When does Fortnite Chapter 3 come out and Chapter 2 end?
The end is nigh for Fortnite Chapter 2, which means the Fortnite Chapter 3 release date is very close. What does this mean for the Fortnite map?
Are you ready for The End? Fortnite Chapter 2 is ending very soon, and the current Fortnite season will end with it. After that, the Fortnite Chapter 3 release date will arrive to launch new season of content.
It all kicks off this weekend with a Fortnite live event that will bring Fortnite's current storyline to an end, teeing up the next part of the overarching story instead of sticking with the status quo for Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 9.
Basically, we're skipping from Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 8 (the current season) straight to Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 1 (the next season), rather than carrying on in the current chapter.
The developers/publishers at Epic Games have been quite tight-lipped about this transition, so it's totally understandable if you've got some questions about what's going on with Fortnite ahead of Chapter 3's imminent arrival.
Whatever questions you've got about Fortnite's climactic event this weekend and what it means for the future of the game, we're going to try and answer them below! Have a look and hopefully your understanding will grow!
Is Fortnite ending?
Is Fortnite ending? If that question has been worrying you, fear not! Epic Games has confirmed that Fortnite will continue after The End live event, making it pretty clear that we'll be transitioning from Fortnite Chapter 2 to Fortnite Chapter 3 during this epic spectacle.
The official Epic Games blog has described this live event as "the finale of Fortnite Chapter 2" but also mentions that there will be a "next Season" taking place afterwards.
This culmination of Fortnite Chapter 2 will feature a big confrontation with the Cube Queen, the main villain at the heart of Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 8.
It seems likely that this battle will result in some sort of map-destroying event, which will allow Fortnite to be reborn with a new map and some other big changes.
The closest comparison is probably the live event that brought the original version of Fortnite to a close back in October 2019. That event surprised players with a black hole that sucked up the entire Fortnite island, effectively rendering the game unplayable for two days before Fortnite Chapter 2 began.
It'll be interesting to see if we get another black hole this time around, or if Epic Games has another extinction level event in mind. We'll let you know if we hear anything!
Read more on Fortnite Chapter 3:
- Fortnite Winterfest 2021 - all the Christmas event details
- What happened in the Fortnite live event?
- When is The Rock skin coming to Fortnite?
- How to get the Spider-Man mythic Web-Shooters and skins in Fortnite
- Fortnite Victory Crown explained - what does it do?
- Fortnite Boba Fett skin release date
- When does Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 2 start?
When does Fortnite Chapter 2 end?
When does the Fortnite season end? Very soon, actually!
Fortnite Chapter 2 will end on 4th December 2021 with a live event aptly called The End. This exciting Fortnite event will kick off at 9pm BST here in the UK.
At that time, Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 8 will end and we will move forward into the future instead of sticking around in the current season any longer.
When does Fortnite Chapter 3 come out?
It seems very likely that Fortnite Chapter 3 will come out on 4th December 2021, bringing the next Fortnite season to life some time after The End live event.
There will be a period of downtime between the event and the new chapter's launch with Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 1, so we'd predict that it could be 11pm before players in the UK can jump into the new season.
That's just a guess on our part, though, so don't be surprised if the Fortnite Chapter 3 release date does slip into the early hours of 5th December 2021. When an official time is confirmed, we'll be sure to update this page.
Of course, it's also possible that Epic Games could keep the game offline for a couple of days, just as they did before launching Fortnite Chapter 2. Either way, we'll let you know when a date is confirmed for the next season.
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Fortnite Chapter 3 event
The Fortnite event that bridges the gap between Fortnite Chapter 2 and Fortnite Chapter 3 will take place in the game itself, with players able to team up in parties of up to 16 players.
You and your pals will be able to queue when the playlist goes live at roughly 8.30pm on 4th December, half an hour before this exciting Fortnite event begins.
This one-off event will bring the Cube Queen's reign of terror to an end, capping of her villainous Chapter 2 Season 8 storyline, with players that take part being rewarded with a new loading screen and wrap. If you're intrigued, take a look at the trailer below.
If you log into Fortnite before the end of the season, you will receive 225,000 XP as a reward, which should come in handy if you want to level up before the new chapter.
Also, Epic Games recently hosted a Power Levelling Weekend in the game to help players finish up their Chapter 2 Season 8 progression. That has now ended, though.
And the final piece of Chapter 2 housekeeping is this - from 2pm GMT on 30th November 2021, a Bargain Bin Week event will take place in the game. Epic Games said on its official blog that this Bargain Bin Week should help you "cut the cost of all Character services and Exotic item trades."
Fortnite chapter 3 map and patch notes
What does this all mean for the Fortnite Chapter 3 map and the game in general? There are sure to be major changes, new characters, a fresh battle pass and probably a new theme/story event to tie it all together.
Some are even predicting that the whole game could've been rebuilt in Unreal Engine 5, a major overhaul for Fortnite Chapter 3 which would mean better graphics and smoother gameplay than ever (in theory).
We also know that a Fortnite crossover with Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett will be coming during Fortnite Chapter 3. The infamous bounty hunter arrives in the game on 24th December 2021, some 20 days after the new chapter launches, but only time will tell if that's a major part of the new chapter's overarching narrative or just a little tie-in.
No further details about Fortnite Chapter 3 have been confirmed just yet, but we'll be sure to update this page with more information as soon as we can. Here's hoping for some proper patch notes soon.
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Authors
Rob Leane is the Gaming Editor at Radio Times, overseeing our coverage of the biggest games on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, PC, mobile and VR. Rob works across our website, social media accounts and video channels, as well as producing our weekly gaming newsletter. He has previously worked at Den of Geek, Stealth Optional and Dennis Publishing.
