Your Complete Guide to Unlocking the Free ‘Cheeks’ Hamster Skin in Fortnite Winterfest
Welcome back to NewsRum! If you have already followed our previous guide to snap up the frozen Glacial Dummy outfit, you know that Winterfest 2025 is generous with its free rewards.
But for many players, the real star of the show isn’t the frozen crash dummy; it’s the incredibly unique—and surprisingly adorable—outfit hidden in the biggest box in the lodge. We are talking, of course, about Cheeks, the hamster taking control of a human-sized mech suit.
If you are eager to add this fuzzy warrior to your locker, you need patience. Unlike other rewards, Cheeks is the grand finale of the event. Here is everything you need to know to unlock him.
How Many Presents Must You Open Before Cheeks?
While the Glacial Dummy required you to open seven gifts to unlock its availability, the Cheeks outfit is the ultimate reward for Winterfest 2025 dedication.
To unlock the Cheeks skin, you must open 13 other presents first.
Essentially, this means Cheeks is likely the very last present you will open during the main 14-day reward cycle. You cannot take a shortcut to get him early. The game requires you to claim almost every other cosmetic—from sprays and wraps to lobby music and gliders—before the Cheeks present becomes interactive.
Don’t panic if you are behind: Remember, Winterfest presents stack. If you miss a few days of logging in, you can enter the lodge and open multiple gifts in a row until you catch up to the current day.
Where is the Cheeks Present Located?
Knowing when you can open it is the hard part; finding it is easy. Epic Games didn’t hide this one in the corner.
The Cheeks skin is located inside the massive, square Gold Present with a Red Ribbon.
Location: It is almost always situated dead center in the Winterfest Lodge, usually right in front of the cozy fireplace or sitting prominently in the middle of the rug.
Visual Cue: It is significantly larger than the other boxes. Until you have opened the required 13 prerequisite gifts, shaking this box will usually result in a “Save for later!” message.
Why Cheeks is Worth the Wait
The Cheeks outfit is what the community often affectionately calls a “meme skin,” joining the ranks of iconic outfits like Peely or Fishstick.
It features a small, animated hamster named Cheeks piloting a cobbled-together mech suit that looks like a standard Fortnite character. It’s hilarious, creative, and a fantastic free addition for anyone who enjoys the lighter, more fun side of the Fortnite Battle Royale experience.
It is highly unusual for Epic Games to give away such a complex model for free, making this a must-have reward before the Winterfest lodge closes its doors in early January. Keep logging in, open those daily gifts, and enjoy your new hamster-powered mech!