Fortnite Season 8 Starts This Week, So The Island Is Cracking Apart

Whatever is going on in Fortnite, it's all set to culminate in some sort of event soon. Season 7 ends this week, and Season 8 begins on February 28, Epic has confirmed. We've started to get Season 8 teases, and these point toward some kind of pirate-themed event, though we're still very much in the dark regarding exactly what is about to happen. The original story follows.

Season 7 of Fortnite is quickly approaching its end and should conclude on February 28. As is customary for Epic's wildly popular battle royale title, the transition into Season 8 will seemingly be through some sort of calamitous event. For the last few weeks players have been reporting the occurrence of earthquakes, but now it seems things are escalating, with cracks in the landmass emerging. [Update: Things might change even further with the release of the new 7.40 content update patch's release. And if you had any concerns that Fortnite's popularity was waning in the face of new competition from the likes of Apex Legends, Epic has revealed the Fortnite enjoyed two record days in February.]

Seeing these cracks in the earth form is very much a case of being in the right place at the right time, but some players have captured the phenomenon and posted videos of it online. There's also a dedicated website that features a countdown to the next appearance, so you can at least get yourself into the right spot to see one first-hand.

These cracks in the island will likely continue to appear with increasing frequency and severity. What that means for Season 8 remains to be seen, but it could be that Epic is looking to drastically change the island by breaking pieces of it off. Although a start date for Fortnite Season 8 hasn't officially been confirmed, a set of Overtime Challenges introduced as part of update 7.40 will expire on February 27, leading many to speculate that Season 8 could kick off on February 28.

Interestingly, the Overtime Challenges also provide players with an opportunity to get a free Fortnite Season 8 Battle Pass. All they need to do to claim a Battle Pass for free is complete 13 of the challenges included in the event between now and February 27. The first batch of Overtime Challenges are available now, and you can learn more about the event as well as see the challenges here.

If you still have outstanding challenges from this season, take a look at our complete Fortnite Season 7 challenges roundup, which compiles all the tips and guides we've written for Season 7's trickier challenges. Use that and you'll have them all done in no time.