Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 2: when is new season coming out, update release date, when does it start, map leaks

As the second season of Fortnite Chapter 4 approaches its conclusion in the coming days, rumours about what to anticipate from Epic Games’ upcoming release are starting to circulate, with rumours about the next season’s potential items and features already appearing on social media.

At the time of writing, Epic Games has not formally confirmed exactly when the next season of Fortnite’s Chapter 4 will go live.

But, according to an official tweet from @FortniteStatus - which provides regular service updates and information for the game on Twitter - we now know that the current Fortnite season will end on Wednesday 8 March.

That would suggest that Season 2 will kick start the next day on Thursday 9 March, but it’s crucial to keep in mind that this has not been officially announced, and is merely an educated guess.

Here is everything you need to know.

What will be new in Chapter 4 Season 2?

Although nothing has been officially revealed by Epic Games as yet, there are a few items and features that have been teased as potentially appearing in Chapter 4 Season 2 by credible sources, like dataminers who have been on the money in prior seasons.

Dataminers pour through the game’s code in an effort to spot hints and signs of content updates Epic Games are working on, and which may be implemented at some point in a future version of Fortnite.

They’re usually fairly reliable in their findings, so while the below rumours have not been confirmed by any official sources, it certainly would not be a surprise to see them show up in the game in the next few weeks.

First-person mode

One of the biggest potential new additions to the game is the inclusion of a dedicated first-person mode. Up until this point, Fortnite has been played exclusively from a third-person perspective, with the game’s camera hovering over the player-character’s shoulder.

But it’s believed that Epic Games could be introducing a first-person mode with the game’s latest update, which would see the perspective shift to the viewpoint of the character themselves.

There are numerous advantages and disadvantages to using this perspective over third-person cameras, and it’s believed the first-person view will be limited to its own game mode, where it can’t so readily be exploited over other players. Whichever final form it takes, this is a game type that many Fortnite players have been eagerly awaiting to appear for a while, so its introduction should be well received.

Futuristic theme

Fortnite’s new Season updates often bring with them a change to the game map’s theme, overhauling the game’s virtual island and giving it a new lick of paint while often also bringing in new areas and doing away with others that have become stagnant.

It’s been rumoured that the upcoming Fortnite season’s map may have a futuristic or neo-Tokyo feel, which would be a stark contrast to the present game’s forts, turrets and extensive vegetation. On top of that, it’s been mooted that we’ll see the appearance of rideable "Futuristic Motorbikes", as well as tubes that can be used as slides to quickly move from one area of the map to another.

Crossovers

Fortnite is just as famous for its high-profile pop-culture crossovers as it is its gameplay, tie-ins that see characters and items from other huge media franchises appear in the game.

With the introduction of Season 2, it is rumoured that Eren Yeager from well-known anime Attack on Titan will be the Hidden Skin in the Chapter 4 Season 2 Battle Pass. In addition to the skin, there are rumours that a new Legendary Weapon based on Yeager’s Waist Grappler will also be available.

Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield of Resident Evil game are also anticipated to appear in Fortnite’s item store as part of Season 2. This potential crossover makes a lot of sense with the Resident Evil 4 remake scheduled to release at the end of March.

When will servers go down?

If the release date of Season 2 does turn out to be Thursday 9 March 2023 (and we really can’t see any reason why it wouldn’t), server downtime ahead of the big update would be expected to begin at around 9am GMT).

Matchmaking should be turned off around an hour before that time, so that players can conclude their matches without losing any progress. Servers shouldn’t be down for too long, as the update marks the introduction of a new season, and not a new chapter, which can be substantially more meaty.

But just like with any content update, the game could be unavailable to play for a few hours. For updates on the state of game maintenance, players can visit the official Epic Games Public Status page.