Here's When Downtime Begins in Fortnite for Big Save the World Update

Epic Games has announced that downtime for the next Fortnite update will begin on April 16 at 4 AM ET, letting players know when they can expect the highly anticipated patch to drop. Fortnite left early access years ago, but since it is a live service game, it still receives updates quite regularly. Chapter 7 Season 2 started on March 19, and since then, it has received one update. Patch v40.10 added the April Fool’s Day event to Fortnite, as well as the new OG Pass.

Typically, unless Epic Games employees are on vacation, Fortnite updates tend to come out every two weeks. Epic Games has shared the Fortnite updates roadmap, letting players know exactly when each patch is scheduled to drop — unless there is some sort of unexpected change. Thanks to this information, players knew that after the update on April Fool’s Day, they would have to wait until April 16 for the next patch. However, they’d have to wait until a few hours prior to its release to know when downtime would begin.

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Fortnite Announces Downtime for v40.20

Downtime start time: April 16, 2026, at 4 AM ET

Fortnite has now revealed that downtime for patch v40.20 will begin at 4 AM ET. This means that servers will go down in the early morning hours of April 16. Then, after a couple of hours, servers should go back online once the patch has been uploaded and everything is ready to go. Players who want to organize their playing time prior to the update should know that matchmaking is usually disabled 30 minutes prior to downtime. Therefore, they won’t be able to enter a new match after 3:30 AM ET. This next Fortnite update is particularly exciting for a big part of the community for three reasons: it brings Fortnite Festival Season 14, introduces Pro Vocals and Pro Drums, and Save the World goes free-to-play.

Laufey fans will be able to obtain her skin in the Item Shop and additional cosmetics and skins in the Music Pass. Karaoke fans will be able to use a microphone to sing in Fortnite. They have to plug it into their console or PC and sing their hearts out along to the lyrics in Fortnite Festival. Additionally, they can also connect a Rock Band 4 or any other compatible drum kit to play the drums while jamming to a song.

Save the World was the original Fortnite game mode, but unlike Battle Royale and other modes, it was a game that could only ever be accessed by those who purchased a Founder’s Pack or Save the World Quest Pack. As of April 16, everyone will be able to access Save the World for free. Unfortunately, they won’t receive free V-Bucks in Save the World once it becomes free-to-play, as this is exclusive to those who paid to play it.

Who’s That Character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Who’s That Character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)

Due to other game modes’ popularity, Save the World was put on the back burner when it comes to adding new content. At this point in time, some players believe that Save the World is only worth it for the V-Bucks. However, even if this feature isn’t available for those who play it for free, it is still worth trying to see how players feel about it — especially if they’re fans of tower defense games.