Fortnite Skins Ranked - The 20 Best Fortnite Skins

This article first appeared on USgamer, a partner publication of VG247. Some content, such as this article, has been migrated to VG247 for posterity after USgamer's closure - but it has not been edited or further vetted by the VG247 team.

This list of Fortnite skins was originally published in April 2018. With the release of Fortnite Season 5, we've updated our rankings and added five more Fortnite skins.

As a free-to-play game, Fortnite Battle Royale's main draw for making money comes in one shade: microtransactions. "Battle Passes." "V-Bucks." Other little things. These are terms familiar to the most avid players of Fortnite Battle Royale; the former nets you new skins and other cosmetic goodies the more you play per a paid season pass, while the other is the in-game currency where you can buy Fortnite skins or gliders with pointed ease, and accelerate tier-growth towards rarer items in a Battle Pass.

Skins, a.k.a. costumes, are a highly desired item in any multiplayer game. In Overwatch, they're nabbed randomly in loot boxes with special edition skins hitting during events. In MOBAs, skins dress up the teensy pixels on the screen that you hardly even get too good of a look at. In Fortnite, skins are a mark of wealth in the free-to-play world. They show off to other players on the battlefield that hey, I have the money to spend on this game, and in some cases, the time to grind to get to the more coveted skins from the Battle Passes too. Everyone else looks notably lesser in comparison.

Best Fortnite Skins

And so, we decided to rank the twenty best Fortnite skins out of the game's current dozens available. Some are still attainable on a rotating basis (the store refreshes daily) and are purchasable via V-Bucks, which can either be earned (albeit slowly) in-game or bought with real world money. Fortnite Battle Royale also offers a Battle Pass per season, which costs 950 V-Bucks ($9.50) for the intro tier, or 2,800 V-Bucks through its Premium version that starts off at tier 25. If you're too eager to grind for experience, you can also level up faster with V-Bucks by buying EXP up to the next tier.

Other fortnite skins, sadly, have been whisked away by time and the promise of holiday-bound exclusivity—though some have made surprise, fleeting returns to the daily shop. It's a shame too, since some of the very best skins in Fortnite Battle Royale are the rarest ones. (Funny how that works, right?)

20. Tomatohead Fortnite Skin

Still in Rotation? Yes
Rarity: Epic (Purple)
Cost: 1,500 V-Bucks ($15)

The Tomatohead skin is kinda terrifying. It's based off the titular Tomato Town, a location on Fortnite Battle Royale's map that features a fast food joint. The giant tomato head that spins round and round from the top of a pole is an unmissable landmark, so Epic Games decided to pay homage to it with the Tomatohead skin. The skin itself is unsettling—the tomato helmet is the most unpleasant part of it, obviously—but it's lively and unexpected in the realm of Fortnite's battlefield. If you see the Tomatohead's ever-smiling face in the distance, I suggest building a wall and running away immediately.

19. Shadow Ops Fortnite Skin

Still in Rotation? Yes
Rarity: Epic (Purple)
Cost: 1,500 V-Bucks ($15)

Fortnite's Shadow Ops skin has been speculated to be inspired by another Epic Games property: Paragon. As you may have heard, Epic Games shuttered Paragon's servers in late April, opting to focus on their other games including Fortnite in its stead. Given how lucrative Fortnite Battle Royale (and to an extent, the PvE-focused Fortnite Save the World) has been, Epic Games probably made the right call. But Paragon won't be forgotten—it lives on in this Countess-inspired skin.

18. Skull Trooper Fortnite Skin

Still in Rotation? No
Rarity: Epic (Purple)
Cost: 1,500 V-Bucks ($15)

The Skull Trooper is actually a little dull as far as the fancier skins go, but the plus side is that it's of a skeleton. No frills. No weird embellishments. Just a skeleton, or rather, a crafty skeleton costume complete with face paint. And skeletons are always very cool! You can't go wrong with a skeleton skin. You may even trick the other player in the midst of the battle royale, tricking them into thinking you're just a fragment of environmental storytelling if you lean into the background a little, but then poof, you move and you're armed with a Rocket Launcher. Surprise. A guaranteed Victory Royale.

17. World Cup Fortnite Skins

Still Available? Yes
Rarity: N/A
Cost: 1,200 V-Bucks

It's been an exciting World Cup, hasn't it? Fortnite got in on the football (or soccer) action this year with some special limited time skins. It'd be useless to highlight one, even though all eight have their own unique names (from Clinical Crosser to Midfield Maestro). That's because regardless of which body you choose, the skins can be styled after one of the 24 competing countries. The number can be customized too, whether to highlight a favorite player or just your personal lucky number. We've seen evolvable Fortnite skins in the past (such as Omega), and it'd be cool to see more customizable ones like the World Cup-themed skins in the future too.

16. Wukong Fortnite Skin

Still in Rotation? No
Rarity: Legendary (Orange)
Cost: 2,000 V-Bucks ($20)

Wukong is where skins start getting just a little bit more expensive. Released around Chinese New Year as part of a celebration of the holiday, the Mythic Soldier shines with prominence on the battlefield. His shoulder blades glisten in the bright world of Fortnite, because of its bright gold armor. If you want the potential (but not really any potential) to blind a foe on the treacherous battlefield with your shoulderblades, then Wukong is one of the best skins to have for its sheer shininess.

15. Rook Fortnite Skin

Still Available? Yes
Rarity: Epic (Purple)
Cost: Tier 87 on Season 5 Battle Pass (base Battle Pass costs 950 V-Bucks)

Rook isn't quite at the very top, but the skin is still quite high compared to the rest. Rook is a battle-ready skin, with the character wearing a bulletproof vest and an outfit that looks like she just got off work and had to hop on the Battle Bus to commute home to a Victory Royale. She's outfitted with glasses too, which completes the look. In the grand scheme of skins, Rook's is one of the most subtle and actually battle royale-prepared of the entire game.

14. Bunny Brawler Fortnite Skin

Still in Rotation? No
Rarity: Epic (Purple)
Cost: 1,500 V-Bucks ($15)

Between the two Easter-related Fortnite skins—Bunny Brawler and Bunny Raider—the former is far cuter. The skin outfits the player in an adorable onesie that looks like pajamas from a kindergartner's closet. (Or older, as poor Ralphie from A Christmas Story learns.) The Bunny Brawler stands out as one of the skins that might not be tactically responsible, as its pastel blue hue and pointy bunny ears may stick out in the lush green world of Fortnite Battle Royale. But hey, the skin's adorable. So who the heck cares?

13. Power Chord Fortnite Skin

Still in Rotation? Yes
Rarity: Legendary (Orange)
Cost: 2,000 V-Bucks ($20)

Power Chord looks like a sad, weird video game envisioning of what punk is. It's like a Saints Row game's zaniest outfit combination. Or a band member in Guitar Hero. Or a Hot Topic gone wild. While it feels very tryhard in its aesthetic, the end result is actually quite cute. Namely, I'm really into the white fishnet top underneath the torn tank top, and the pink hair. If you want to stick out like a sore thumb in Fortnite Battle Royale, this is the most rockin' option.

12. Funk Ops Fortnite Skin

Still in Rotation? Yes
Rarity: Epic (Purple)
Cost: 1,500 V-Bucks ($15)

Funk Ops is pretty much a 1970s stereotype, but ignoring that front, Funk Ops is one of the best Fortnite skins to ever grace Battle Royale. With a bedazzled vest, headband, and killer glasses, Funk Ops is a funky callback to a long-lost era, even if it's an overdramatic version of it. Anyways, if you're a big Austin Powers fan or something, then Funk Ops is probably the go-to skin for you.

11. Omega Fortnite Skin

Still Available? No
Rarity: Legendary (Orange)
Cost: Tier 100 on Season 4 Battle Pass (base Battle Pass costs 950 V-Bucks)

The Omega skin is the most coveted skin on the new Season 4 Battle Pass. It's not achievable until unlocking Tier 100, which will take a long, long time for most players (unless they pay up). With the superhero theme for this season, the Omega skin is a full-body, all-black suit. Honestly, it looks a little bit like Black Panther, only with red swapped for the white accents. Of course, as with the John Wick-like skin, it's not actually Black Panther. But if you squint and have some imagination, it basically is.

10. Love Ranger Fortnite Skin

Still in Rotation? No
Rarity: Legendary (Orange)
Cost: 2,000 V-Bucks ($20)

Love Ranger pins players as Cupid himself, only as a Cupid made of stone. It's a unique skin among Fortnite Battle Royale due to his build and giant wings on his back. As a Valentine's themed skin, the likelihood of it popping back up in the daily rotation is very slim. But in the off-chance of love finding a way back onto Fortnite, then the Love Ranger skin is an ideal grab.

9. Dark Voyager Fortnite Skin

Still Available? No
Rarity: Legendary (Orange)
Cost: Tier 70 on Season 3 Battle Pass (base Battle Pass costs 950 V-Bucks)

The Battle Pass for Season 3 has the most stacked collection of exclusive Fortnite skins yet. Dark Voyager is among them. There are three astronaut-inspired skins for the particular collection, but Dark Voyager edges the others out on top with its slick all-black get-up. It'd be great if Fortnite Battle Royale had a space map, because then you'd really blend in with the darkness of the universe. If you've ever had a dream of being an astronaut and partaking in a battle royale, then there's no better skin for you.

8. Valor Fortnite Skin

Still Available? No
Rarity: Legendary (Orange)
Cost: Tier 71 on Season 4 Battle Pass (base Battle Pass costs 950 V-Bucks)

Valor is one of the seven skins introduced in Season 4 of Fortnite's latest Battle Pass. It's the most emblematic of the light heroic-themed season, featuring a woman with a superhero suit. She looks very, very rad and out of place in Fortnite Battle Royale, like she's about to save a school bus of children rather than pick up guns and blast away strangers on a meteor-struck island. It's that unexpected quality that makes Valor stand out in Season 4's Battle Pass.

7. Sleuth Fortnite Skin

Still Available? Yes
Rarity: Epic (Purple)
Cost: 1,500 V-Bucks

The Sleuth skin dropped in early July, alongside other hardboiled detective inspired skins, Noir and Gumshoe. Among them, Noir and Sleuth have the most in common. But for noir fans like myself, Sleuth veers closest to the genre it's inspired by. With a big ol' beige trench coat and a low-tipped hat, on Fortnite's battlefield, it might be easy to mistake a Sleuth-wearing player as a Sam Spade-like.

6. Ragnarok Fortnite Skin

Still Available? Yes
Rarity: Legendary (Orange)
Cost: Tier 100 on Season 5 Battle Pass (base Battle Pass costs 950 V-Bucks)

We've seen evolvable Fortnite skins recently, called "progressive skins," and for Season 5 they return. Though they're now at a smaller capacity. Among them is Ragnarok. At the start, Ragnarok is a scraggly bald man with a blue beard and glowing white eyes. Overtime, Ragnarok turns into something more menacing the more that you play as him. His bald head turns into a gigantic skull with huge antlers. His beard, beneath the skull, is lush with a bunch of tiny ponytails keeping it in place. The Ragnarok is easily the best skin of Season 5's offerings, it's a shame it's being kept all the way up at the highest tier: 100.

5. Raven Fortnite Skin

Still in Rotation? Yes
Rarity: Legendary (Orange)
Cost: 2,000 V-Bucks ($20)

Raven is the newest skin to reach Fortnite Battle Royale, and it's already ignited fan adoration far and wide. It's one of the new legendary skins to be launched into the game's regular rotation, which are sadly few outside of special holiday events. The Raven skin also looks hardly like what you'd imagine an Edgar Allen Poe-inspired figure to look like. In fact, players are already drawing comparisons to Destiny's sneaky weekend salesman Xur. So if you're still mad about Destiny 2, then you might as well take out your frustrations on all the Raven-wearing players in Fortnite Battle Royale.

4. Crackshot Fortnite Skin

Still in Rotation? No
Rarity: Legendary (Orange)
Cost: 2,000 V-Bucks ($20)

Crackshot is a downright terrifying skin. At first, you may think this is an ordinary man. But Crackshot is no ordinary man. He is a man that wears a giant nutcracker head for some reason. There are no chestnuts to be crunched down in sight, and it's a tactically foolish skin to be wearing at all (that helmet sticks way out). Yet artistically, it's one of Fortnite Battle Royale's very best. It's holiday themed, without feeling too bent on that Winter season. Every day can be jolly with a nutcracker building impossible structures at your side.

3. Flytrap Fortnite Skin

Still Available? Yes
Rarity: Legendary (Orange)
Cost: 2,000 V-Bucks

The Flytrap skin is creepy looking. He has a face that resembles a stern villain from a comic book, and details to match. His spikes will no doubt stick out high across Fortnite's island, as if waving a flag that says "I'm right here, try and get me." And yet, the Flytrap skin impresses compared to so many other rotating skins. He fits no particular theme, no holiday, no special event. He's just a human fly trap, ready to consume whatever poor soul floats his way.

2. Leviathan Fortnite Skin

Still in Rotation? Yes
Rarity: Legendary (Orange)
Cost: 2,000 V-Bucks ($20)

Leviathan was an adorably unexpected addition to Fortnite Battle Royale earlier this year. It's a skin that's a lot similar to the astronaut ones in Season 3's Battle Pass, only with Leviathan, the helmet doesn't house a human head—but a fish. The fish looks pretty mean too, with a furrowed brow and rude look on its face. The suit itself is a pretty, iridescent teal and a glossy white. It's easily the best of the astronaut-like skins, and because of that, is one of the best skins in the entire game.

1. The Reaper Fortnite Skin

Still Available? No
Rarity: Legendary (Orange)
Cost: Tier 100 on Season 3 Battle Pass (base Battle Pass costs 950 V-Bucks)

The Reaper is a not-so-subtle pop culture reference for the ages. The Reaper is not a nod to Reaper from Overwatch, nor Reaper from, well, any of the dozens of other games with a character named reaper. The Reaper is instead a skin that gestures towards the John Wick films, an action series starring Keanu Reeves as he gets revenge on the death of his dog (among other things). The John Wick movies are exhilarating and have become a big hit for good reason (the dude doesn't even let reloading a gun slow him down). For arguably the biggest game in North America right now to directly bow to the legendary hitman himself, that's something that parallels no other Fortnite skin, and that's why it is the very best that Fortnite Battle Royale has to offer right now.

Until next season, probably. And the season after that.