Just days after the recent Story Moment and the new Fortnite season is finally here… or will be following a period of server downtime. Indeed, according to Epic Games, Fortnite Chapter 7, Season 2 has a March 19 release date, but won’t actually be playable until after server downtime comes to an end. According to the Fortnite server status page, server downtime will kick off at 6am GMT UK time and will run for around 5-hours. This means Fortnite Season 2 – titled Showdown – should be playable from 11am GMT in the UK.

Outside of the UK, Fortnite Season 2 server downtime will start at 11pm PT (March 17) / 2am ET in the US, or 7am CET in Europe. The game will be back online at 4am PT / 7am ET / 12pm CET.

The news was announced by Epic Games on X, alongside a preview about what to expect.

“Choose your side, take down your rivals, and settle the score,” reads an Epic tweet. “The Showdown begins March 19!

“Downtime for v40.00 begins at 2 AM ET (6 AM UTC) with matchmaking ending shortly beforehand.”

While the server status page estimates downtime will run for around 5-hours, there’s a chance timings could change, so keep checking back for more information.

In the meantime, fans can download and install update 40.00, which adds all of the new content for upcoming season.

In fact, the update is actually available to pre-load ahead of the launch of the new season and server downtime.

“Pre-downloads for the v40.00 update on Xbox One, Series X|S and PlayStation 5 will begin rolling out at 8 PM ET tonight,” reads a follow-up tweet.

“Make sure your system is set up to download updates so you’re ready to jump in!”

The new season includes the latest Battle Pass and new skins, which can be seen in the image above.

As you can see from the image above, the Battle Pass includes The Rock as The Foundation, as well as The Ice King.

The Ice King’s Palace will also appear in the island, alongside a potential enemy encounter and lots of great loot.

The new season will also include a number of new crossovers available within the Item Shop.

This includes Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck skins, as well as a brand new Captain America and Iron Man.