Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 2 Showdown Launches March 19

Epic Games announced the launch of Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 2, titled Showdown, on Thursday, March 19, 2026, marking the transition from the ongoing Season 1 with a period of server maintenance. The update introduces a new battle pass, fresh map locations, and collaborations featuring characters like Bugs Bunny, alongside a central storyline pitting The Foundation against the Ice King.

Servers for Fortnite's Battle Royale and companion modes will go offline starting at 2 a.m. ET (6 a.m. UTC) on March 19, with matchmaking ending shortly before. Epic Games estimates the downtime will last approximately five hours, allowing the game to come back online around 7 a.m. ET (11 a.m. GMT). Players in other regions can expect the update to go live at 4 a.m. PT, 12 p.m. CET, or corresponding local times. To minimize wait times, Epic Games has enabled pre-downloads for the v40.00 update on platforms including Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and others, beginning as early as 8 p.m. ET on March 18. Officials noted that schedules could shift due to unforeseen issues, advising players to monitor the Fortnite status page for updates.

The new season builds on the narrative from previous...