Fortnite goes down before big update: Here’s the reason

Fortnite servers are currently down for scheduled maintenance ahead of the launch of its new season. Epic Games took the game offline at 12:30 PM IST (7:00 AM GMT) today (February 21) by reportedly disabling matchmaking shortly before. The downtime, expected to last five hours, will prevent players from accessing any game modes while Epic performs server maintenance. The update, for which the game’s servers are currently down is named “Lawless,” which features Big Dill the rapping pickle.

According to a report by The Standard UK, this time Fortnite went offline two hours earlier than usual, likely because Epic wanted to reduce disruption by scheduling maintenance during off-peak hours. In 2019, there was a blackout during a new season update when Fortnite was down for a massive 36 hours.


The night before the new season launches, Epic announced that console players can pre-download the update to jump straight into Chapter 6, Season 2 as soon as it goes live.
Go to My Games & Apps > Manage > Updates to start the pre-download.
Make sure your console stays connected to the internet in Rest Mode. To enable this:
Go to Settings > Saved Data and Game/App Settings > Automatic Updates
Turn on Auto-Download and Auto-Install in Rest Mode
This will allow the pre-download to start automatically.
From the latest trailer, it looks like Fortnite is taking inspiration from GTA this season, featuring an action-packed update centred around heists and betrayals.
Big Dill returns alongside fan-favourite Midas, a group of female outlaws, and an anthropomorphic wolf who might be this season’s main villain.

The new Battle Pass seems to focus heavily on original skins, but there’s at least one major crossover—Mortal Kombat’s Sub-Zero is joining Fortnite, possibly allowing players to freeze enemies into ice blocks.
Recent teasers also hint at high-stakes heists on a Las Vegas-inspired map. Sharp-eyed fans have spotted new weapons, including dual-wield shotguns, a plasma burst rifle, and an armoured wall that could serve as a strong defence against attacks.