The hit video game Fortnite is to get a Creative mode, allowing players to design and play on their own islands.

In a major addition to the title, the new mode lets players fly freely around the environment, placing scenic elements, then designing their own mini-games to play with friends.

Developer Epic Games is launching the new option, named Fortnite Creative, on 6 December.

Best known for its free online multiplayer mode, Battle Royale, in which 100 players land on an island and shoot each other until only one remains, Fortnite has become one of the most successful video games of the last decade. With more than 200 million players worldwide, the game makes around $300m a month for its developer, most of that from in-game purchases of skins and emotes.

Set to be available from the main Fortnite menu in addition to the current modes, Save the World and Battle Royale, Creative gives players a choice of island shapes, before giving them access to their own private landscape; using a simple drag and drop interface, they can populate the landscape with a variety of pre-made buildings and scenic objects. It’s then possible to set up a range of mini-games, such as deathmatch shoot-outs and obstacle courses, to play with friends who have been invited on to the player’s server.

Player-made worlds can be saved to memory and shared with friends. A hub at the outset will also provide access to selected worlds built by other members of the community.

The mode provides an extension to the popular Battle Royale Playground option, which allowed players to land on an island with friends and mess about, making their own objectives. It is similar to the creative mode in the block-building game Minecraft, in which players can similarly create their own buildings and landscapes without worrying about being attacked. It may well answer criticism from some parents that Fortnite concentrates too heavily on killing other players.

For the first week, only those players who purchase a Season Seven Battlepass will have access to the new mode; from 13 December, it will be free for all.

Since the launch of Fortnite Battle Royale in September 2017, developer Epic Games has regularly updated the game, adding new modes and scenic features for every three-month “season”. Creative mode is the biggest change in the past year, and is likely to be highly popular with the game’s vast YouTuber and Twitch streamer community.