Fortnite August 20 downtime: when Chapter 7 Season 4 Override servers return. Fortnite went offline at 2am ET on Thursday, August 20 (6pm NZST / 4pm AEST) as Epic Games rolled out update v42.00, the transitional patch that closes out Chapter 7 Season 3 and launches Chapter 7 Season 4, subtitled Override. Epic's own status page listed an unresolved incident tagged "Fortnite: Downtime for v42.00 Update" once maintenance began, confirming the outage was scheduled rather than an unplanned crash. Fortnite began going down for maintenance the evening of Wednesday, August 19, with servers officially going dark at 11 pm Pacific Time, which is 2 am Eastern Time on Thursday, August 20, according to Forbes. That timing lines up with reporting from Vice, which noted Fortnite downtime would start at 11 PM PT on August 19 or 2 AM ET on August 20. Update v42.00 downtime window explained. As with every seasonal transition, matchmaking was switched off roughly half an hour before the full shutdown, giving players a last chance to finish matches before Battle Royale, Zero Build and other modes went dark. Forbes cautioned that downtime will last around four hours, though this isn't set in stone and servers could be back online earlier or later than the following times, calling it just a rough estimate. Vice's reporting, citing information pulled from Epic's own site, suggested the wait could stretch even longer. According to the official Epic Games website, Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 4 was set to start on August 20 at 4 AM PT or 7 AM ET, meaning server maintenance was expected to last around five hours after downtime began on August 19. Epic itself has a track record of these windows slipping when a season carries heavier map or engine changes, so players were advised to treat any single number as a guide rather than a guarantee. Epic's public status dashboard is the most reliable real-time check during any Fortnite outage, since it reflects the company's own incident tracking rather than third-party estimates. During the August 20 window, the page listed the downtime as an active, unresolved incident tied specifically to the v42.00 rollout, matching the timing reported elsewhere. Players who saw a "Server Offline" message under the Fortnite tile in the Epic Games Launcher were simply seeing the expected result of matchmaking being disabled ahead of the shutdown, not a separate fault. This is a normal part of any major Fortnite season launch. Big transitional updates that overhaul the map, Battle Pass and core systems typically take longer than the two-hour maintenance windows seen for routine weekly patches, because Epic is deploying new assets across every platform simultaneously. What NZ and Australia players should expect. For players across New Zealand and Australia, the 2am ET start translates to roughly 6pm NZST and 4pm AEST on August 20 - a Thursday evening slot that meant most local fans watched the shutdown happen live rather than waking up to it. Going by the four-to-five hour estimates being floated by outlets tracking the rollout, a return to service was expected somewhere around midnight to 1am NZST, or 10pm to 11pm AEST, though exact timing depended entirely on how smoothly Epic's deployment went. As always, the safest way for local players to confirm whether servers are back is Epic's own status page rather than a fixed clock time, since any hiccup in the rollout pushes the whole window later without much warning. The wait ties directly into the launch of Fortnite Override, the new Chapter 7 season built around a wave of high-profile crossover characters. Forbes reported that the incoming roster includes K1TTYW1NS, Phantom, Grace Crowne, Geno, Sonic the Hedgehog, Mali, Wrixel, and Bastian, giving players plenty to explore once the update finally lands. Whatever the exact minute servers flip back on, this is one of the bigger transitions Fortnite has staged this year, and the downtime itself is the price of admission for a season built around some of gaming's most recognisable guest stars.

The Fortnite Kernel Hearts skin has taken the world by storm: Here's how you can get it. Published Aug 18, 2026 Read time 2 min The latest Fortnite collab welcomes the character Fernet from the upcoming game Kernel Hearts to the roster. Here's why it went viral! Fortnite has partnered with the co-op Roguelike game Kernel Hearts to produce the latest viral skin on the market. Following the recent trend of female characters with generous proportions, the Fernet skin fits into that category. How can I get the Kernel Hearts Fortnite skin? The Fernet Outfit is available now for those willing to spend money on the Kernel Hearts game in the Epic Games Store. Those who pre-purchase the game for $20 USD will receive the skin immediately the next time they open Fortnite. However, if you'd rather wait, Epic Games has announced the Kernel Hearts collab will arrive in the Item Shop on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 8 p.m. ET. From a value perspective, the skin would technically cost more if you pre-purchase the game, as the vast majority of Gaming Legends skins come in at 1,500 V-Bucks, or just over $13 USD. So, if it's a skin that you require immediately, you will need to head to the Epic Games Store and pre-purchase Kernel Hearts. Otherwise, you'll need to wait until the Fernet Fortnite skin hits the Item Shop on Sept. 26. Why are people talking about Fernet? Many fans across social media have praised this skin for its overall design, saying Fernet is well-designed. Others say they need the skin, even though they don't want to spend $20 on Kernel Hearts. After purchasing the skin, several videos went viral, showcasing its jiggle physics. The X post above has surpassed 4 million views and over 20,000 likes, with fans praising Epic Games for the Fernet skin's design. It aligns with the developer's recent approach to female characters, following the overwhelming response to the female DC skins and Yoruichi Shihoin from the anime Bleach. It's unclear what changed in Fortnite's creative team over the last few months. However, players have pointed out that Epic Games is leaning more into the Marvel Rivals approach. The Fernet skin is merely the latest example of Fortnite venturing into a different style of female designs. Senior Writer Matt "MJP" Pryor began following esports in 2008 when Halo 3 was on top of the world. He is now a Fortnite fanatic who has watched the game's casual and competitive development since the 2019 Fortnite World Cup. Matt... Full bio

LEGO Fortnite Odyssey is completely changing how building works in update 42.00. LEGO Fortnite Odyssey is overhauling building with Quick Build in update 42.00, making massive creations faster and easier. August 18, 2026, 10:51am Epic Games has announced its overhauling how building works in LEGO Fortnite Odyssey. Starting with update 42.00, Guided Build is being replaced by Quick Build. The new feature will allow players to complete massive creations in a fraction of the time. Creator Builds are also finally coming to the LEGO Fortnite mode. LEGO Fortnite Odyssey Quick Build explained. Epic Games has revealed that the new Quick Build feature will become the new default way to build in LEGO Fortnite Odyssey when update 42.00 launches. The new mechanic is designed to make building faster while cutting down on the amount of grinding needed to complete larger creations in the open-world sandbox mode. Interestingly, Epic explains that the "more pieces you place with Quick Build, the faster the construction process" becomes. Players will eventually be able to place multiple pieces at once, allowing detailed structures that previously took hours to come together much more quickly. For your convenience, here is a breakdown of how Quick Build works according to Epic: * Building gets faster over time: The construction speed increases as you continue building, eventually allowing you to place several pieces simultaneously. * Massive creations take less time: Large and detailed builds can be completed in a fraction of the time. * Traditional building is still available: Players can continue placing pieces brick by brick whenever they want. This method will still consume resources, but it has also been made faster and smoother. * Improved mobile controls: Epic Games has fine-tuned the touch controls and will now display the complete blueprint while you build. Epic has confirmed that Quick Build is just the first update in a much larger overhaul to the LEGO Fortnite mode. "Every LEGO Fortnite Odyssey update throughout the remainder of 2026 will introduce a new building skill." Each feature will build upon the last, eventually allowing players to become what Epic is calling a "Master Builder." A full trailer that will showcase how Quick Build works will be released on the official LEGO Fortnite YouTube channel on August 20. New LEGO Fortnite Creator Builds announced. Epic Games also announced that it's finally adding character creations to LEGO Fortnite. The first two user-creations coming to the game were specifically made by members of the LEGO Fortnite Odyssey community. Each user-created structure will also feature a unique Creator Crest that designates them as being made by a player. The first Creator Build is Haskyns' Skyfang Marauder, which will become available on August 20. To unlock it, players just need to log in and claim the build in the mode's menu. A second creation, Spixylei's Crown of the Abyss, will then arrive one week later on August 27. Here is the complete Creator Build schedule that has been announced so far: Haskyns' Skyfang Marauder. Spixylei's Crown of the Abyss. Finally, Epic Games teased that additional building improvements, tools and content are planned throughout the remainder of the year. However, the massive LEGO Fortnite Odyssey update 42.00 will be the first major change to the popular sandbox experience.