Fortnite is on the verge of releasing its next season, which will be Chapter 7, season 2. It’s been a long time coming, given that Chapter 7, season 1, released way back in November 2025, and players are itching for something new, given that it was one of the longest seasons in Fortnite’s history.
Now, players are gearing up for the new story, new map additions, new gear, and so on. But when does it begin? Here’s what we know about the Chapter 7, season 2 release time.
What is the Fortnite Chapter 7, Season 2 Release Time?
Downtime is scheduled to start at 2 AM ET tonight, technically Thursday, March 19. Downtime estimates range from 7-10 AM ET, usually, so it will be when many are waking up in the morning. Download the patch, and you’ll be in. If you’re looking for time zones:
- 4 AM-7 AM PT
- 7 AM-10 AM ET
- 11 AM-2 PM GMT
- 12 PM-3PM CET
- 3 PM-6PM GST
- 7 PM-10 PM CST
- 9 PM -11 PM JST
What’s happening in this season anyway? We know the broad strokes of the story, which is going back to Fortnite’s actual plot, which does not involve a giant IP crossover at its core. Namely, it’s The Foundation (played by The Rock) facing off against the resurrected Ice King from chapters past.
We know there should be new Foundation, Ice King and Jules skins in the battle pass. The collab, because of course there is at least one, is supposed to be Looney Tunes as Fortnite extends its IP grabs into increasingly random locations. A second round of Cyberpunk 2077 skins are coming, but it might just be Adam Smasher. In terms of gear, there’s going to be something called “Skyzips” added. We also have a blurry look at the map that has leaked:
You can also take a look at a “story recap” if you have no idea what’s going on:
Fortnite is still hugely popular, of course, but new data suggests playtime of live games like this is dropping. A NewZoo report says that battle royale games in general have seen a 27% year-over-year drop in playtime. In Fortnite’s case, that is a 29% drop alongside Apex Legends’ 24% drop and Call of Duty’s 33% drop. A lot of this was due to the rise of open-world sandbox games, jumping 36% year over year.
We will see if this season of Fortnite is a game-changer, but so far, I can’t say I’m really getting that impression, even if we’re back to The Seven and all that.
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