Fortnite price hike 2026 – how to use it to teach kids about inflation

Epic Games’ Fortnite is putting its prices up this month. From the 19th of March, Fortnite will give players fewer V‑Bucks for the same real‑world money. Epic Games says the price rises are because “the cost of running Fortnite has gone up a lot" and they need to raise prices to "help pay the bills".

Millions of people play Fortnite every day, with the game being particularly popular with kids and teens. Fortnite itself is free to play, but most young players buy V-Bucks, Fortnite’s in-game currency.  

The price hike move has proved controversial, with many players saying they’ll boycott the game as a result. But, it’s also an opportunity to teach your kids about inflation in a way they understand and can relate to.  

What’s changing with Fortnite prices? 

Fortnite’s prices are going up from the 19th of March. Here’s what you can expect to get for your money later this month.  

V‑Bucks Bundles 

• $8.99 pack (around £7): now 800 V‑Bucks, down from 1,000.  

• $22.99 pack (around £18): now 2,400 V‑Bucks, down from 2,800.  

• $36.99 pack (around £29): now 4,500 V‑Bucks, down from 5,000.  

• $89.99 pack (around £70): now 12,500 V‑Bucks, down from 13,500.  

• Exact Amount purchases: 50 V‑Bucks will cost $0.99 (about 80p), up from $0.50 which is almost double.  

The cost of the packs themselves isn’t going up, but the amount of V-Bucks you get for your money is decreasing by around 20%, a great example of shrinkflation in action.  

Battle Pass 

The Battle Pass is also becoming less generous.  

• Costs 800 V‑Bucks (was 1,000). 

• Completing it now gives 800 V‑Bucks, previously players could earn up to 1,500.  

OG, Music & LEGO Passes 

• OG Pass: 800 V‑Bucks (was 1,000) 

• Music Pass: 1,200 V‑Bucks (was 1,400) 

• LEGO Pass: 1,200 V‑Bucks (was 1,400)  

The good news is that if you have a V-Bucks gift card, you won’t need to redeem it right away. Fortnite has confirmed you’ll be able to redeem it for its face value.  

How to use the Fortnite price hike to teach your kids about inflation  

Inflation is when your money buys less than it used to. Fortnite is a great way to show kids how this works in a way that affects them directly. The lesson is essentially: “You’re paying the same amount of real money, but you’re getting fewer V‑Bucks.” 

They’ll learn about what this means first hand when their V-Bucks don’t go as far as they usually do, particularly if you buy the same pack rather than buying extra packs to make up for the increase in prices.  

However, the price hike also opens up the opportunity to have discussions about how inflation works in real life. Here is how to start that conversation.

1. Explain the basics in kid‑friendly language 

You can tell them something like: “Last month, £7 got you 1,000 V‑Bucks. Now it gets you only 800. That means V‑Bucks are more expensive. That’s inflation, when prices go up, and your money doesn’t stretch as far.”  

They’ll understand what this means in practice when it takes longer to save up for their favourite character skins, for example.  

2. Explain why inflation happens 

Epic says it costs more to run Fortnite now, so they’re raising prices to “help pay the bills.” You can use this to explain broadly why inflation happens.  

• Things cost more to make or run (supply‑side inflation) - Just like Fortnite’s higher running costs, shops raise prices when their costs rise too. 

• Lots of people want something (demand‑side inflation)- If lots of people are willing to pay for an item, the price goes up to reflect this.  

3. Encourage value‑based thinking 

The rise in prices encourages them to think about the value of items. Some discussion questions you could ask include:  

• “Is this skin still worth it now V‑Bucks cost more?” 

• “Would you rather save for something else?” 

• “Is there a better value pack?” 

This teaches good spending habits early, as they start thinking about how to make their money go further when it’s worth less.  

4. Link it to how inflation affects your household 

You can explain how inflation works in the real world once they understand how the Fortnite example is likely to affect them.  

Real-life examples include the fact that the food shop costs more, travel and electricity is more expensive too, and this can put a strain on family budgets and cause some people to make cuts in their budgets.  

5. Open up the discussion if there’s interest  

If the impact of the Fortnite price hike sparks interest, it’s a good opportunity to have wider discussions about money, business, and the economy as a whole.  

Some potential questions to look into together might include:  

• Can companies change prices whenever they want? 

• What if players stop buying packs? 

• Will prices go down again? 

It’s a good opportunity to explain inflation without boring the kids as they tend to pay attention when it’s something that affects them directly.