Fortnite season 3: When does Chapter 3 Season 3 begin, and is there a live event?

Some took to social media after being stuck in queues as Fortnite sprung back to life, but hopefully, any teething problems with the new version of the game should be resolved by now and the new season is there for all.

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This was expected to be a bigger change to Fortnite than usual, so read on for all the details on what we know so far.

When did Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 2 end?

Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 2 ended on 3rd June 2022. It was followed by a live event (more on that in a second).

Epic Games confirmed on the game's official website that the Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 2 battle pass would end on that date, rounding off the current season of content and paving the way for what's next.

Players had a few extra hours to finish off their pre-Season-3 business, though. Another page on the game's website noted: "Players will want to wrap up any remaining Quests and unlock all desired rewards before [9pm BST on 4th June]."

When was the last Fortnite live event?

There was a Fortnite live event to bridge that gap between Season 2 and Season 3, as confirmed by Epic Games ahead of time.

You can click that link in the last sentence to learn all about the event, which went by the codename Collision and kicked off at 9pm (BST) on Saturday 4th June.

When did Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 3 start?

Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 3 started on Sunday 5th June. The game's official Twitter account shared a promo video to mark the launch of the new season.

Will there be Fortnite server downtime?

Yes, the Fortnite servers did go offline after the Collision event ran its course.

As ever, Epic Games needed to update the game with all its new content, before bringing the servers back online again when everything about Fortnite Season 3 was ready to go.

The gap between seasons was only a handful of hours, as is standard at this point, with some early morning server downtime bridging the gap.

What is rumoured to happen in Fortnite Season 3?

One set of fan-posted 'leaks' suggests that Fortnite Season 3 could continue the sci-fi wartime vibe of the previous season, with conflict escalating between two rival factions. There have also been mentions on Twitter of the moon, seemingly implying that players could leave the island and head to the lunar surface instead.

And HyperX has posted to Twitter some images that tease what the season could be about.

It has also been suggested by fans that there could be Star Wars content in Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 3, with rumours on Twitter pointing towards Darth Vader, suggesting that the Dark Lord of the Sith himself, the fallen Anakin Skywalker, could be coming to the island as both a boss battle and a wearable outfit/skin.

Disney often promotes its characters in Fortnite – we've had Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, The Prowler, Moon Knight and Boba Fett in recent memory – so an appearance from Vader certainly sounds plausible, especially when you consider that he'll be popping up in the Obi-Wan Kenobi show on Disney Plus (which debuted on 27th May, a few days before the new Fortnite season).

Recently, lightsabers returned to Fortnite to mark May the 4th (be with you), but it'll be interesting to see if they stick around into the next major season of content. Plus, Obi-Wan Kenobi was added to the Fortnite Item Shop on 26th May, which could be a sign of things to come.

A different rumour on Twitter points towards another Disney-owned character that was originally created by Lucasfilm: according to this piece of speculation, Indiana Jones will be added to Fortnite in Season 3. This seems like a little bit more of a long shot, considering that Indiana Jones 5 isn't expected in cinemas until next year, but you never can be too sure with Fortnite.

And here's one final morsel from Twitter: an eagle-eyed fan noticed that, in a recent live stream about Epic's Unreal Engine 5 technology, folders were seen on a screen referring to DOOM and Family Guy. Characters from those worlds have long been rumoured to appear in Fortnite, and perhaps this will finally be the season when that happens.

As and when any of these rumours are confirmed or denied, we'll be sure to update this page, especially if Epic Games come out with any official teases of what's to come.

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