Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 2 ends with the Shattered live event, and Chapter 7 Season 3 follows right after. The new season is titled Runners, and it goes live the morning after servers drop for maintenance.
Release time: Friday, June 5, 2026 at 7:00 PM ET (Shattered live event, start of downtime)
Chapter 7 Season 3 start times by region
Epic has not posted an exact hour for the relaunch, but the timing lines up closely with how previous seasons have rolled out. Expect the season to open in the early morning Pacific time, several hours after downtime starts.
| Time zone | Start time (June 6) |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles (PT) | 4:00 AM |
| Chicago (CT) | 6:00 AM |
| New York (ET) | 7:00 AM |
| Brasília (BRT) | 8:00 AM |
| UTC | 11:00 AM |
| London (BST) | 12:00 PM |
| Paris (CEST) | 1:00 PM |
| Johannesburg (SAST) | 1:00 PM |
| Dubai (GST) | 3:00 PM |
| Seoul (KST) | 8:00 PM |
| Tokyo (JST) | 8:00 PM |
| Sydney (AEST) | 9:00 PM |
These hours can shift on the day if maintenance runs long, so treat them as the target window rather than a fixed promise.
Server downtime and the Shattered live event
The handoff between seasons runs through the Shattered live event. It begins at 7:00 PM ET on Friday, June 5, and centers on a final showdown between the Ice King and Dwayne "The Foundation" Johnson. Your experience during the event changes depending on whether you backed Team Foundation or Team Ice King earlier in the season.
Live events of this type typically run 15 to 30 minutes. Servers are expected to go offline around 7:30 PM ET, right after the event ends. From that point, Fortnite stays unavailable until Season 3 opens the following morning.
Anyone who attends the event is set to receive a Dark Voyager-themed pickaxe, and attending alongside a friend grants a free Dark Voyager sidekick.
Pre-download the Season 3 update
You can queue the patch before servers come back, which lets you load in the moment Season 3 goes live. Console players are expected to get the update files on June 5. On PC through the Epic Games Store, the download is likely to unlock closer to launch.
Finish the Season 2 Battle Pass before June 5
Battle Pass progress resets when the new season begins. If you still have tiers or rewards to unlock from the Chapter 7 Season 2 pass, complete them before the season closes on June 5. Once Season 3 starts, those rewards are no longer obtainable.
What's confirmed for Runners so far
Epic has revealed the full Season 3 battle pass lineup ahead of launch. The headline crossover is a cel-shaded take on John Wick, with his dog appearing as a likely sidekick. The pass also brings back remixed versions of existing characters, including PJ and Dr. Sloane, whose return matters for players following the game's storyline.
A first gameplay teaser shows new weapons and a fresh movement option that has players sliding on their knees. As the relaunch approaches, expect map and mechanics details to fill in, but the date itself is locked. Season 3: Runners arrives June 6, immediately after Shattered closes out the current chapter.