While we’re still waiting for the combined Disney and Epic Games universe to come to Fortnite, we’ve taken a massive step in that direction as Disney Parks has arrived in Fortnite for the first time thanks to Disneyland Game Rush. We had the opportunity to try out this Fortnite Island, created using the Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN), and found it to be an incredibly real experience that celebrates Disneyland’s 70th anniversary with fun yet memorable mini-games and environments inspired by beloved attractions like the Haunted Mansion, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, and more.
Disneyland Game Rush is a limited-time offer in Fortnite that will officially launch on November 6. You can simply search for the game title or jump right into the game by entering the island code 4617-4819-8826 to experience this modern adventure for free.
When you first enter Disneyland Game Rush and between minigames, you will be greeted on an esplanade modeled after the one between Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, complete with a 70th Anniversary Castle structure in the center. Around the perimeter you can see Sleeping Beauty Castle, the Haunted Mansion, Pixar Pier, the Matterhorn, and more, all of which create a very visually appealing Disney puzzle that I loved exploring.
You can also open gifts inspired by attractions or nightly shows, participate in Disneyland trivia for points, exchange tokens earned in mini-games for exclusive Disneyland 70s Island-inspired cosmetics such as Mickey Ears, a Spider-Bot hat, a Disneyland 70s-themed R2-D2 head, and even a Ghost Box backpack, among others. One of my favorite touches is that in each land you can find one Disneyland key and exchange it for a gold version of these cosmetics. For the uninitiated, the Disneyland Key is a physical toy key that can be used in the locks at Disneyland during its 70th anniversary celebration. Here it is presented in a clever and witty way.
Speaking of mini-games, there are seven that you and up to 11 other people can randomly compete in, and they are Disney Haunted Mansion: Scavenger Haunt, Matterhorn: Slip-and-Climb, Space Mountain: Rocket Race, Indiana Jones: Tomb Runner, Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Sneakout!, Star Wars: Stormtrooper Showdown, and WEB Slingers: Spider-Bot Blaster.
Disney Haunted Mansion: Scavenger Haunt was my favorite game because it gave me an excuse to run around the spooky halls of one of my favorite attractions with a flashlight and a freedom you don’t have in a real game. It also gets a lot of extra points for starting at the Temple with the iconic welcome speech and images that are real versions of Fortnite. While there isn’t really any purpose other than collecting coins, I just smiled so much when Grim Grinning Ghosts played over the speakers while I stumbled upon the Dining Room and got to dance with a group of ghosts, including Peely.
Star Wars: Stormtrooper Showdown was another favorite of mine because it put you aboard a First Order Star Destroyer and tasked you with destroying as many stormtroopers as possible. This was even more fun because you could face Kylo Ren and Captain Phasma, and if you beat them, you could take their weapons as yours. There are even lightsabers hidden throughout the level, which is always a welcome addition. Fans of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance will be ecstatic to know that you can also find an AT-AT and a laser cannon there.
I would put Matterhorn: Slip-and-Climb third because it’s probably the most disordered. You have to climb the Matterhorn with Grappler, but the surprise is that your feet then turn into blocks of ice. It’s fun swinging and climbing up the mountainside, but there was a lot of slipping, falling, and friends hilariously gliding past you in agony. But once I got the hang of it, it was an enjoyable experience with some good strategy thrown in, especially when I headed straight for Disneyland Key!
Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Stealth! comes in fourth place largely because it started with a welcome surprise in the form of “I Want You Back” by the Jackson 5. What followed was a 2D adventure in a space prison where you had to get past the guards and reach the Collector’s office on the highest level. There were some chilly touches in this level, with Milano floating outside and being able to throw Boogie Bombs at guards and friends to make them dance, but it wasn’t particularly invigorating and the guards took you out way too quickly.
Indiana Jones: Tomb Runner was next and it’s a race through a trap-filled level that has plenty of nods to Indy’s adventures, including giant boulders, spikes sticking out of the floor, and poison darts shooting from the walls. There are also speed boosts to aid you in your mission, but every time you touch a hazard you tardy down. It was tough to get a good pace as the traps seemed very tough to avoid, but maybe I’m just not that good at treasure hunting yet.
WEB Slingers: Spider-Bot Blaster was second to last for me, even though I liked how the team used the same models and animations as the Spider-Bots in WEB Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure at DCA. It’s a shooting gallery with a proliferation of Spider-Bots – normal ones, gold ones, and even a giant boss – but it’s not that engaging because you’re mostly just standing still in a window and shooting at bots and exploding barrels rather than running and jumping all over the place.
Finally, we have Space Mountain: Rocket Race. I like how this minigame starts in a space modeled after the real attraction, but the minigame itself runs on rails for a few minutes. The feeling of speed is nice and I love the classic Space Mountain music, but I didn’t feel like I really had any control over whether I won or lost, so I fell a few times and had to wait to respawn while I slowly fell into nothingness.
All in all, these mini-games are a fun activity and I’m very excited to take my friends with me in this experience until we can meet again at the real Disneyland. Sadly, I can’t imagine going back to them once the sparkle of life has passed in these incredibly well-crafted tributes to some of Disneyland’s top attractions.
But most of all, it makes me even more excited about the collaboration between Disney and Epic. As someone who has covered Disneyland extensively and visited Disneyland during its 70th anniversary celebration, I think it captured the atmosphere of these attractions and parks in a very special way. I mean, there’s even popcorn carts hanging around, a train line circling downtown, and finally a party where you can dance with Mickey in his best 70th anniversary costume.
Disneyland Game Rush, despite its name, does not give the impression of being a rushed game. This looks like a loving project created by Disney to celebrate the Disneyland milestone and give fans a chance to celebrate even if they can’t make it to Anaheim. I hope they can improve the Disney gameplay in the future, but I couldn’t be happier with how faithfully Disney Parks was first introduced to Fortnite.
Adam Bankhurst is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst, Instagram, AND TikTok, and listen to his program, Talking about the magic of Disney.
