South Park hits Fortnite this week: 5-player squads and mech skins detailed

Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny join Fortnite on January 9. Here is why they are wearing mech suits and how the new 5-player squads work.

South Park Fortnite Release Date: Skins, Cartmanland & Squads

South Park is finally coming to Fortnite. After years of rumours and fan requests, Epic Games has confirmed the collaboration launches this Friday, January 9.

But there is a catch. You won't be playing as the small, 2D-style kids you know from the show. Instead, Stan, Kyle, Cartman, Kenny, and Butters are arriving in mech suits. It looks bizarre, but there is a practical reason for it.

Alongside the skins, the update brings a new map location and a massive change to squad sizes. This follows a busy week of gaming leaks, including reports of a Starcraft shooter from Blizzard.

Here is everything you need to know about the crossover.

The Skins: Why the Mech Suits?

Epic Games confirmed the lineup includes Stan, Kyle, Cartman, Kenny, and Butters. They are available from January 9 until February 5.

The design choice is purely technical. Fortnite requires every character to share the same "hitbox" (the invisible area where shots register). If Cartman was his actual height, he would be impossible to hit behind cover. If he was stretched to human height, it would look terrifying.

The solution: Each character pilots a mech-like suit that matches standard Fortnite proportions. We saw a similar approach with Bart and Lisa in the Simpsons collaboration, though Homer and Marge appeared normally.

New Mode: 5-Player Squads

This is arguably the biggest gameplay change. For the first time, Fortnite is introducing 5-player squads.

The lore reason is solid. In the "Born in Chaos" animated short, Butters gets left out of the standard 4-player group. As his villain alter-ego Professor Chaos, he uses the Stick of Truth to force the game to accept five players.

Key details:

Availability: Limited time only (Jan 9 – Feb 5)
Squad Size: 5 players (up from standard 4)
Origin: Introduced via Professor Chaos event

If you usually have that one friend sitting out in the lobby, this month is for you. It’s a mechanic players have wanted for years, much like the team-based shifts rumoured for MachineGames' next Wolfenstein project.

Cartmanland and Items

The update adds "Cartmanland" as a new Point of Interest (POI). Unlike the Simpsons event, which transformed the entire map into Springfield, this is described as a "chunk of the map".

You can also expect:

Cameos: Towlie and other characters will appear as NPCs in Cartmanland.
Items: Cheesy Poofs (likely a health/shield consumable).
Backstory: The "Born in Chaos" short explains how they arrived.

UAE Pricing and Release

While global dates are confirmed for January 9, exact UAE timing usually follows the standard daily shop rotation (typically 4:00 AM GST the following day or with a midday patch).

Pricing TBC: Epic hasn't listed the V-Bucks cost yet. Based on previous major collabs, expect individual skins to cost around 1,500 V-Bucks (approx. Dhs 30-40 worth), with bundles offering better value.

Comparison: South Park vs. Simpsons Events

Here is how this crossover stacks up against previous animation partnerships:

Feature	South Park x Fortnite	The Simpsons x Fortnite
Character Design	All characters in Mechs (Hitbox consistency)	Kids in Mechs, Adults standard
Map Changes	Single POI (Cartmanland)	Full map transformation (Springfield)
Gameplay	5-Player Squads (New)	Standard modes only

Should You Buy It?

If you are a fan of the show, the 5-player squad mechanic alone makes this event worth logging into. The skins are weird, yes. But in a game where a banana can fight John Wick, a mech-suit Cartman fits right in.

FAQs

When does South Park come to Fortnite in the UAE?

The event runs from Friday, January 9 until February 5. In the UAE, content usually goes live with the global shop reset or scheduled patch updates.

How much do the South Park skins cost?

Official pricing isn't confirmed yet. However, premium collaboration skins typically cost 1,500 V-Bucks individually, with discounted bundles likely available.

Why are the South Park characters in mech suits?

To keep the game fair. South Park kids are too short for Fortnite's standard hitboxes. The mech suits allow them to match the height of other players so they can be hit fairly.