Dubai in Fortnite: from November 11, 2026, the city will be playable worldwide as its own island. "Dubai Developed in Fortnite 2033" comes from the DMCC Gaming Centre and studio Wild Unlimited. Here's which landmarks made the cut, how to get in and what's behind the project.

DMCC (Dubai Multi Commodities Centre) announced on November 2, 2026 that "Dubai Developed in Fortnite 2033" goes live worldwide in Fortnite on November 11. The island was built by Wild Unlimited in Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN), the toolset creators use to build and publish their own islands. One important detail: according to the announcement, the project is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by Epic Games. So this isn't an official season event, but an independent creator island.

Dubai in Fortnite: the landmarks on the island

Players get an open world filled with famous spots from the city. According to DMCC, the first edition features ten locations: Al Fahidi Fort, Almas Tower, Uptown Dubai, Skydive Dubai, Deep Dive Dubai, Kite Beach, SALT, Dubai Harbour, X-Dubai and the American University in Dubai (AUD).

It's an interesting mix. The historic Al Fahidi Fort, home to the Dubai Museum, sits alongside modern office towers like Almas Tower in the DMCC district and leisure spots such as Skydive Dubai and the Deep Dive Dubai pool. That makes the island more of a city guide meets playground than a one-to-one recreation of the skyline.

Gameplay: what you'll do on the Dubai island

DMCC describes an open-world, team-based experience built around exploration, competitive challenges and team objectives. What those challenges actually look like hasn't been shown yet. More destinations, gameplay features and opportunities for creators and partners are planned for future editions.

One neat detail from development: Wild Unlimited ran UEFN masterclasses at Uptown Dubai and the American University in Dubai. AUD students rebuilt their own campus during a session in February, and that build is now part of the island.

Launch event, the "Dubai Drop" AR campaign and the gaming strategy

The November 11 launch comes with a public launch event and "Wild Game Fest" at SALT on Kite Beach, featuring creator activations and community tournaments. The "Dubai Drop" AR campaign has been running since November 1: residents collect AR collectibles around the city and compete for partner prizes they can redeem at Wild Game Fest. DMCC says the campaign runs separately from the Fortnite island.

The project is part of the Dubai Program for Gaming 2033, launched by Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed in November 2023. By 2033, Dubai wants to rank among the world's top ten gaming cities, create 30,000 new industry jobs and add around $1 billion to its GDP. The program has shown up in Europe before, too: at Gamescom 2025 in Cologne, Dubai ran its own government pavilion, with DMCC on board.

Dubai in Fortnite: FAQ

When does Dubai Developed in Fortnite 2033 launch?

The island goes live worldwide on November 11, 2026. DMCC and Wild Unlimited haven't announced an exact time yet.

Is the Dubai island an official Fortnite event?

No. It's an independent creator island built in UEFN. According to the announcement, Epic Games does not sponsor, endorse or administer the project.

Does the Dubai island cost anything?

There's no word on that yet, nor on the island code or platforms. That said, Fortnite creator islands are generally free to access from within the game.

Our take

City marketing through a Fortnite island isn't new, but Dubai goes further than most with student involvement, an AR campaign and a real-world launch event. Let's be clear, though: this is first and foremost tourism and business promotion. Whether the island holds up as a game or ends up as a pretty sightseeing tour depends on how good the team objectives and challenges turn out to be. We'll check out Dubai in Fortnite from November 11.

Sources: DMCC press release (Nov 2, 2026), WAM, UAE state news agency (Nov 2, 2026), Dubai Future Foundation on the Dubai Program for Gaming 2033