Fortnite downtime LIVE — Everything to know about today’s update as servers hit with outage amid ‘bug fixes’
FORTNITE servers across the globe are down once again as Epic implements a series of bug fixes.
Today's update sees a slew of changes made to weapons and vehicles in a bid to balance gameplay.
This comes just days after Fortnite launched its collaborations with Mad Max and Fallout.
Fortnite fans can now enter the new biome in the south dubbed the wasteland, alongside a host of other new additions.
Read our live blog below for the latest news and updates...
Fortnite servers return!
Fortnite's servers are back up after a short period of downtime.
A number of bug fixes have been implemented following an emergency hotfix last night.
Highest-earning Fortnite player revealed
According to Esports Charts, 21-year-old American Kyle ‘Bugha’ Giersdorf is the highest-earning Fortnite player, with $3.6 million (£2.8m) in total winnings.
Here are the top five highest earning Fortnite players:
- Kyle Giersdorf (Bugha) – $3.6m
- David Wang (Aqua) – $2.1m
- Harrison Chang (psalm) – $1.9m
- Shane Cotton (EpikWhale) – $1.7m
- Anas El-Abd (Anas) – $1.5m
Epic nerfs vehicles
Last night Epic launched an emergency hotfix to nerf the power of vehicles in Fortnite.
Players had branded the game's new vehicles "overpowered" following the launch of Chapter 5 Season 3 last week.
Today's downtime is likely to fix bugs caused by Epic's hotfix.
Players react to downtime
Players have taken to social media to react to today's server downtime.
One X user said: "Why is there a downtime for bug fixes…?"
Another added: "FINALLY."
While a third said: "Watch out y’all more nerfs."
What to expect from today's changes
Here are some of the changes we can expect in today's update, as per Twitter leaker HypeX:
- Unvaulted Boogie Bombs
- Boom Bolt Damage Multiplier to vehicles increased from x3 to x3.7
- Nitro Gauntlet's recharge rate increased from 8s to 11s
- Vehicles have 18% less HP in Solos now
- Fire Rate Multiplier when you're in a nitro car reduced from x1.5 to x1.25
- Grenade Turrets Damage to builds reduced from 250 to 150
- Boss cars do not automatically regen health anymore
- Reduced Machine Gun turret accuracy
- Reduced Nitro shoulder bash damage to players
Fortnite hit with MORE downtime
Fortnite's servers are down once again.
Just a week after the game's huge Chapter 5 update, Epic is implementing more changes.
Today's downtime will be less extensive, with changes mostly coming in the form of bug fixes.
Where to play Fortnite
Despite the game being banned from app stores, the game can still be played on other consoles.
Fortnite is available online via the Epic Games website.
It is also available on Xbox Marketplace, PlayStation Store, and Nintendo Switch.
It is unclear when the game will come back to iPhones and Androids.
Downtime has ended!
Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 3 is now finally here.
Players can now enter the new biome in the south dubbed the wasteland.
Fun facts about Fortnite, continued
Here are some more interesting facts about the popular battle royale game Fortnite, according to :
- Recon Expert is one of the rarest skins in the game
- Battle Royale was not meant to be a main attraction in Fortnite
- The game took 6 years to develop and release, with battle royale being an afterthought
- Ninja and Drake played Fortnite in front of 628000 people
- Floss is one of the most popular dances in gaming
Fun facts about Fortnite
Fortnite is one of the most popular games in the world and is known for its battle-royale gameplay.
Here are some interesting facts some may not know about the game according to :
- The game has more than 200 million accounts
- Some parents are paying tutors $20 per hour to help their child get better at Fortnite
- An amateur player won $3 million at the Fortnite World Cup
Outage heatmap
This chart shows a view of problem reports submitted in the past 24 hours compared to the typical volume of reports by time of day.
It is common for some problems to be reported throughout the day.
Downdetector only reports an incident when the number of problem reports is significantly higher than the typical volume for that time of day.
What to know about V-Bucks
V-Bucks is a form of virtual currency used in the game Fortnite, which can either be earned in the game or paid for using real money.
Virtual currency isn’t just restricted to Fortnite, with other popular games such as FIFA using their own type of credit.
V-Bucks are used to buy in-game skins for characters, and other items.
Up to 13,500 V-Bucks can be purchased at once.
Could we see new power ups?
A Mad Max-style area-of-effect healing item, that resembles Slap Juice on steroids, grants a speed boost for both you and your team members - as long as they're next to you.
It's possible the anticipated Power Armour is not a skin and is actually a kind of power-up for any character, though it seems less likely.
What items have reportedly been removed?
According to on X, a reliable Fortnite leaker, there are multiple items that have been removed from the new chapter.
- All Season 2 Medallions
- Frenzy Auto Shotgun (Except the Mythic)
- Chug Splashes
- Port-A-Bunker
- FlowBerry
- Wings of Icarus
- Thunderbolt of Zeus
- Chains of Hades
- Waterbending
- Banana of the Gods
- Drum Gun
- Nemesis AR
- Star Wars Mythics
- Reaper Sniper Rifle
- Zeus' Huntress DMR
- Hades' Harbinger SMG
- Ares' Warforged AR
Highest-earning Fortnite player revealed
According to Esports Charts, 21-year-old American Kyle ‘Bugha’ Giersdorf is the highest-earning Fortnite player, with $3.6 million (£2.8m) in total winnings.
Here are the top five highest earning Fortnite players:
- Kyle Giersdorf (Bugha) – $3.6m
- David Wang (Aqua) – $2.1m
- Harrison Chang (psalm) – $1.9m
- Shane Cotton (EpikWhale) – $1.7m
- Anas El-Abd (Anas) – $1.5m
Scheduled maintenance still ongoing
Updates for the new chapter are still ongoing.
You can keep up to date with the progress over at
Could the combat assault rifle return?
Fans reckon they've spotted the combat shotgun in the latest trailer.
Players are also discussing the possible return of the combat assault rifle, which has been out of action since Chapter 3: Season 4.
A new grappler gun, that a Brotherhood of Steel member is carrying in the clip, is also likely to make an appearance.
What new characters have landed?
Here are the new group of characters entering the game:
- T-60 Power Armor
- Rust
- Ringmaster Scarr
- The Machinist
- Megalo Don
- Brite Raider
- Megneto
- Peabody
Players can start downloading new update
Where to play Fortnite
Despite the game being banned from app stores, the game can still be played on other consoles.
Fortnite is available online via the Epic Games website.
It is also available on Xbox Marketplace, PlayStation Store, and Nintendo Switch.
It is unclear when the game will come back to iPhones and Androids.
Trailer for new chapter now LIVE
Fortnite has released the trailer to the new update - Wrecked.
This update brings gamers a new battle pass with some epic skins.
Gamers report issues with servers
Fortnite players have reported issues with server connection this morning.
The spike confirms that servers have been taken down ahead of the new update.
Fortnite servers go down
Servers have gone down as Epic Games implements the latest update for Fortnite.
Gamers can expect to be waiting for around five hours as patch sizes are larger than previous seasons.
Fortnite has confirmed that they will let customers know when they can begin downloading the update.
'Patch sizes will be larger than usual'
Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 3 update is just moments away.
Matchmaking will be disabled in just 30 minutes.
Potential leaked skins
According to on X, a reliable Fortnite leaker, there are five more leaked characters that could be up for grabs in the new Battle Pass:
- Blue haired girl
- Red helmet biker
- Nitro Carrot
- Remix Dummy
- Skull Mask
