Promoted as "the world's leading magazine of the paranormal", it has published expert opinions and personal experiences relating to UFOs, psychic abilities, ghosts and hauntings, cryptozoology, alternative medicine, divination methods, belief in the survival of personality after death, Fortean phenomena, predictive dreams, mental telepathy, archaeology, warnings of death, and other paranormal topics.

Arnold's sighting marked the beginning of the modern UFO era, and his story propelled the magazine to national recognition.

In his farewell column, Curtis Fuller wrote, "Our purpose throughout this long time has been to explore and to report honestly the strangest facts of this strange world and the ones that don't fit into the general beliefs of the way things are."

Fate underwent a facelift in 1994, when Llewellyn decided to change it from digest size to a full-size, full-color magazine.

Galde has continued Fate's reporting of unusual events and active reader involvement in shaping the content of the magazine.