Fortnite Pirate Token odds: 1 in 137,500 chests, per Epic

Until Epic spoke, the number going around was 1 in 700,000 chests, a community estimate Pirat Nation repeated on November 3. Epic's own figure, posted on November 7 after players demanded it, is about five times better: 1 in 137,500. That still means a player who opens 1,000 chests has well under a 1% chance of finding one.

What are the Fortnite Pirate Token odds?

Every chest you open in a normal match of Fortnite has a 1 in 137,500 chance of giving Pirate Shop Access, according to the drop rates Epic posted on the Fortnite Status account on November 7, 2026. Epic says the treasure rates "are constant since season launch and don't vary throughout the day, except during Treasure Hours," and that, Gizmos aside, "you can't get the same treasure twice." Here is the full list, with our own maths on what it means over 1,000 chests.

Put another way, you'd need to open about 95,000 chests to have even odds of finding Pirate Shop Access outside a Treasure Hour. Epic posted the numbers after days of complaints; IGN reports that some players had gone as far as tagging the US Federal Trade Commission over the missing odds.

https://x.com/FortniteStatus/status/2119202610322227327

How do you get the Pirate Token in Fortnite?

You get it by opening chests in Battle Royale on the new Crossbones Isle, and nothing else. Epic's post says the treasure "is found in chests just like other items," and when a player asked about bought accounts and farming tools on November 3, Fortnite Status answered that "buying an account or using fake tools is a scam" and that "every player has an equal opportunity to find Pirate Shop Access." There's no quest, map marker or purchase that unlocks it.

Since the odds are per chest, the only lever is how many chests you open. Epic's v43.00 patch notes help there: chests "now refill over time, so you can open them again after a while," and the Fortune Sprite reveals nearby chests. On November 6, Fortnite Status said vault chests and floors are now unbreakable, so you need a Vault Key to get at what's inside. The first player known to have found one, X user snowslept, told Dexerto it came on their third match, in a Solos lobby, after about 150 chests, from a chest that "looked like any other chest."

When is the next Fortnite Treasure Hour?

Treasure Hours, the boosted windows many players still call Power Hours, now run on Saturdays: Fortnite Status said on November 4 that they "move to Saturdays, rounding out each week before a new Captain arrives Sunday." If that holds, the next one is Saturday, November 14, but Epic hadn't posted its times as of November 8. The November 7 windows ran from 2 to 4 p.m. ET and 9 to 11 p.m. ET, which is 19:00 to 21:00 and 02:00 to 04:00 (November 8) in the UK.

The boost isn't fixed. Treasure Hours give increased odds on three treasures only: during them Pirate Shop Access drops at 1.5x its normal rate (about 1 in 91,700 chests, our maths), the Weekly Gold Outfit at 7.5x and the Weekly Vehicle and Decal at 10x. Epic says "these rates may be higher in future Treasure Hours" and that it will announce it when they are: for the evening window on November 7, Pirate Shop Access went to 2.0x (1 in 68,750) and the Gold Outfit to 10x.

The November 7 session was branded Fortune Treasure Hours, with every player dropping in with A$AP Rocky's Shock Rocket and a Self-Revive. Each week also has a Captain's Day on Sunday: the one on November 8 at 9 a.m. ET brings a new Captain to the Stronghold, according to the same Fortnite Status post.

How do you use the Pirate Shop, and when does it end?

Epic hasn't published the Pirate Shop's terms anywhere outside the game, so these come from the in-game details reported on launch day. Finding Pirate Shop Access doesn't start the clock: Shacknews says you open the Item Shop from the lobby, pick "Plunder the Shop" and then Activate Now. From that moment, everything the Item Shop sells for V-Bucks can be claimed free for 14 days.

Per Dexerto, citing dataminer HYPEX, the reward actually holds two activations. The 2026 one has to be used by December 15, 2026, and the second can be used from January 1 to December 15, 2027. Real-money offers, gifting and Battle Pass levels and rewards aren't included, the reward can't be moved to another account, and only one free Sidekick you don't already own can be claimed. snowslept said items claimed this way stay on the account and that Jam Tracks count. Shacknews also reports that when one player finds the token, the whole squad gets access; Epic hasn't confirmed that.

How long it keeps dropping is less clear. Treasure Hunters started on November 1, and Fortnite Status has said the next big update arrives on December 5, the day the new LEGO Pass drops. Epic hasn't said whether Pirate Shop Access leaves the chest pool then.

Is the Pirate Token real, or rigged?

It's real, and Epic's position is that it's pure chance. The official odds are the same for every chest and every player outside Treasure Hours, which rules out the time-of-day theories, and Epic's post mentions no way to raise them besides Treasure Hours. "Compass" routes, chest-farming methods and trackers are community ideas Epic hasn't endorsed. The bigger risk is scams: Pirat Nation reported accounts with the token listed for sale at up to $10,000, and Epic's reply called buying one a scam.

What we don't know yet

• The times and boost levels for the next Treasure Hours, including whether November 14 follows the November 7 pattern.
• When Treasure Hunters ends and whether Pirate Shop Access stops dropping with the December 5 update, plus the exact cutoff hour for the 2026 activation.
• Whether finding the token in a squad gives access to the whole team; that's reported, not confirmed by Epic.

Sources

• Fortnite Status: drop rates
• Fortnite Status: Treasure Hours schedule
• Fortnite Status: scam warning
• Epic: v43.00 patch notes
• Dexerto: Pirate Shop terms