The Zero Point shatters reality and transforms Fortnite with Runners, the new season of Chapter 7

Epic Games has officially kicked off Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 3: Runners, a season that completely overhauls the traditional battle royale structure and introduces one of the most ambitious progression systems the game has seen in years. The brand-new cinematic trailer showcases the Zero Point fracturing following the events of the Shattered live event, reconfiguring the Island and birthing a new reality where players must compete for a resource as valuable as it is dangerous: Sprites

The season officially launched on June 6, 2026, marking one of the biggest gameplay overhauls in Fortnite since the introduction of Reality Augments.

The Shattered Event has changed the Island forever

The storyline of Runners picks up immediately after the previous season's finale.

The Zero Point explosion has shattered the sky and rearranged pieces of the Island into a brand-new region known as Shattered Coast. While many familiar landmarks remain, they now appear fused together, displaced, or completely transformed by the dimensional rift.

Players will drop into striking new Named Locations, including:

• Cluster Coast
• Heatwave Harbor
• Sunken Shores
• Sinister Strip
• Frosted Flats
• Lifty Lodge
• Chopped Shop

This fragmented geography makes every single match far less predictable than in previous seasons.

Sprites are the ultimate Season game-changer

The core mechanic of Runners revolves around Sprites, special entities scattered across the Island.

Unlike previous NPC iterations, players must now locate, capture, and transport these Sprites to specific extraction points while rival players attempt to steal them. If the extraction is successful, the Sprite is permanently added to the player's collection.

The risk, however, is immense.

If another player eliminates the carrier before the extraction is complete, the Sprite drops, allowing a rival to swoop in and reap the benefits.

Inter-match progression comes to Battle Royale

What makes Sprites truly groundbreaking is that their effects don't vanish when a match ends.

Every extracted Sprite is added to a persistent collection and can be summoned in future matches using a new currency called Sprite Dust. Depending on their rarity, certain Sprites allow players to start a match with extra shields, temporary invisibility, or offensive buffs capable of completely altering their early-game strategy.

This persistent system introduces genuine, inter-match progression—a massive departure from Fortnite’s standard Battle Royale formula.

A Season forged in risk and reward

Epic Games has described Runners as a season where power isn't simply found.

It's stolen.

Players will constantly have to make split-second decisions: risk it all to extract a high-value Sprite, or settle for conventional loot. The rarer the Sprite, the more powerful its future perks will be, but the larger the target on the carrier's back becomes before completing the extraction.

This high-stakes philosophy perfectly matches the tone of the trailer, where iconic characters desperately clash to control fragments of the new reality left behind by the Zero Point.

One of the most innovative seasons in years

Beyond the usual fresh cosmetics and map overhauls, Runners establishes a completely new blueprint for progression within Fortnite.

The fusion of permanent collections, high-pressure extraction, cross-match progression, and a shattered map makes Season 3 one of the most ambitious experiences Epic Games has delivered in a very long time.

And if the spectacular cinematic trailer makes one thing crystal clear, it's that the fracturing of the Zero Point didn't destroy the Island.

It transformed it into something much more dangerous.

And infinitely more valuable.