Fortnite: Season 8 Start Date And Time Confirmed [Update]

Season 8 of Fortnite starts in just one day. Developer Epic Games recently confirmed that the new season of the battle royale game kicks off across all platforms this Thursday, February 28, when we'll likely get a sizable update introducing changes to the map, a new battle pass, new skins, challenges, and a whole lot more. [Update: Season 8 of Fortnite is now live across PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices. You can read all about what's new this season in the full Fortnite update 8.0 patch notes.]

New season changes are the biggest event in Fortnite, and with the game facing new competition from the likes of Apex Legends, we aren't expecting Epic to hold back. Specific timing regarding the Season 8 patch has now been announced: server downtime will begin at 1 AM PT / 4 AM ET / 9 AM GMT / 8 PM AET. There's no word on how long it will take, but given this is a larger-than-average update, it might be on the long side. Epic warns that the size of the patch itself "will be larger than normal updates."

Just as it has done in the run up to previous seasons, Epic has been releasing teaser images in the days leading up to Season 8. Each of the hints has come in the form of a poem that suggests the new season will have a pirate theme; the first references "X marks the spot" and treasure, while the second warns players to beware "those who arrive on the waves." The third and fourth each continue the trend but also contain what might be new skins for Season 8. That includes what appears to be a banana with a face, which would show that not everything in the new season will be directly tied to pirates (or especially serious).

What this means as far as gameplay goes remains to be seen, but it'll presumably somehow tie into the earthquakes that have been occurring in the game. Players first began experiencing these tremors earlier this month following the release of Fortnite's 7.30 update, and they've been growing in intensity since, so much so that cracks are now appearing in the island.

We'll find out soon enough what all this means for Season 8, but in the meantime, players still have a few days to complete any remaining Season 7 challenges, including the new Overtime challenges. Epic is giving the Season 8 Battle Pass to players for free if they finish these Overtime challenges, so you'll want to complete them before the season ends to get your hands on the pass without having to shell out any V-Bucks.

You also have until the end of Season 7 to unlock all the variants of the Prisoner skin. If you need help finishing any of this season's challenges, you can find all of GameSpots tips and guides in our complete Season 7 challenges roundup.