Fortnite Chapter 5 Item Shop is so “horrible” players are begging to spend money

Nathan Warby
Morty skin in Fortnite

Fortnite players have hit out at the Item Store options in Chapter 5 Season 1, with many claiming they want to spend money on in-game but there aren’t enough new skins to choose from.

Fortnite‘s battle royale has always been free-to-play ever since it first launched back in 2017. Instead of charging players for entry, it relies on the Battle Pass and in-game store purchases to keep itself going and generate profit.

Epic Games have managed to keep the community satisfied by regularly releasing new skins to the store. Many of these have been collaborations with major franchises or stars, from Marvel and Star Wars to Eminem and The Weeknd.

However, since the start of Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1, players have been disappointed with the lack of new skins in the Item Shop, as well as how little the stock seems to change, with many pointing out that the cosmetics on offer have been mostly the same for around “two weeks.”

Ahead of the daily store rotation on January 3, well-known leaker Shiina posted on X (formerly Twitter), saying, “Epic please give me a reason to spend money in tonight’s shop.” Then, after seeing the latest offerings, they followed up the next day with: “Fortnite is currently more free-to-play than ever before.”

Plenty of other players have called out the “horrible” and “depressing” Item Shop in Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1 so far, with many mentioning that the likes of the Rick and Morty skins have returned to the store multiple times without any new characters being released.

“Opening Fortnite item shop to see the same f***ing skins that have been there for like a month already,” said ‘hyunjinabby’ on X, before ‘Idontooflol’ added: “The Fortnite item shop is worse [than] the 2008 market crash.”

However, not all players have been frustrated with the state of the Fortnite Item Shop, as some have welcomed the break from new skins being rolled out.

“It’s been good for me. No new stuff means no buying. I own 1,400 something skins, all the vehicles, most the wraps and that’s already a lot,” said another X user.

It’s worth keeping in mind that much of the Epic Games team has likely been on a holiday break, which could have contributed to the number of new items slowing down. Either way, many players will be hoping that more fresh skins arrive ahead of Chapter 5 Season 2.

About The Author

Nathan is a Senior Writer at CharlieIntel. He’s an expert in EA Sports FC, Call of Duty, and Overwatch, as well as superhero games, including Marvel’s Spider-Man. With a master's degree in Magazine Journalism from Nottingham Trent University, he worked as a Trainee Reporter for Derbyshire Live before moving into games media, with bylines at Dexerto, Cultured Vultures, and more. You can contact Nathan by email at [email protected].