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‘Fortnite’ Playground Mode adds squad selection in its July 25 return

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Fortnite: Battle Royale‘s Playground Mode only appeared for about a week before Epic took it down on July 12 while promising it would return. Well, it turns out that Playground will come back sooner rather than later. Epic announced on Twitter that an improved Playground Mode will enter the fray on July 25 (tomorrow!).

Epic hasn’t said much about what to expect with this second iteration of Playground mode. We do know that you’ll have the freedom to link up in squads this time around. Epic previously stated that it wanted to add 1v1 and 2v2 team options to the mode.

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The lack of team selection appeared to play a big part in Epic taking down the game mode so quickly earlier this month. Since all players were technically teammates, users had free reign to edit any structure they wanted. As a mode designed for experimentation, you can see how annoying it could be if another player dismantles a structure you spent a lot of time working on.

The return of Playground also brings the new ATK Kart onto the map. This may not sound like a big deal, but for those who like designing elaborate structures, the ATK seems like the perfect vehicle for stunts and racing. Mario Kart in Fortnite, anyone?

Playground mode first arrived as a limited-time game mode. Epic hasn’t directly said how long it will stay this time around, but when it was taken down, it sure sounded like Epic plans to make Playground a full-time feature down the road.

Playground Mode arrives as part of patch 5.10. Epic is celebrating Fortnite‘s first birthday with three limited-time challenges that, if completed, unlock a birthday-themed cosmetic set. It shouldn’t be too hard to complete these challenges. Players who want the birthday set will have to play 14 matches, deal 1,000 damage to opponents, and dance by 10 birthday cakes.

The last big piece of content arriving in the latest Season 5 patch is a new legendary weapon, the Compact SMG, a high capacity, fast-firing firearm that excels in close range combat.

For those select few who venture outside of Fortnite: Battle Royale and into the Save the World campaign, Epic is adding a new set of quests for the game’s one-year anniversary celebration. Players have the chance to unlock a birthday-themed llama with event tickets earned throughout the quests.

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Steven Petite
Steven Petite
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Steven is a writer from Northeast Ohio currently based in Louisiana. He writes about video games and books, and consumes…
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