If you have been eyeing the Dart Monkey Sidekick in Fortnite, you are not alone. This crossover cosmetic from Ninja Kiwi’s Bloons TD 6 has players everywhere looking for the cheapest way to add it to their Locker. The good news? You do not need to spend a single V-Buck if you go about it the right way.
Our team dug through the official Epic Games FAQ, Reddit threads, and player reports to piece together exactly how to get the Fortnite Bloons TD 6 Sidekick for free (or close to it). There are two main paths: purchasing Bloons TD 6 on the Epic Games Store, which unlocks the sidekick as a loyalty reward, or buying it directly in the Fortnite Item Shop with V-Bucks.
In this guide, we walk you through both methods, cover the tricky eligibility rules that trip up most players, and share troubleshooting tips if the sidekick does not show up. Let’s get into it.
The Dart Monkey Sidekick is a cosmetic pet item in Fortnite that belongs to the Gaming Legends series. It is modeled after the iconic Dart Monkey from Bloons TD 6, the popular tower defense game developed by Ninja Kiwi. Once equipped, the little monkey follows your character around during matches, just like any other pet sidekick in the game.
This crossover collaboration between Epic Games and Ninja Kiwi launched on April 23, 2026, at 8:00 PM ET. The sidekick was added as a loyalty reward for players who purchase Bloons TD 6, but it is also available separately in the Fortnite Item Shop for anyone who just wants the cosmetic without the full game.
As a Gaming Legends cosmetic, it slots into your pet sidekick slot. It does not affect gameplay at all. It is purely cosmetic, but it is a fun nod to one of the most beloved tower defense franchises out there.
The most popular way to get the Dart Monkey Sidekick without spending V-Bucks is to purchase Bloons TD 6 on the Epic Games Store. When you buy the game through Epic’s storefront (and your Epic account is linked to your Fortnite account), the sidekick gets automatically added to your Fortnite Locker as a bonus. Think of it as a loyalty reward for trying out Bloons TD 6.
Follow these steps to unlock the Dart Monkey Sidekick through the Epic Games Store purchase route.
Step 1: Open the Epic Games Store. Head to the Epic Games Store on your PC or launch the Epic Games Launcher. Make sure you are logged into the same Epic account you use for Fortnite. This is the most important step. If your accounts are not linked, the sidekick will not be granted.
Step 2: Search for Bloons TD 6. Type “Bloons TD 6” into the search bar. The game should appear as the top result, published by Ninja Kiwi. As of 2026, it is priced at $13.99 on the Epic Games Store.
Step 3: Purchase the game. Click through and complete the purchase. You need to actually buy the game. Claiming it for free during a giveaway does not count. We cover this restriction in detail in the eligibility section below.
Step 4: Wait for the grant. Once the purchase processes, the Dart Monkey Sidekick will be automatically granted to your Fortnite Locker. Epic says this can take up to 24 hours, but many Reddit users report receiving it within minutes. Restart Fortnite if it does not appear right away.
Here is a trick that many players are discovering through Reddit discussions. You can buy Bloons TD 6 on the Epic Games app for Android at $6.99, which is significantly cheaper than the PC price of $13.99. This purchase still qualifies for the Dart Monkey Sidekick grant as long as you use the same Epic account.
One Reddit user confirmed: “Buying Bloons TD 6 on Android/mobile (on the Epic Games app) for $6.99 will get you the monkey too. New cheapest way to unlock it!” That is less than half the cost of buying the sidekick with V-Bucks.
If you already own Bloons TD 6 because you grabbed it during a free giveaway on the Epic Games Store, your free copy does not qualify for the sidekick grant. However, there is a workaround. Players on Reddit have found that buying any paid in-game pack within Bloons TD 6 makes your copy eligible. This costs less than buying the full game again and still triggers the sidekick grant.
If you do not want to buy Bloons TD 6 at all, you can purchase the Dart Monkey Sidekick directly from the Fortnite Item Shop. It costs 1,500 V-Bucks, which works out to roughly $15.99 if you are buying V-Bucks with real money.
To find it, open Fortnite and navigate to the Item Shop. Look under the Gaming Legends category or use the search function to find “Dart Monkey.” The sidekick should appear as a pet cosmetic you can purchase like any other Item Shop offering.
This method is straightforward but more expensive than buying Bloons TD 6 itself. At $13.99 for the PC version or $6.99 on mobile, you get the full game plus the sidekick. Spending 1,500 V-Bucks only gets you the cosmetic. That said, if you already own Bloons TD 6 on another platform or simply are not interested in playing it, the V-Bucks route is your only direct option inside Fortnite.
There are several eligibility rules that players frequently miss. These restrictions have caused a lot of confusion in community forums, so let’s clear them up.
This is the biggest source of confusion. If you purchased Bloons TD 6 on Steam, your purchase does not qualify for the Dart Monkey Sidekick grant. The promotion is exclusive to the Epic Games Store ecosystem. Steam and Epic are separate storefronts, and Epic has no way of verifying your Steam purchase for this crossover reward.
If Bloons TD 6 is in your Steam library but not your Epic Games library, you would need to buy it again on the Epic Games Store (or use the mobile Epic Games app) to get the sidekick.
Bloons TD 6 was given away for free on the Epic Games Store at one point. If you claimed it during that free period and never paid for it, your copy does not qualify for the sidekick. Epic’s official FAQ makes this clear: only paid purchases are eligible. You need to have spent actual money on the game through the Epic Games Store.
However, as mentioned above, some players have found that purchasing any in-game DLC or pack within their free copy may trigger eligibility. This workaround came from Reddit community testing rather than official Epic confirmation, so proceed with that in mind.
iOS users face a unique challenge. The Epic Games app is not available on the Apple App Store due to the ongoing legal dispute between Epic and Apple. This means iPhone and iPad players cannot use the cheaper mobile Epic Games route to get Bloons TD 6 for $6.99. Your options on iOS are limited to buying the sidekick with V-Bucks in the Item Shop or purchasing Bloons TD 6 on a PC through the Epic Games Store.
Here is a nice detail that builds confidence. If you already purchased the Dart Monkey Sidekick with V-Bucks from the Item Shop and then decide to buy Bloons TD 6 on the Epic Games Store, Epic will grant you a one-time refund of 1,500 V-Bucks. This means you are not penalized for buying the sidekick first and then discovering the cheaper bundle method later. The refund typically appears in your account within a few days.
Sometimes the Dart Monkey Sidekick does not show up right away after a qualifying purchase. Here are the most common fixes, pulled from player reports and Epic’s own support guidance.
Verify your account linking. Make absolutely sure you purchased Bloons TD 6 using the same Epic account that you play Fortnite on. If you have multiple Epic accounts, this is the most common reason the grant fails. Check your account settings at epicgames.com.
Wait the full 24-hour window. Epic states that the sidekick can take up to 24 hours to appear in your Locker after a qualifying purchase. Most players get it faster, but server load can cause delays. Give it a full day before panicking.
Restart Fortnite completely. Close the game entirely and relaunch it. Sometimes the Locker does not refresh until you fully restart the client. A quick game restart has solved the issue for many players on Reddit.
Check the correct Locker tab. The Dart Monkey Sidekick is a pet, so look under your pet slot in the Locker. It will not appear under emotes, wraps, or other cosmetic categories. It is also tagged under Gaming Legends if you want to filter by that series.
Confirm your purchase was on Epic Games Store. Double-check your purchase history. If you bought the game on Steam or claimed it for free, you will not receive the grant. Only paid Epic Games Store purchases qualify.
You can get the Dart Monkey Sidekick without spending V-Bucks by purchasing Bloons TD 6 on the Epic Games Store for $13.99 (or $6.99 on the mobile Epic Games app). The sidekick is granted as a loyalty reward, so you get both the full game and the cosmetic for less than the cost of buying the sidekick alone with V-Bucks.
You can get the Dart Monkey Sidekick in two places: (1) By purchasing Bloons TD 6 on the Epic Games Store, which automatically grants the sidekick to your Fortnite Locker, or (2) By buying it directly in the Fortnite Item Shop for 1,500 V-Bucks under the Gaming Legends category.
Bloons TD 6 was given away for free on the Epic Games Store in the past, but free copies do not qualify for the Dart Monkey Sidekick grant. You need a paid purchase to unlock the sidekick. If you already have a free copy, buying any in-game DLC pack may make it eligible, according to community reports.
Bloons TD 6 was offered for free on the Epic Games Store during a promotional giveaway. It is possible it could be offered again in the future, but there is no confirmed date. Keep in mind that free copies do not qualify for the Dart Monkey Sidekick reward in Fortnite.
No, the Steam version does not count. The Dart Monkey Sidekick crossover promotion is exclusive to the Epic Games Store ecosystem. You must purchase Bloons TD 6 through the Epic Games Store or the Epic Games app on Android for your purchase to qualify.
Yes, but only on Android. You can purchase Bloons TD 6 for $6.99 through the Epic Games app on Android, which qualifies for the sidekick grant. iOS users cannot access the Epic Games app due to the Apple App Store dispute, so iOS players need to use the V-Bucks method or buy the game on PC.
The Dart Monkey Sidekick costs 1,500 V-Bucks in the Fortnite Item Shop, which is roughly $15.99 in real money. This is more expensive than buying Bloons TD 6 on the Epic Games Store ($13.99) or the mobile Epic Games app ($6.99), both of which include the sidekick as a bonus.
The V-Bucks price of 1,500 V-Bucks (about $15.99) is higher than Bloons TD 6 on the Epic Games Store ($13.99) because the Item Shop price is set for players who only want the cosmetic. Buying the full game is the better value since you get both Bloons TD 6 and the sidekick for less money.
Getting the Dart Monkey Sidekick comes down to choosing the method that works best for your setup. Buying Bloons TD 6 on the Epic Games Store for $13.99 gets you a full game plus the cosmetic, which is the best overall value. The mobile Android route at $6.99 through the Epic Games app is the absolute cheapest way to unlock it. And if you just want the cosmetic without touching Bloons TD 6, 1,500 V-Bucks in the Item Shop gets it done.
Just remember the key restrictions: Steam does not count, free copies do not qualify, and iOS players are limited to the V-Bucks route. With those details in mind, you should have the Dart Monkey following you across the Fortnite island in no time.
