’t think you can spam it. You can only do it once per match, so you’re looking at a minimum of nine separate games. And yes, you have to do it yourself; teammates can’t do it for you. That’s nine early-game moments to appreciate the driver. Worth it? I’d say so.
🎁 Open Birthday Presents
Birthday Presents aren’t just lying around in one spot. I’ve found them as floor loot, tucked inside regular chests, and even dropping from supply drops. To open one, select it in your inventory, aim, and then fire to throw it onto the ground. Unwrapping these goodies can reveal Birthday Medallions, Flare Guns, or other celebratory loot. Pro tip: you don’t need to collect a specific number — just opening one updates your quest progress.
🎈 Travel Distance Airborne with Balloons
This is where the Birthday Medallion shines. Equip it, and you’ll notice balloons magically inflate on your back every few seconds. Jump, and you’ll float. With up to three balloons active, you can reach ridiculous heights and drift across the map. Need to cover 500 meters for the quest? Stack those balloons and let the wind carry you. It’s pure, chaotic fun — and you’ll complete it much faster than you think.
🍰 Consume Nine Slices of Birthday Cake
Here’s the sweetest part. You’ll spot giant birthday cakes at the center of almost every named location: Doomstadt, Castle Doom, Reckless Railways, Restored Reels, Grim Gate, The Underworld, The Raft, Grand Glacier, Mount Olympus, and Redline Rig. Each cake is surrounded by eight slices, each restoring a paltry 10 HP. Since you need to gobble down nine slices, you can actually do this in one go as long as you keep taking a bit of damage to stay below max health. Just stand next to the cake and feast until the quest pops.
🎈 Release Balloons While Airborne
Got balloons? Good. Now jump into the air and hit the release button to send them flying — or simply pop enemy balloons with your weapon. Either method counts. I’ve found this quest completes surprisingly fast during any firefight where Balloon Medallions are in play.
🔥 Use a Birthday Flare Gun to Reveal Opponents
This one can be tricky because Birthday Flare Guns seem rarer than medallions; they only come from Birthday Presents. Once you have one, fire it in any direction. The flare reveals nearby enemies in a wide radius, giving you a tactical advantage and trophy progress. Don’t hoard it — use it early and often.
Bonus Goal Rewards: How Much Can You Actually Unlock?
Here’s the real prize. Besides 20,000 XP per quest, Epic Games has tied exclusive cosmetics to the Birthday Quest Bonus Goals. You don’t need to finish all six tasks — just complete at least five, and you’ll walk away with everything. Here’s the breakdown:
| Quests Completed | Reward |
|---|---|
| 1 | Birthday Slice emoticon |
| 2 | 9th Birthday Spray |
| 3 | Balloon Bouquet Back Bling |
| 4 | Candle-Cutter Pickaxe |
| 5 | Anniversary Glider (Happy Birthday wrap included) |
If you’re like me and still regret missing some past birthday cosmetics, you’ll want to snag these before they disappear.
How Long Do You Have?
The clock is ticking. As soon as the quests went live, the timer showed exactly “6d, 16h.” That means the entire celebration ends precisely with the next update — v39.30 is set to land on October 1, 2026, at 1:30 AM ET. So you’ve got less than a week. Will you be able to knock out nine Battle Bus emotes, float across half the island, and devour a bakery’s worth of cake in time? Honestly, it’s more manageable than it sounds, and the loot is absolutely worth the sprint.
Turn on the game, gather your squad, and wish that bus driver a very happy ninth birthday. See you on the island!
Data referenced from Sensor Tower helps contextualize why limited-time Fortnite events like the 9th Birthday quests are designed around quick, repeatable actions (multiple matches for the bus-driver wish, short loot loops for presents, and simple consumables like cake): these time-boxed reward tracks typically aim to boost short-term engagement and session frequency, aligning with common live-service patterns where XP bursts and free cosmetics encourage players to return daily and complete just enough objectives to secure the full bonus set.