If you’ve ever logged into Brawl Stars in late fall and seen the menu decked out in confetti, special quest lines popping up on your home screen, and free skins up for grabs, you’ve probably stumbled on the game’s annual anniversary event. If you’ve ever asked when is Brawl Stars anniversary, you’re not alone – thousands of players search for the exact date every year to make sure they don’t miss out on limited-time loot that never comes back after the event wraps. I’ve been playing Brawl Stars since its global launch, and I’ve sat through every anniversary event so far, so I’m breaking down everything you need to know to make the most of the celebration each year.
When Is Brawl Stars Anniversary, Exactly?
For the last six years, the official anniversary date has stuck to December 12, marking the day the game launched globally for iOS and Android users. But you don’t have to wait exactly until that date to join the fun – Supercell almost always rolls out anniversary events 3 to 7 days ahead of the official date, giving players extra time to grind quests and unlock rewards. I’ve noticed that the pre-anniversary events usually include smaller, easier challenges to get players hyped, like extra coin drops for every match you win, or free sprays just for logging in.
The biggest rewards, though, usually drop right on December 12 itself, so you’ll want to make sure you log in that day even if you don’t have time to play full matches. One thing to note: regional time zones don’t affect the reward drop time, since all events run on Supercell’s global server clock. That means if you’re on the west coast of the US, you might see the anniversary rewards unlock the evening of December 11, so it’s worth checking your game a few hours early if you’re eager to claim loot first.
What You Can Expect From Annual Brawl Stars Anniversary Events
Supercell switches up the anniversary theme every year, but there are a few core features you can count on showing up every single celebration. Over the years, these have included:
- Free limited-edition skins: Every anniversary comes with at least one free skin you can only get during the event, usually for a popular brawler like Colt or Shelly. Past skins have included Party Shelly, Anniversary Colt, and Cake Pop Bea.
- Double or triple reward events for all match types, so you can rank up brawlers, earn coins, and collect power points twice as fast as normal for the full event run.
- Special anniversary quest lines that take 2 to 3 days to complete, with premium rewards like gems, brawler boxes, and exclusive pins waiting for players who finish all tasks.
- Community challenges where all players work together to hit a global goal, like winning 100 million total matches, to unlock even more free rewards for everyone.
That level of exclusivity is what makes the Brawl Stars anniversary such a highly anticipated event every single year. I’ve found that the free anniversary skin is always the most sought-after reward, since it never goes on sale or comes back in the shop after the event ends. A lot of older players still use the 2019 Party Shelly skin as a flex to show how long they’ve been playing, so don’t sleep on claiming that free skin even if you don’t main the brawler it’s for. One thing to watch out for: some of the higher-tier quest rewards require you to play matches with friends, so it’s a good idea to line up a few teammates a week before the event starts if you want to unlock everything.
Little-Known Facts About Brawl Stars Anniversary History
A lot of new players don’t know that Brawl Stars was actually available in a small handful of countries for 18 months before its global launch, so some long-time players from those regions celebrate a separate “soft launch anniversary” in June. But Supercell never runs official events for that date, so you won’t miss any official loot if you only pay attention to the December date. The first global anniversary event in 2019 was way smaller than the events we have now – back then, the only reward was a free Colt skin and 100 gems for everyone who logged in.
Now, anniversary events run for almost two weeks and have hundreds of dollars worth of free loot available for players who grind all the quests. The 5th anniversary event in 2023 was the biggest one to date, with three free skins up for grabs, a temporary game mode called Anniversary Bash, and a global community challenge that unlocked 10 free brawler boxes for every player when the goal was hit. I remember playing for 3 hours straight that day to help hit the global goal, and it was wild to see the progress bar jump 10% in just 20 minutes as millions of players hopped on to help.
Tips to Make the Most of the Brawl Stars Anniversary Celebration
You don’t have to spend hours grinding every day to unlock all the best anniversary rewards, but a little planning will help you get way more loot without burning out. First, clear out your quest log a day or two before the event starts – anniversary quests don’t take up your normal daily quest slots, but you’ll have more space to focus on the limited-time quests if you don’t have old, unfinished quests cluttering up your log. Next, log in every day even if you only have 2 minutes to spare. A lot of the best rewards, like the free anniversary skin, are just for logging in, so you don’t even have to play a match to claim them.
If you have a little extra time, prioritize the anniversary quests over your normal daily quests first, since the anniversary quests expire when the event ends, while your normal daily quests will roll over to the next day. Another trick I’ve used for years is to save any brawl passes or gem purchases you’ve been planning for the anniversary event – Supercell almost always runs discounts on gem packs and brawl pass tiers during the anniversary, so you’ll get way more value for your money if you wait to buy until the event starts. Also, don’t forget to check the in-game news tab every day during the event, since Supercell often drops surprise rewards like free sprays or extra coins for all players with no warning. The only mistake I see players make every year is waiting until the last day to grind quests, since a lot of the quests require you to win a certain number of matches, and you don’t want to get stuck rushing through matches and losing just to hit a deadline. If you spread out the quests over the full 10 to 14 day event run, you’ll barely notice you’re grinding, and you’ll walk away with all the limited-time loot.
At the end of the day, the Brawl Stars anniversary is one of the most fun events of the year for players of all skill levels, whether you’re a new player who just downloaded the game last month or a long-time veteran who’s been playing since the soft launch. Now that you know when is Brawl Stars anniversary, you can plan ahead to make sure you don’t miss out on any of the limited-time rewards, exclusive skins, and fun game modes that only come around once a year. If you’ve never participated in an anniversary event before, you’re in for a treat – the energy in the game is always electric, and it’s a great time to connect with other players in your club to grind quests together. Just make sure you mark December 12 on your calendar, and keep an eye out for the pre-event teasers that usually drop a week before the celebration kicks off.