Everything we know about Fortnite Chapter 3

Fortnite Chapter 3 will soon be upon us. That means a whole new string of seasons, events, skins, and probably more marketing collaborations and crossovers than you can shake a pickaxe at. Much like when Fortnite shifted over into Chapter 2, Chapter 3 promises to be a significant touch-up to Fortnite's tried-and-tested battle royale formula, and god only knows what's in store.

We've combed through all the Fortnite Chapter 3 leaks, data miners' latest discoveries, and official teasers to figure out just what to expect.

Keep in mind that Fortnite Chapter 2 will conclude with "The End," the event that will pit players against Season 8's tyrannical Cube Queen. Click the link to learn when to watch the event go down.

When does Fortnite Chapter 3 start? Fortnite Chapter 3 downtime

Fortnite Chapter 3 is expected to start on December 7, after 1-2 days of downtime following The End event. When Chapter 2 arrived, players were subjected to an entire day's worth of Fortnite being turned into nothing but a black hole, after a series of dimension-shattering rocket launches sucked everything into oblivion. This is more or less a cheeky way of performing huge amounts of maintenance, which is obviously needed when shifting to a brand new map, updating game features, and whatever else Epic is planning.

Fortnite Chapter 3 leaks and teasers

This section contains potential spoilers for "The End" event and Fortnite Chapter 3.

It wouldn't be Fortnite without plenty of leaks. There's already a few major teasers that have dropped unexpectedly, pointing to what we might see change in Chapter 3.

First up, perhaps the weirdest of them all, is a new video posted by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Normally, Mr. Rock is posting on his Instagram about his workout routine and his brand of energy drinks, but during a recent video he grabbed a can out of his gym's mini-fridge, revealing what appears to be the Foundation's helmet.

If you're a little lost, the Foundation was the Iron Man-esque character who teamed up with Agent Jones to save the Fortnite island from a dimensional calamity way back in season 5. Since then, the Foundation has been trying to make his way back to finish his business. Basically, his whole deal is that he wants to stop the time loop that's powering Fortnite's weird battle royale world.

Why does the Rock have the Foundation's helmet? Beats me. The post's accompanying text and Rock's speech include a few references to Fortnite: "Zero Point, Higher Ground, Foundation."

Funny enough, the person filming the video also occasionally flips the camera upside down, which leads us into our next leak.

What appears to be an ad for Fortnite Chapter 3 has leaked on TikTok, as seen in the post below. It shows characters from the start of Chapter 2 being swept away by what looks like a large wave, and then quickly transitions to a shot of Jonesy treading water far away from the island.

The island is seen flipping onto its backside to reveal a brand new map, after being teleported away from what looks like season 7's alien invasion and season 2's tsunami wall.

Presumably, this will play a role in "The End" event. My best guess is we'll see remnants of past Fortnite Chapter 2 seasons appear before something causes the island to flip like a quarter. Whatever the cause, that's a genuinely pretty awesome trick to pull.

Fortnite Chapter 3 battle pass

It would be weird for Fortnite to not include a battle pass for the inaugural season of Chapter 3, so we'll go ahead and assume they've got one ready. Thus far, no leaks have surfaced regarding what's in the Chapter 3 battle pass, so we can only go on conjecture and titbits of teasers.

If I had to make some educated guesses, I'd expect Fortnite Chapter 3's first season to be a little more restrained in terms of gimmicky mechanics and other elements. When Chapter 2 first launched, it was a surprisingly toned-down and scaled-back season compared to the mechs, flying glass balls, and ice storms of the first 10 seasons. Players were ceremoniously launched onto a comparatively simplified (though no less huge and pretty) map and had to hoof it on foot for two seasons before cars were even introduced. Of course, things got wilder from there. We were treated to a massive flood that turned half the map into a watery grave in season 3, an alien invasion in season 7, and an all-consuming Marvel crossover that still to this day pops up a new Avenger skin from time to time.

Of course, don't expect a calmer period of Fortnite to last too long. It's entirely possible that Chapter 3 season 1 could introduce a wild divergence from the usual battle royale formula, but only time will tell until more info drops, whether it's in leaks or official posts.

Fortnite Chapter 3 gameplay changes

Thus far, we've only got a tiny amount of info that may point towards gameplay changes in Fortnite Chapter 3. Here's a running list.

• Seagulls may be added as a new flying animal, much like the passive crows (source: HypeX). These likely won't have any gameplay implications, as crows never did anything except fly around to add a little atmosphere and wildlife diversity.
• Another small UI change, just shifting the options menu to the left side of the screen.

That's all we know for now about Fortnite Chapter 3. Don't forget to check out how to watch "The End" in Fortnite, and all our other guides, challenge walkthroughs, and new skins.