Fortnite downtime today (January 18): When will the servers be back up?

The most-anticipated Fortnite downtime for Chapter 3 Season 1 will commence at 4:00 AM Eastern Time on January 18, 2022. Following the downtime, the v19.10 update will be live, along with the huge changes that are expected to be introduced into the game.

As always, the servers will be taken offline 30 minutes prior to downtime at approximately 3:30 AM Eastern Time. However, given the uncertainty of the timeframe, it's best if users log-out earlier to avoid any unforeseen circumstances.

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How long will the Fortnite downtime last today (January 18)?

Given the plethora of content headed into the game, providing an exact timeline will prove to be difficult. With major map changes, new wildlife, new POIs, and possibly new NPCs being added in, things can take a while.

By rough estimates, the downtime for the v19.10 update should end by 6:30 AM Eastern Time. However, players should keep in mind that this is subject to change according to Epic Games' discretion.

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Will the Fortnite servers crash today (January 18)?

According to many in the community, there is a chance of the servers crashing once the downtime ends and the game goes live. Given the hype surrounding the return of Tilted Towers, the servers are bound to be overloaded.

However, following the server issues during Winterfest 2021, Epic Games has definitely improved and expanded its servers' capacity. Hopefully, these improvements will stop players from potentially running into login failures.

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Expected changes following the Fortnite v19.10 update

Aside from the return of Tilted Towers, there are many smaller changes that are going to occur following the update. Few will impact the story, while others will simply be there to supplement gameplay.

The Imagined Order will establish a stronghold on the island. This will tie directly into the storyline and continue Doctor Slone's revengeful plan of apprehending Jonesy. The Grenade Launcher will also be added back to the loot pool, giving players more options during combat.

In addition to a new threat and arsenal expansion, 'Butter Cakes' aka large dinosaurs will also begin to appear on the island. As of now, it's unclear if players will be able to ride them into combat, or will have to settle for being chased by them around the map.

Apart from these major changes, minor assets such as snow cover on trees and structures will also be removed to prepare for spring. Hopefully, Fortnite developers won't remove all the snow and will leave behind a small snowy biome for fans to enjoy.