Overview
Server Downtime often occurs with the release of a Fortnite update, or at the end of a Live Event. During this time, all gamemodes, except for UEFN, are unplayable as the game requires an active connection to Epic's servers to work. Additionally, the Lobby cannot be accessed. When the player attempts to log in, a "servers not responding" error will appear. Server downtimes typically last for 3-4 hours, but can be longer with the launch of a new season.
Downtime is often announced by Fortnite Status or often in-game player's lobbies the night before an update, and will usually start around 2-4am ET.
Server Issues
Server Issues[]
There have been various server issues in Fortnite's history, where the game (or parts of it) were inaccessible for much longer than usual due to an issue that occurred with an update. This section documents these:
April 11th 2018[]
On April 11th 2018, various login and server issues were reported. The issues lasted for 17 hours and Epic later responded and apologized. As compensation for this downtime, players were given the Rust Bucket Back Bling for free, and Save the World players were given a free Troll Stash Llama.
October 3rd 2022[]
While the v22.10 update was supposed to release on October 4th, downtime had to suddenly begin on October 3rd due to server issues. This led to a 12-hour downtime, the longest up to that point (not including downtime after events). As a result, in compensation, the Sweat-Free wrap was granted for free to all players who logged in afterwards.
March 8th 2024[]
On March 8th 2024, during the downtime for Chapter 5: Season 2, Fortnite Status announced on Twitter that the server downtime would be extended by at least 8 hours. Following this, Fortnite Status then announced that the downtime would be extended by another 5 hours. It is unknown why downtime was extended for so long, however speculation has arisen that it may have been due to a mismatching build number, causing Epic to have to rebuild the update. Unlike the previous incident, no compensation was offered for this downtime.
July 15th 2025[]
During the downtime for Update v36.20, leakers discovered that the update's build number was lower than that of the previous version. This occurred because a bugfix update had been released on July 9, after v36.20 had already been compiled, meaning that the bugfix update was newer than v36.20. As a result, the changes from that smaller update were not included in v36.20, requiring Epic Games to fully rebuild the update. This led to Epic announcing an extended downtime. Surprisingly, the downtime only lasted for 8 hours.
Despite the delay, Fortnite's social media team did not cancel a pre-scheduled tweet, resulting in a post announcing that the Close Encounters LTM was live - while the game remained offline.
Login Issues[]
Various extended downtimes have occurred due to a large number of players attempting to log in at the same time. On December 29th 2021, long game queues caused Epic to shut down the servers for 7 hours. Players were granted the Crescent Shroom pickaxe as compensation. On February 1st 2022, login issues led to affected players being granted the Heart's Desire wrap. On March 20th 2022, for roughly 10 hours, players were stuck in queues of varying lengths, some as long as 3 hours.
Event-Induced Downtime
Event-Induced Downtime[]
Sometimes, for example after a major Live Event, an induced server downtime will occur, either to hype up the release of a new season or to ensure that there are no continuity issues between an event and the gameplay (for example, it would not make sense for the player to be able to access the game during The Blackout as Athena had been destroyed, but Apollo had not yet released, leaving Battle Royale players without a map).
List of Event-Induced Downtimes[]
| Event | Dates | Duration | Event | Precursor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 13 - October 15, 2019 | 36 hours | The End (Chapter 1) | The Meteor collided with The Zero Point, triggering a black hole that consumed all of Athena. | |
To Be Continued! |
December 1 - December 2, 2020 | 7 hours 40 minutes | The Devourer of Worlds | Galactus was tricked into inhaling a fleet of Battle Buses armed with gamma bombs, triggering a rift that sent him back to his home reality. |
To Be Continued! |
September 12 - September 13, 2021 | 12 hours 43 minutes | Operation: Sky Fire | An Abductor hit The Looper as they were escaping the exploding Mothership. |
| December 3 - December 4, 2021 | 18 hours | The End (Chapter 2) | A tsunami hit The Looper after the island flipped. | |
To Be Continued! |
June 4 - June 5, 2022 | 13 hours | Collision | After entering the Zero Point to pursue Geno, Agent Jones and The Foundation were seen gliding in the sky. |
| December 3 - December 4, 2022 | 9 hours | Fracture | The Paradigm activated Zero Fusion to form Asteria, seemingly sacrificing herself in the process. | |
| December 2 - December 3, 2023 | 11 hours | The Big Bang | The Looper hovers in space, gazing at the different galaxies for the new gamemodes. | |
| November 30 - December 1, 2024 | 7 hours | Remix: The Finale | After Juice WRLD disappears into the stars, the Looper rejoins Hope and Jones as they travel to Reality: 783. A mysterious shard follows them.
The music video for Empty Out Your Pockets was premiered. | |
To Be Continued! |
June 7th, 2025 | 4 hours | Death Star Sabotage | A large piece of Death Star debris hits an active Spirit Realm Portal, causing a shockwave that stuns The Looper before they can touch down on the surface. |
To Be Continued! |
November 1st, 2025 | 5 hours | Welcome, Our Alien Overlords | Following a struggle between Hope and Kodos, she, Jones, and the Looper are transported to Reality: UN-149. There, it's revealed that Homer gained access to a Zero Point shard. |
| November 29th, 2025 | 5 hours | Zero Hour |
Following the defeat of the Dark Presence, the Looper is transported from the Zero Point shard to Reality: 266 where a spaceship from The Last Reality has destroyed the Battle Bus. |
