You've seen the memes. You've heard the rumors. Maybe you've even been absolutely shredded by a lightsaber-wielding sweat in the middle of a Zero Build match and thought, "Man, wouldn't it be cool to be a four-armed robotic menace?" Well, if you are looking for how to get General Grievous in Fortnite, the reality is a little bit more complicated than just hitting a "buy" button.
Let’s be real for a second. Epic Games loves Star Wars. They love it more than almost any other franchise. We’ve had multiple versions of Anakin, Obi-Wan, Darth Vader, and even the obscure Krrsantan from the comics. But as of right now, General Grievous is one of those glaring omissions that makes the community lose its mind every May 4th. He isn't currently sitting in the Item Shop. You can't unlock him via a secret quest chain in the current season. He is, quite literally, the white whale for Star Wars fans in the Fortnite ecosystem.
Is General Grievous Actually in the Game Files?
Whenever a big update drops, data miners like ShiinaBR or HYPEX go digging through the code. They find everything. They find skins months before they release. They find "Placeholders" that hint at future collaborations. Regarding General Grievous, there have been countless "leaks" on TikTok and YouTube that are, frankly, total clickbait.
Don't fall for the fake thumbnails. If you see a video of Grievous doing the Griddy, it’s almost certainly a private server mod or a very well-made concept. Epic hasn't officially added his character model to the backend yet. Why? It probably comes down to the "Rigging" problem. Grievous is a weird shape. He’s tall, hunched, and has four arms. Fortnite skins have to fit a specific "hitbox" so that players don't have an unfair advantage (or disadvantage). Making Grievous work without looking like a crumpled piece of tinfoil is a genuine technical hurdle for the developers.
How to Get General Grievous in Fortnite When He Drops
Historically, there are only three ways a character of this caliber enters the game. You've basically got the Item Shop, the Battle Pass, or a Mini-Pass.
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If he’s an Item Shop skin, he’ll likely cost around 1,500 to 2,000 V-Bucks. Epic usually bundles these with a "Cloak" back bling and maybe a "Buzzing" emote where he coughs—because, you know, he’s got those organic lungs that don't quite work right. If he’s part of a Star Wars event (like the ones we usually see in May), he might be the "Premium Track" reward for a Star Wars Mini-Pass, similar to how Darth Maul was handled.
Wait for the Star Wars crossover windows. They usually happen in May for "May the 4th" or when a new Disney+ show premieres. If a Clone Wars anniversary or a new prequel-era project gets announced, that is your best bet for seeing Grievous finally make his debut.
The Concept of "Legacy" Skins and Star Wars Events
Fortnite’s relationship with Star Wars is deep. We’ve seen the "Find the Force" event which brought Force powers into the game. During these events, lightsabers are unvaulted. While we don't have the Grievous skin yet, his presence is felt through the gameplay mechanics. Imagine a Grievous Mythic item where you could actually wield four lightsabers at once. It would be broken. It would be chaos. It would be exactly what Fortnite players want.
Honestly, the demand is so high that it feels inevitable. You’ve got to remember that Epic Games plays the long game. They held onto Darth Vader for years before putting him in a Battle Pass. They waited for the Ahsoka show to release her updated look. Grievous is a "break glass in case of emergency" skin—something they’ll drop when they want a massive spike in player engagement.
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What to Avoid While Waiting
Since you're searching for how to get General Grievous in Fortnite, you're going to see a lot of scams.
- V-Buck Generators: These don't work. They never have. They just want your account password.
- Skin Changers: Some third-party software lets you change your local files so you see Grievous, but other players see you as a default skin. Be careful. Epic’s anti-cheat (Easy Anti-Cheat) can flag modified files, and you really don't want to lose your account over a cosmetic mod.
- "Leaked" Creative Maps: There are Creative maps that claim to give you the skin. They are just XP farms. They can't give you items that aren't in your Locker.
Why the Grievous Skin is Such a Technical Nightmare
Think about the way skins work in Fortnite. Every character has to be able to do every emote. Grievous doing the "Billy Bounce" or "Orange Justice" requires his limbs to move in ways that might break the character model.
In the films, Grievous is exceptionally tall. In Fortnite, if you make a skin too tall, their head pokes out above cover where other players' heads wouldn't. This creates a "Pay to Lose" scenario. Epic usually handles this by slightly shrinking the characters—look at the Hulk or Thanos skins. They’re big, but they aren't "accurate" to their lore size. Grievous will likely get the same treatment. He’ll be scaled down to roughly the size of a standard human character, which might look a little goofy at first, but it’s the only way to keep the game fair.
Preparation Steps for the Next Star Wars Update
If you want to be ready for the moment the "General Grievous" notification hits your phone, there are a few things you should do right now.
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First, stockpile some V-Bucks. Don't spend them all on the latest Marvel or anime collab if you're a die-hard Star Wars fan. You'll want at least 2,500 V-Bucks to cover a potential "Bundle" that includes his ship (The Soulless One) as a glider.
Second, keep an eye on the official @FortniteGame Twitter (X) account around late April. That is when the Star Wars teasers usually start leaking out. They’ve done it every year for ages.
Third, check the "Star Wars" section of the Item Shop daily when it returns. Sometimes Epic drops "Wave 2" or "Wave 3" characters a few days after the initial event starts.
The Bottom Line
General Grievous is not in Fortnite right now. He hasn't been a Battle Pass reward, and he hasn't hit the Item Shop yet. But given how much Epic relies on the Star Wars brand, it’s a matter of "when," not "if." When he finally arrives, expect him to be the centerpiece of a major update, likely featuring his iconic lightsabers as a Mythic weapon you can loot from a specific NPC boss on the map.
Keep your gold bars ready and your eyes on the horizon. The cyborg general is too big of a character to stay out of the loop forever.
Actionable Next Steps
- Save your V-Bucks: Aim for a 2,000 V-Buck cushion so you aren't scrambling when the shop resets.
- Follow verified leakers: Only trust sources like Shiina or HYPEX for actual file-based evidence of upcoming skins.
- Monitor the May 4th window: This is historically the only time major Star Wars additions are guaranteed.
- Ignore "Skin Granting" websites: Protect your Epic Games account by avoiding any site asking for login credentials in exchange for "rare" skins.