Quick answer (updated 28 October 2026): The next Fortnite update is v43.00, and it's scheduled for Sunday 1 November 2026. An Epic staff member gave the number and date in a known-issues post on the official Unreal Engine forums. The update ends Chapter 7 Season 4 "Override" and starts the Treasure Hunters mini-season, which includes the official Fortnite x One Piece collab. Epic hasn't announced the downtime time yet. Recent updates started at 2 AM or 4 AM ET, and season changes have kept servers offline for about 4–6 hours. US clocks go back an hour that same morning, so 4 AM ET would be 09:00 UTC / 09:00 UK / 10:00 CET. Full patch notes don't exist yet, because Epic posts them when the update goes live. Below is everything confirmed so far, what's only leaked, and what to finish before servers go down.
Key takeaways
- Date: v43.00 is set for 1 November 2026. Epic's Battle Pass page says Override "Ends November 1, 2026 Eastern Time".
- Downtime: time not announced yet. Season changes usually take 4–6 hours (the 1 November 2025 season change took about 5).
- What it adds: the Treasure Hunters mini-season with a new skull-shaped island, the Going Merry (outlets read it as the Battle Bus in the trailer), One Piece characters, and a new pass.
- What ends: Override, its Battle Pass, the Final Spritemare event (27–31 October) and Fortnitemares 2026.
- Not v43.00: Chapter 8 is only leaked for late November or early December. Fortnite OG runs on its own calendar and doesn't change seasons on 1 November.
When is the next Fortnite update?
The next Fortnite update is v43.00 on 1 November 2026. There are two Epic sources for that, and the update follows straight on from the current version (v42.40, released 15 October).
- On 13 October, an Epic staff member's v42.40 known-issues post on the Unreal Engine forums listed a fix as "Fix targeted for v43.00 (November 1)". That confirms both the version number and the date.
- Epic's own Battle Pass page says the Override pass "Ends November 1, 2026 Eastern Time."
Epic then put a date on the new season. On 24 October at 13:00 UTC the official @Fortnite account posted a 7-second teaser ending on a "TREASURE HUNTERS" title card, with the caption "The greatest adventure of all! 11.1". On 27 October at 13:01 UTC it followed up with a 28-second trailer captioned "Tempting, isn't it?".
One date trap. Some wikis and countdown sites list Override's end as 31 October. Epic's own page says 1 November ET, so we go with that. The exact hour is still unconfirmed, so don't plan on playing late on Saturday night with no margin.
What time does the v43.00 downtime start?
Epic hasn't posted it yet. Epic posts the downtime start on @FortniteStatus and status.epicgames.com before each update. Here's what recent updates did:
| Update | Date | Downtime start | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| v42.00 (Override launch) | 20 Aug 2026 | 2 AM ET | @FortniteStatus |
| v42.20 | 17 Sep 2026 | 4 AM ET | @FortniteStatus |
| v42.40 | 15 Oct 2026 | 08:00 UTC (4 AM ET) | Epic status page |
| v43.00 (Treasure Hunters) | 1 Nov 2026 | Not announced | — |
When Epic posted the v42.20 downtime, @FortniteStatus wrote: "Downtime for v42.20 starts at 4 AM ET with matchmaking ending shortly beforehand." Expect the same pattern on 1 November. Matchmaking switches off a little before downtime begins, so you can't start new matches in that window. A player in this r/FortniteBR thread described exactly that: they were grinding Battle Pass levels in a past season and "they disabled the matchmaking way earlier than they said they would." Don't leave your last levels to the final hour.
The daylight-saving catch. US clocks go back one hour at 2 AM on 1 November (the UK and EU already changed on 25 October). So the usual ET times that morning convert to Eastern Standard Time:
| If Epic picks… | UTC | UK (GMT) | Central Europe (CET) | US Pacific (PT) | Australia East (AEDT) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 AM ET | 07:00 | 07:00 | 08:00 | Midnight (12 AM PDT) | 6 PM |
| 4 AM ET | 09:00 | 09:00 | 10:00 | 1 AM PST | 8 PM |
These are conversions of past patterns, not Epic's announcement. One outlet (GAMES.GG) reports a 4 AM ET start, but Epic hasn't confirmed it. We'll update this page when @FortniteStatus posts.
How long will Fortnite be down for the Treasure Hunters update?
Expect roughly 4 to 6 hours. A new season is the longest downtime of the year apart from a new chapter. The Fortnite Wiki's server-downtime log shows:
- 7 June 2025 (end of Galactic Battle): about 4 hours
- 1 November 2025 (Simpsons season): about 5 hours
- 29 November 2025: about 5 hours
- 5–6 June 2026: about 6 hours
- 20 August 2026 (v42.00 Override): about 5 hours, per Beebom
New chapters take longer (December 2021 ran about 18 hours). Treasure Hunters is a mini-season, not a chapter, so a 4–6 hour window is the realistic expectation. With a 4 AM ET start, that puts the island back online around 8–10 AM ET (13:00–15:00 UTC). If the game says servers are offline after that, check our Fortnite server status and downtime guide before reinstalling anything.
What's in the Fortnite v43.00 patch notes?
Epic hasn't released v43.00 patch notes. Full Battle Royale notes normally go up in its update-notes threads on update day. What we can say is what Epic has officially shown. Everything below comes from Epic's teaser and trailer, with outlet readings marked as such.
A brand-new island
The headline change is a new map. The overhead preview going around since 27 October (theclick) shows an island shaped like a skull and crossbones. Most of the north is orange desert. There's a large purple circular area west of centre and a dark rocky zone in the centre-east, and the south is a maze of waterways, bridges and small islands. The preview has no location names on it, so every POI name below is an outlet's reading of the trailer rather than a labelled map:
- Arlong Park, Foosha Village, Marigold and a One Piece treasure chest (Beebom)
- The Baratie, Sanji's floating restaurant (TechWiser)
- An armed AWGE yacht with turrets and a helicopter, tied to the A$AP Rocky collab (visible in the trailer)
On r/FortniteBR the main complaint is that the island looks small. Replies in this thread push back, and one player said "we had the same map with different pois since the Dark Voyager I think, so some change is nice." We'll publish a full named-POI breakdown once the island is live.
One Piece and the other collabs
Epic confirmed Fortnite x One Piece on 24 October. Its post carries the official "© Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha, Toei Animation" credit. Characters visible in the 27 October trailer:
| Group | Characters seen in the trailer | Status |
|---|---|---|
| One Piece | Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Buggy, Ace | In trailer. Pass vs Item Shop not announced |
| Music collabs | A$AP Rocky, a pirate Hatsune Miku, Kasane Teto | In trailer. Prices not announced |
| Fortnite originals | Anime-style Jonesy and Hope, Oscar | In trailer. Pass contents not confirmed |
For the full collab picture, including the wanted posters and leaked waves, see our Fortnite One Piece collab guide.
Weapons and items shown
Outlets picked out these from the trailer. None of them have stats until the patch notes are out:
- Luffy's Gum-Gum mythic (Beebom names Gum-Gum Pistol and Gum-Gum Rocket as part of it)
- Usopp's slingshot and a Zoro sword weapon
- A pirate-style shotgun (a blunderbuss) and an older-looking assault rifle or rocket launcher
- A tangerine healing item, a nod to Nami (TechWiser)
The new pass
The Treasure Hunters lineup is not Epic-confirmed, and outlets disagree on who is in it. What the Fortnite Wiki documents about how passes work: the premium pass costs 800 V-Bucks and contains 800 V-Bucks in total. Each level takes 80,000 XP. Past mini-season passes were shorter: 5 outfits and 50 rewards plus 10 bonus, up to level 70, against 100 + 50 and level 200 in a full season. Expect Treasure Hunters to follow that pattern, but Epic hasn't published its pass yet. Pricing details are in our Fortnite Battle Pass guide.
Do Sprites survive the update?
Unconfirmed. Beebom noticed that the trailer shows no Sprites and no extraction sites. On the other hand, a leaked Miku and Teto duo Sprite image (HYPEX, 24 October) suggests the system carries on. Claims that "Sprites leave in Chapter 8" are speculation. If you're mastering Sprites, finish during The Final Spritemare while 2x Sprite XP is running, rather than betting on them coming back.
What should you do before the update goes live?
The countdown is the useful part. Here's a short checklist for the last days of Override:
- Finish your Battle Pass levels by Saturday 31 October. After 1 November the Override pass can't be bought or progressed. You don't lose rewards you've earned but haven't claimed, though. Epic Player Support says: "If you forget to claim rewards from the Passes in Fortnite before the season ends, you will receive them automatically the next time you log in."
- Play the Final Spritemare days. It runs 27–31 October from 9 AM ET (1 PM UTC) daily, with 2x Sprite XP, 2x Sprite Dust and a daily login quest for a Lucky Locator.
- Finish Geno and Fortnitemares quests. Fortnitemares 2026 ends with the season. See our season-end checklist.
- Check your Override recap at fortnite.com/recap. Epic hasn't said how long it stays up once the season changes. Here's how to see your season stats.
- Turn on auto-updates. On consoles and the Epic Games Launcher, the patch is normally pushed during the downtime window. Epic hasn't published a v43.00 file size, so leave headroom on your drive.
Fortnite Crew subscribers: the November Crew pack is Monarcha according to the Fortnite Wiki and datamined files, unlocking on 1 November. Crew content rolls over at about 8 PM ET on 31 October (00:00 UTC on 1 November), separate from the season downtime. See our Fortnite Crew skin page.
Is v43.00 Chapter 8?
No. v43.00 starts a mini-season, a bridge between Chapter 7 and Chapter 8. Leakers put Chapter 8 Season 1 in late November to early December, but they disagree on the date (HYPEX around 28 November, others around 5 December). Epic hasn't confirmed either. The Fortnite Wiki lists Treasure Hunters ending on 5 December 2026, and that isn't Epic-confirmed either. Our mini-season or Chapter 8 explainer tracks both.
Fortnite OG is a separate season line. It's currently on OG Chapter 1: Season X "Out of Time" (live since 3 September 2026) and it doesn't change seasons with Treasure Hunters.
Confirmed vs leaked: the v43.00 cheat sheet
| Claim | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| v43.00 lands 1 November 2026 | ✅ Confirmed | Epic staff, UE forums (13 Oct) |
| Override ends 1 November ET | ✅ Confirmed | fortnite.com/battle-pass |
| Season is called Treasure Hunters | ✅ Confirmed | @Fortnite teaser (24 Oct) |
| One Piece collab is part of it | ✅ Confirmed | @Fortnite (24 Oct) |
| Skull-shaped new island | 🟡 Shown in promo art, POI names unlabelled | Trailer and overhead preview (27 Oct) |
| Going Merry is the Battle Bus | 🟡 Outlet reading of the trailer | Beebom, TechWiser |
| Downtime start time | ❌ Not announced | Watch @FortniteStatus |
| Pass lineup and One Piece prices | ❌ Not announced | Outlets disagree |
| Treasure Hunters end date / Chapter 8 date | ❌ Leak and wiki only | HYPEX, Fortnite Wiki |
FAQ
What time does the Fortnite update come out on 1 November? Epic hasn't announced it. Recent updates started at 2 AM or 4 AM ET. After US clocks go back that morning, 4 AM ET is 09:00 UTC (9 AM UK, 10 AM CET, 1 AM PST). Season changes have taken 4–6 hours, so if Epic does pick 4 AM ET, expect to be back in roughly 8–10 AM ET. That's an estimate, not a guarantee.
Are the v43.00 patch notes out? No. Epic normally posts full Battle Royale patch notes on update day. Everything known right now comes from Epic's teaser and trailer and from leaks. We'll add the official notes on 1 November.
Why can't I find a match before the downtime starts? Epic switches matchmaking off shortly before downtime begins. That's normal, and you can't get round it. Finish any Battle Pass levels you need before Saturday night.
Will I lose my Override Battle Pass rewards? Not the ones you've already earned. Epic says unclaimed pass rewards are granted automatically the next time you log in. What you lose is the chance to earn more levels after 1 November.
Is the season ending on 31 October or 1 November? Epic's Battle Pass page says 1 November 2026, Eastern Time. Some wikis and countdown sites say 31 October. Treat Saturday 31 October as your last full day of play.
Is the new map permanent? Nobody knows yet. Treasure Hunters is a mini-season, and leaks point to Chapter 8 following in late November or early December. Epic hasn't said whether the skull island stays.
More Fortnite guides
Getting ready for Treasure Hunters? These are the pages players are using this week.
- Fortnite Treasure Hunters: everything confirmed
- Fortnite servers down? Live status and downtime
- When does Chapter 7 Season 4 end?
- The Final Spritemare: daily schedule
This article covers Fortnite update v43.00 (1 November 2026), the transition from Chapter 7 Season 4 "Override" (v42.40) to the Treasure Hunters mini-season. Last verified 28 October 2026. Sources: Epic's Battle Pass page, Epic staff on the Unreal Engine forums, @Fortnite, @FortniteStatus, status.epicgames.com, the Fortnite Wiki, Beebom, TechWiser and player discussion on r/FortniteBR. We'll refresh this page with each new update.
