When does Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 5 launch?

Fortnite's next step forward with Chapter 4 Season 5 is a step back in time. It’ll take players back to the beginning — all the way to Chapter 1 — on Nov. 3, 2023.

Let’s look at when Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 5 launches based on clues and history, and then talk about what to expect from the new season, and when we can reasonably expect the new Fortnite season to launch.

What time does Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 5 launch?

Image: Epic Games

With an official launch of Friday, Nov. 3, announced, we can make some educated guesses about launch times based on history. Server downtime usually starts around 2 or 3 a.m. EST and typically last about four hours (give or take). That means we can reasonably expect Chapter 4 Season 5 to go live around:

• 1 a.m. - 4 a.m. PST for the west coast of North America
• 4 a.m. - 7 a.m. EST for the east coast of North America
• 8 a.m. - 11 a.m. GMT for the U.K.
• 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. CET for western Europe/Paris
• 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. JST on Japan/Tokyo

What to expect in Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 5

Everything about this new season and its theme of “rewind” is a return to (and celebration of) OG Fortnite Chapter 1 from way back in 2018. Specifically, Chapter 1 Season 5. On Tuesday, leaks for C4S5 started making the rounds. Though none of the following are officially confirmed, they’re all from known and trusted leakers.

The biggest change is a return to the original, OG Fortnite Chapter 1 Season 5 map — including the fan favorite POI Tilted Towers. Don’t expect that map to stay the same through all of the month-long season, though. Leakers have suggested that the map will be updating quickly and repeatedly throughout the season.

Chapter 1 skins, weapons, and vehicles are expected to return as well. Skins seen in the leaks and teasers so far include (remixes of) Peely, Ragnarok, and Team Leader. We’ve also seen the return of weapons like the original Assault Rifle (AR), turrets, and traps. For vehicles, we’ve seen leaks of planes, ballers, and shopping carts.

Gameplay won’t be returning to the old style, though. Sprinting and mantling will stay in the new season, presumably along with Zero Build.

Chapter 4 Season 5 probably won’t bring any entirely new modes to Fortnite. The Rocket League Racing mode is rumored to make its debut shortly after the launch of the new season, though it will probably wait for the launch of Chapter 5 — that said, C4S5 is expected to be quite short, with the new chapter launching before the end of the year.