Fortnite down: Game stops working as Epic prepares latest update

Epic Games says outage is necessary for maintenance

A major outage has hit Fortnite, appearing to affect millions of players around the world.

Epic Games, the creators of Fornite, warned that the game's servers would be down in order to install the latest v5.10 update. It is not clear how long the outage will last for, though the timing is intended to minimise impact on players.

Servers were scheduled to go down at 9am BST on Tuesday, 24 July, and while some outages have lasted up to 24 hours, the latest down time will likely be less than a couple of hours.

The latest update is set to introduce new challenges and content to players of the multiplayer Battle Royale game.

The popular game has amassed more than 125 million players around the world since launching in 2017, however its popularity has attracted cyber criminals seeking to profit from the sensation.

Part of the update will also include bug fixes, such as frame delays on text layouts.

The down time comes on the one year anniversary of Fortnite's release, with the game offering players "celebratory birthday rewards" for completing challenges and quests in the game.

"We’ve got a birthday party planned for #Fortnite1st and you’re invited!" the game's website states. "Eat cake, party and bring your friends. Each Birthday Challenge you complete unlocks a slice of the birthday cosmetic set."

Challenges include playing 14 matches to unlock 5,000 XP, dancing at different birthday cakes to unlock the Happy Birthday! Spray, and dealing 1,000 damage to opponents to unlock the Fortnite Birthday! emoticon.

If Fortnite players complete all three of the challenges, they will earn the Birthday Cake Black Bling. The in-game celebration is set to last until 7 August.