When is Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 5? Next season start date & latest news
The battle royale enters its next phase in November - with a little bit of time travel rumoured.
The next Fortnite Season start date is upon us (are you ready?) and Chapter 4 Season 5 looks like it's bringing back the original battle royale map!
Keen-eyed players have spotted clues for Season 5 within Season 4 loading screens, and it seems like we'll be returning to some familiar locations this time around in what's reportedly going to be a shorter season.
Time will tell precisely what's going on, but rumours are pointing towards a new live event taking place this December upon the ending of Chapter 4.
Here's everything you need to know about the Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 5 start date and time, and what to expect from it.
When is Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 5 start date?
Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 5 will begin on 3rd November 2023.
This was confirmed by Epic on X (formerly Twitter), with a picture featuring the original and venerable Battle Bus.
Chapter 4 Season 4 is scheduled to end at 7am GMT on 3rd November 2023, and will be down for a few hours as usual before the next season is ready to play.
Before Epic spilled the beans, the date and setting were long hinted at, with in-game clues and X users such as HYPEX speculating as much, prompting them to take a Twitter victory lap when they were proved right.
What time does Fortnite change in the UK?
Fortnite Chapter Season 4 is set to end at 7am on 3rd November here in the UK, and after an as yet unconfirmed period of downtime, Chapter 4 Season 5 will begin.
Based on the changeover times of previous seasons, we're expecting the downtime after the ending of Chapter 4 Season 4 to last around three hours.
Our best guess, then, as to when to expect Fortnite to change from Chapter 4 Season 4 into Season 5 in the UK is around 10am on 3rd November.
Without official word from Epic Games, however, we can't know for sure what the exact timings are. Expect the downtime to last a few hours.
Season 5 could go live in the UK before or after 10am, but that time seems as good as any with those three hours lost to server maintenance.
Latest Fortnite Season 5 news and rumours
Other than returning to Chapter 1 and the old Fortnite map, Epic have been tight-lipped about any details on an official level. They have, however, teased what we might expect - and many leakers have done much of the groundwork to give us the scoop.
The aforementioned HYPEX tweeted that Fortnite will be returning to its roots, with old weapons making a comeback, too.
This - of course - is due to a time machine error. Check out the tweet below:
This was first teased by Epic Games, with several prominent leakers sharing that villain Kado Thorne will utilise time travel to take the game back to Chapter 1 Season 5.
Old assets from that time were then discovered by dataminers in update 26.30. It's since been suggested that Fortnite will cycle through different seasons for a month, with original weapons from the game's start making their return, as well.
There's also a chance that Fortnite Season 5 will be the last season for Chapter 4. While Epic has not announced anything yet, it has been winding down the number of season per chapter in recent times.
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For instance, the first chapter featured 10 seasons, the second then dropped to eight and the third then halved to only four.
With that in mind, could Epic enter 2024 with a new chapter? And what about a Fortnite movie? That's less certain, because the developers seem to be so busy with current events, but there are rumours afoot.
Until then, Epic has partnered with Remedy Entertainment for Alan Wake: Flashback, a new playable experience set within the world of Fortnite that recounts the event of Alan Wake ahead of its upcoming sequel.
It can be accessed by using Island Code 3426-5561-3374. The Alan Wake recap only takes about 20 minutes and is available now.
Whatever happens in the world of Fortnite, we'll be sure to keep you posted!
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Authors
Cole Luke is a freelance journalist and video producer who contributes to RadioTimes.com's Gaming section. He also has bylines for Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, Network N and more.
Toby Saunders is a freelance writer specialising in Video Game journalism. He has a wealth of experience in the field and is published on many different websites including PCGamesN, Nintendo Life and Pocket Tactics. He has a degree in Film Studies (he gets to write about Film and TV occasionally, too).