After endless rumours, countless leaks and a fair amount of speculation, Fortnite fans are finally being treated to a new season of content, as Battle-Royale goes post-apocalyptic. Titled Wrecked, Fortnite Chapter 5, Season 3 has a May 24 release date on PS5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch and Android. Coinciding with a period of server downtime, the new Fortnite update has a 7am BST UK release time. However, while you can download the update at around 7am, you won’t actually be able to enjoy the new season until downtime comes to an end. While there’s no official server maintenance schedule, downtime for a new season tends to last longer than usual, which means you probably won’t be able to start playing Chapter 5, Season 3 until around midday.
Matchmaking will be disabled even earlier, which means you won’t be able to join a new game for around 30 minutes beforehand.
Dates and timings for Season 3 server downtime was announced by Epic Games on X (formerly Twitter).
“Grab the Nitro, buckle up and prepare for Wrecked,” reads an Epic Games post. “Downtime for Ch5 S3 – WRECKED starts at 2:00 AM ET with matchmaking disabled a few minutes prior.”
As is the case for any new season, the file size for the next Fortnite update will be larger than usual, so you may need to free up some space on your hard drive.
Epic continues: “Please note: Patch sizes will be larger than usual Season releases. We will let you know when you can begin downloading the update.”
As you can see from the tweet below, Fortnite insiders like Shiina and Hypex have given fans a look at potential skins coming to the Season 3 Battle Pass, including a Fallout collaboration.
Meanwhile, the image at the top of the page confirms that Magneto will be added to the Battle Pass.
In addition to the Fallout crossover and Magneto skin, Fortnite Season 3 will also include collabs with Monster Jam, Fall Guys and Pirates of the Caribbean.
Rumours suggest that we may also get a Kingdom Hearts crossover at some point during the new season.
In terms of new and returning locations, it’s believed that Mount Olympus, Restored Reels and The Underworld will remain part of the Fortnite map.
Fencing Fields will undergo a transformation, as will The Shark, which will be covered in sand.
Daily Express will update this article with all the latest announcements and information about Fortnite Chapter 5, Season 3, including the official gameplay trailer and Battle Pass video.