You may not be able to explore the vast majesty of space in the same way that the four-person crew of the Artemis II is, but you can still get an up-close-and-personal view of the moon… in Fortnite, at least.
While you may not be able to slingshot around Earth's own lunar body, space enthusiasts can see a little bit of what the Artemis II crew is seeing by spending time on the Lunar Horizons Fortnite map right now. The map is a creative collaboration between Fortnite's creator, Epic Games, and the European Space Agency. Lunar Horizons was released in 2024 after extensive testing and play from ESA trainee astronauts.
If you're looking to learn more about our own orbiting body, the Lunar Horizons map is an educational simulation of the surface of the moon's South Pole.
It blends game mechanics with learning, as players get to build up their own sterile lunar habitat bases, interact with ESA astronauts and roll around with robotic rovers as they discover informative plaques that contain information about the moon and international space agencies. There are still dangers to navigate, too -- a solar storm may strike when you least expect it.
If you're interested in exploring the moon, we've got all the information you need to join in on the Fortnite fun below. And if you're looking for a more serious livestream during this momentous human achievement, tune into NASA's feed here.
You can build a lunar base and escape solar storms in Fortnite.
Epic Games/Screenshot by CNETWatch this: NASA's Artemis II Breaks Record With Trip Around The Moon
How to join the Moon Fortnite island while you follow the Artemis II mission
The Lunar Horizons Fortnite map is a great educational simulation that shares details about ESA's work and catalogs information about humanity's lunar research.
These three simple steps will get you up and running (or more accurately, taking slow leaps and bounds) on the surface of the Lunar Horizons Fortnite map:
Download Fortnite
If you haven't played Fortnite before, but you want to check out this limited-time event, you'll have to download the game. If you're on PC, you can download Fortnite for free from the Epic Games Store. Console players can navigate the PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store or Nintendo eShop in order to download Fortnite on their devices.
Navigate the in-game menus until you reach the Search button
Once you're in the game, scroll down past the different official Fortnite game modes and the Discover tab until you find the Search button.
Input the Lunar Horizons island code
In the search bar, you can input a map's name or its distinct search code in order to find it in the map directory. You can search for the Lunar Horizons map or input the code 3207-0960-6428 to explore this map in time.
Correction, 3:35 p.m. PT: This story initially was in error about the features available in the Lunar Horizons map. There is no Artemis II-specific mission in Fortnite. Rather, the Lunar Horizons map is an educational simulation of part of the moon's surface.