Fortnite players woke to scheduled downtime on May 14 as Epic Games prepared to deploy a mid-season update that introduces v40.40 and launches Act 3 of the Showdown season. Servers were taken offline at about 4:00 a.m. Eastern Time, and Epic has not given a confirmed restart time, though community expectations put the maintenance window at roughly three to four hours.
The v40.40 update ushers in Act 3, titled "Answer The Call," and brings new content across multiple modes rather than the sweeping asset swaps that accompany full seasonal transitions. Epic is using this mid-season update to roll out fresh in-game activities and items, while reserving key end-of-season event assets for a smaller follow-up patch — v40.41 — scheduled for release in the coming weeks. That second update is expected to deliver files needed for the end-of-season live event buildup.
Players should expect servers to return sometime between about 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. ET, barring unexpected problems discovered during deployment. Epic has historically varied downtime lengths depending on the scope of changes; for example, an April 30 maintenance (v40.30) was completed in roughly 90 minutes. Mid-season changes like today’s, however, typically require a longer window than minor hotfixes but are shorter than full-season transitions.
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One of the headline additions in v40.40 is a fresh wave of content for LEGO Fortnite Odyssey, which this month receives Star Wars-themed items including playable appearances by the Mandalorian and Grogu. The update also primes the game for an anticipated string of collaborations: leaks and promotional timing point to a partnership with Amazon Prime’s The Boys ahead of the show’s final season, though Epic has not fully detailed the scope or release schedule of those crossover items.
Beyond cosmetics and limited-time modes, the update may surface early hints tied to Chapter 7, Season 3, which Epic is preparing to launch in early June. Dataminers and leakers have increasingly pointed toward larger seasonal changes on the horizon, but Epic has kept most final details under wraps; today’s patch appears focused on building narrative momentum rather than delivering wholesale map or engine changes.
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Players looking for real-time confirmation of server status should follow Fortnite’s official channels on X (formerly Twitter) and other social platforms, where Epic posts maintenance notices and updates during outages. If deployment encounters bugs or stability issues, the downtime could be extended; Epic typically communicates any prolonged interruptions promptly.
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