Fortnite Season 7's alien invasion has begun

For a world that's already dealt with time-travel, extradimensional cubes, mech fights and nude bananas, you'd think an alien invasion would be trivial for Fortnite. And yet, arriving today, Season 7: Invasion has set UFOs loose across the island for a fresh bout of extra-terrestrial carnage.

Kicking off earlier today, Invasion's most notable additions are these flying saucers. Darting across the map taking pot-shots at players, shooting one of these down or otherwise getting on top of one will let you get behind the wheel—turning those alien guns on your opponents.

Those UFOs also drop Nuts & Bolts when destroyed, which can be used to upgrade weapons (turning an assault rifle into a burst AR, for example). This is alongside a whole host of new alien and experimental weaponry littered around the map.

Then, of course, there's this season's battle pass. The big thing this time around is a customisable "Kymera" outfit, unlocking parts to build-your-own alien throughout the season. The trailer also finally lifts the lid on that Rick n Morty crossover, with a Rick skin that's very much pushing the limits on the cartoon shader Fortnite has been toying with for some time. He's joined by Superman, who fills in this season's role as the "good" alien.

While not shown off explicitly, Season 7 should also have brought a significant graphics overhaul to Fortnite. Playing on "Epic" settings should now show off some fancier smoke, water, fire and particle effects, alongside improved post-processing and shadows.

Natalie Clayton
Features Producer

20 years ago, Nat played Jet Set Radio Future for the first time, and she's not stopped thinking about games since. Joining PC Gamer in 2020, she comes from three years of freelance reporting at Rock Paper Shotgun, Waypoint, VG247 and more. Embedded in the European indie scene and a part-time game developer herself, Nat is always looking for a new curiosity to scream about—whether it's the next best indie darling, or simply someone modding a Scotmid into Black Mesa. She also unofficially appears in Apex Legends under the pseudonym Horizon.