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What Is The 'It's Like Finding A Gold SCAR' Meme? The Nostalgic Meme Format About Finding A Gold SCAR In 'Fortnite' Explained
Few things were more exciting to longtime Fortnite players than opening a chest and seeing the golden glow of one of the game's best weapons.
In 2024, TikTok users turned that nostalgic feeling into a meme for describing everyday situations that feel unusually lucky, satisfying or almost too good to be true.
Known as the "It's Like Finding a Gold SCAR" meme, the format pairs screenshots of a player discovering a legendary Gold SCAR in Fortnite with captions describing similarly fortunate experiences.
The trend became especially popular in TikTok photo slideshows set to Jon Bellion's song "All Time Low," eventually inspiring videos that recreated the experience of actually finding the weapon.
So, where did the Gold SCAR meme originate, and why did it become so prevalent online? Here's what you need to know.
@adrielisshort rare #adrielisshort ♬ Everyone is using this sound – 𓆩𝓛𝓪𝓶𝓫𝓵𝓮𝓰𝓪𝓬𝔂𓆪
Where Did The 'It's Like Finding A Gold SCAR' Meme Come From?
The earliest known example of the format was posted by Instagram user @sportsculture on September 28th, 2024. The account shared a carousel containing several memes built around a screenshot of a Fortnite player discovering a Gold SCAR, with captions comparing the experience to other satisfying situations.
The first image read, "How it feels watching your NFL team win on Sundays," establishing the basic formula that subsequent versions would follow.
The joke relied on the Gold SCAR's reputation among Fortnite players as an exceptionally desirable weapon, using the discovery as a visual representation of getting unexpectedly lucky.
The format then migrated to TikTok shortly afterward, where it became a prevalent meme for jokes.
On October 1st, TikToker @mrwalkyoudownwiththe223 posted a version captioned, "How it feels to hit your Geek Bar while drinking a half and half Twisted Tea," accompanied by Jon Bellion's 2016 song "All Time Low." The post received nearly 800,000 views and more than 173,000 likes within a month.
The use of "All Time Low," particularly its opening "knight in shining armor" lyric, subsequently became closely associated with the format as other TikTokers began making their own versions.
How Did The 'Gold SCAR' Meme Spread On TikTok?
Throughout October and November 2024, the format expanded as TikTok users applied the Gold SCAR image to increasingly specific, relatable and absurd situations.
One October 11th example compared the feeling to walking past a homeless person's cup of coins, receiving more than half a million views in the following weeks.
On November 9th, 2024, TikToker @crzxywrld used the format for the caption, "How it felt going into English class and seeing a clueless sub," which became one of the trend's biggest examples with roughly 4.9 million views and 1.1 million likes in less than two weeks.
The format wasn't limited to static image macros either. Creators began producing videos that recreated the same basic joke, including one comparing finding a Gold SCAR to meeting a friend with the exact same gaming ability and sense of humor.
Despite the meme's age, references to "finding a Gold SCAR" have continued appearing on the platform as recently as the summer of 2026, which makes sense given how nostalgic the feeling is to those who played Fortnite early on.
@trevythetrex
What's The 'All Time Low' Gold SCAR Video?
As the trend became increasingly associated with Jon Bellion's "All Time Low," creators also started directly combining the song with footage of Fortnite gameplay.
One of the most viral examples came from TikToker @sniff_maxwell on November 17th, 2024. In the video, he poorly sings "All Time Low" while his character discovers a Gold SCAR in the video game, essentially turning the soundtrack and original premise of the meme into a literal recreation.
@sniff_maxwell How it feels to find a gold scar in Fortnite #fortnite #chapter2 #relatable ♬ original sound – Sniff Maxwell
The intentionally rough singing helped the video reach more than 6.8 million views and 1.4 million likes in four days, further popularizing the joke beyond its original slideshow format.
By late November 2024, the TikTok sound primarily associated with the Gold SCAR memes had accumulated more than 29,700 posts, reaching nearly double that around two years later.
What began as a nostalgic Fortnite reference has effectively become an internet catchphrase and shorthand for any rare moment when circumstances seem to line up perfectly.
@thedaddywellness Unc pulled out the golden scar #funny #viral #clip #daddywellness #meme ♬ original sound – thedaddywellness
What Are Some Examples Of The 'Gold SCAR' Meme?
@juiceditup From 3 hours of work to 10 minutes😭 #school #homework #quizlet #goldscar ♬ Everyone is using this sound – 𓆩𝓛𝓪𝓶𝓫𝓵𝓮𝓰𝓪𝓬𝔂𓆪
@thebagsmen groupchat gon have a field day #facebookmemes #mom #fyp #viral ♬ Everyone is using this sound – 𓆩𝓛𝓪𝓶𝓫𝓵𝓮𝓰𝓪𝓬𝔂𓆪
For the full history of It's Like Finding a Gold SCAR, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for even more information.
