Fortnite Season 6 Is Live With New Update

[Update] The servers are now back online with a new update and Season 6 of Fortnite has begun. [Original Story] The next season of the popular battle royale game kicks off on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile today and it'll arrive alongside the release of the game's 6.0 update. The Fortnite servers have been taken offline so that developer Epic Games can issue the new patch and get the season rolling.

As previously revealed on Twitter, Fortnite servers will be down from 1 AM PT / 4 AM ET / 9 AM BST while Epic rolls out the game's 6.0 update. The developer didn't provide an estimate for how long this downtime will last; previous maintenance periods have typically run between one and two hours, though the timing could vary, particularly as patch 6.0 will presumably make some rather significant changes to the game.

Once the servers return, players will be able to officially dive into Season 6. We still don't quite know what to expect from the new season. Epic hasn't revealed many concrete details about it, but the developer has been dropping a series of teaser images that feature what are likely to be some of the new skins players will be able to acquire. On Monday, Epic showed off a robotic llama; Tuesday's teaser featured an outlaw; and the most recent image depicted a werewolf.

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All of the teaser images are also set against the infamous purple cube, suggesting it will continue to play some sort of role in Season 6. The mysterious object first appeared in the game back in August, after a lightning storm struck the desert. Shortly after that, it began slowly rolling around the island until it eventually came to Loot Lake last week. Much to players' surprise, the cube plunged into the lake, turning the entire body of water purple and bouncy.

Epic typically makes some fairly big changes to Fortnite's map at the start of each season, so other areas are likely to receive an overhaul when Season 6 finally arrives. The developer also offers a new Battle Pass to purchase during each season. Epic hasn't yet provided any details about Season 6's Battle Pass, but these typically cost 950 V-Bucks--Fortnite's in-game currency--and can be leveled up throughout the entire season to unlock new skins, cosmetic items, and other rewards.