Fortnite servers down - How long is offline maintenance for update 29.40

UPDATE: It looks like Fortnite server downtime has been extended by another hour. Sadly, this means Fortnite won't be playable until around 2pm BST UK time. This applies to LEGO Fortnite, Battle Royale, Fortnite Festival, Rocket Racing and Creative.

ORIGINAL: Fortnite developer Epic Games has announced plans to take the entire Fortnite universe offline for server maintenance. It's all part of the launch of update 29.40, which is expected to be the final major download of the current season. Available on PS5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Android and PC, update 29.40 (which is being dubbed the Star Wars update) will be available to download and install on the morning of May 3. As a numbered update, the download will be accompanied by an extended period of server downtime, which means you won't be able to play Fortnite, LEGO Fortnite, Rocket Racing and Fortnite Festival for the next few hours. If you want to know when you can log back into Fortnite, check out the 29.40 server downtime schedule below.

The news was announced in a series of tweets by Epic Games on X, alongside a preview of what fans can expect from the update.

"Prepare to go back to a galaxy far, far away... Star Wars is entering the Fortnite universe soon!" reads a Fortnite tweet.

"Downtime begins at 4 AM ET with matchmaking ending shortly beforehand."

Epic Games revealed more in a follow-up tweet on X: "Offers in the Item Shop have returned! Reminder: Downtime for v29.40 begins May 3rd at 4 AM ET."

For UK fans, this means that Fortnite will be taken offline in full at 9am BST, while matchmaking will be disabled at 8.30am UK time.

Epic hasn't revealed exactly when downtime will come to an end, but maintenance typically lasts for around a couple of hours.

This means Fortnite should be back online by 11am BST UK time at the latest.

Check out the Fortnite X Star Wars trailer below...

In terms of what fans can expect, the new update will revolve around Star Wars Day on May the 4th.

This means new items, skins, songs and various other bundles across Fortnite Battle Royale, LEGO Fortnite, Rocket Racing and Fortnite Festival.

New Star Wars skins and bundles include Dagobah Luke, Lando Calrissian, Chewbacca and an AWR Trooper.

There are also bundles available for Fortnite Festival, as well as a Rocket Racing bundle for 2,800 V-Bucks.

It's also worth pointing out that as the final major update of the season, the new download could contain game files for the end of season event.