Build Worlds, Build Bonds: Fortnite Sidekicks Now Available as NPCs for Your Islands
Fortnite Sidekicks are now available as scriptable NPCs in Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN), expanding the types of creature-based games you can build—including monster battlers, cozy farming games, creature-collection RPGs, companion adventures, and more. Start building today and publish your islands starting July 23.
Customize how Sidekicks look, script their behavior with Verse, and animate them. You can even bring a player's own Sidekick into your game, putting the companion they already know at the heart of your experience.
These islands will be eligible for featuring in a new creature-based Collection page, along with additional Discover featuring opportunities via Epic’s Picks and a Callout. For details on the Creature Callout and how to submit, visit the forums.
Sidekicks as NPCs
Creating
Fortnite Sidekicks are available through the NPC Spawner device and behave like any other NPC, driven by the same controls and Verse APIs you already use. You’ll also find a new Sidekick-specific reaction system (npc_sidekick_component) for following, fetching, fleeing, attacking, and reacting to what's happening in your game.
All Fortnite Sidekicks are available in the NPC spawner for you to use. Licensed Sidekicks (e.g., SpongeBob, Itchy, Super Meat Boy) can’t be used as NPCs.
Note: not all weapons can deal damage to Sidekicks. You can see the full list of weapons here.
Customizing
Shape how each Sidekick looks so every NPC feels distinct and a part of your game world—a fierce monster, friendly farm critter, or oversized boss.
Customization options vary by Sidekick, with each one supporting between four and eight preset channels that adjust attributes like body shape, color and patterns, eye style, distinguishing features, and outfit. You can also adjust each Sidekick’s size, health and shield values, and whether they can be damaged by regular weapons.
You can’t build a new Sidekick from scratch, but the variant range is wide enough to give every creature in your island a unique appearance and personality.
Syncing
With Cosmetic Sync, you can add an NPC that transforms into a player's equipped Sidekick (including licensed Sidekicks) when they join your island. This means a Sidekick NPC you’ve created takes the form of the Sidekick they own, opening the door to richer adventures built around their companions.
Whether their Sidekick is joining the action, helping on quests, or exploring alongside them, Cosmetic Sync gives you a way to design games where the creature a player already knows becomes part of the experience.
Animating
Animate Sidekicks with a full library of ready-to-use animation states. Four new presets—sleep, eat, react, and action—cover idle moments, feeding loops, hit reactions, and a generic action state. Pair these with the Sidekick reaction states already used in Fortnite: happy, dance, emote, angry, worried, and attack.
Control Rig support will be added in a later release, and you'll be able to author custom animations like bespoke combat, traversal, or signature animations beyond the four preset states.
New Galleries, Props and Prefabs
Discover new assets–available in UEFN and Fortnite Creative–designed for the types of games where Sidekicks shine:
- Pet care: treats, toys, grooming gear, and accessories
- Plumpton Village: a quaint country life architecture kit and prefabs
- Farm and homestead: barns, crop fields, fencing, and training grounds
- Updated Foliage: new and improved grass and flower options for landscapes
Plumpton Feature Example
Get started with the Plumpton feature example for UEFN, a pre-built homestead perfect for creature companions. This project includes Sidekick NPCs, a farmhouse, crop fields, training grounds, and more.
Tutorials and Documentation
Learn more about bringing Sidekicks to life in your islands: