Fortnite is no stranger to countdowns and theatrics, but this weekend’s mysterious (though probably missile-related) event is a little different. It’s happening just once. Fans thought they’d pinned down exactly when, but today Epic announced the actual date: one day before fans had calculated. Advertisement This much is certain: Something is about to happen. In-game TVs are counting down to 1:30 EST this Saturday, and a siren is blasting near the super villain lair that appeared in the game at the start of season four. In an email, a Fortnite rep told Kotaku that players who want to catch the event in-game should be “somewhere they can see a rocket going off” and stressed that this will happen “ONLY ONCE.” The rep added that there were some false starts to the countdown earlier this month, but this time it’s really happening. Earlier this week, players discovered that they could set their clocks forward to July 1 and make TVs say “launch” on them. They figured the launch was a lock for that day, but it’s happening earlier than expected. The exact reason why is not clear, but it seems that Epic was extremely keen on letting everybody know—perhaps to ensure that a bunch of gawkers don’t show up on Sunday for the glorious spectacle that is a crushing wave of realization that you missed the actual glorious spectacle. Previously, Fortnite took a hammer to its status quo with a comet whose impact with the ground everybody got to see when they logged in. This weekend’s event is different in that it’s a “be there or be square (and watch it on YouTube)” arrangement, but will it alter the map like the comet did? It’s anybody’s guess at this point. If that’s not the outcome here, though, what could it even be? Ah, wait: I’ve figured it out. The missile will go off high in the sky, and from its gleeful conflagration will arise a message: “Due to ongoing issues, we’ll be disabling Shopping Carts again.”<doc-sep>When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up forfor the biggest new releases, reviews and tech hacks FORTNITE ROCKET - UPDATE ONE: Epic Games have now confirmed that the Fortnite missile will be hitting on Saturday. Battle Royale players who now log in will see the 'Blast Off' event is beign teased. The new Fortnite message says: “Get in-match on Saturday by 10:30am PT / 1:30pm ET / 7:30pm CET and look to the sky. “It only happens once!” For Fortnite fans in the UK, it means the Fortnite rocket launch will take place at 6.30pm. ORIGINAL: Fortnite Battle Royale fans are eagerly awaiting the rocket strike to hit the map. A Fortnite countdown clock was first spotted on in-game television sets on Nintendo Switch. The countdown timer is now starting to tick down, meaning that something big is on the way. Ans it's believed that something is a season ending missile strike. The rocket - which can be found in the villain lair - will seemingly launch when the timer hits zero, which is at 6.30pm UK time on June 30. In addition to the countdown timer, Fortnite players have started to hear a warning siren near the lair. Likewise, unlockable loading screens show the mysterious Visitor character preparing to launch a strike. Once the rocket hits, the map is expected to change in a major way.<doc-sep>Fortnite rocket COUNTDOWN - When is the missile hitting? What time will it launch? FREE for the biggest new releases, reviews and tech hacks SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up forfor the biggest new releases, reviews and tech hacks When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. FORTNITE ROCKET - UPDATE ONE: The Fortnite rocket launch is happening today, with Battle Royale fans hours away from seeing the missile fired. After much speculation Epic Games have confirmed that the Fortnite rocket launch will be happening, with the Blast Off event taking place during Saturday June 30. It had long been rumoured that a Fortnite rocket launch could be the major event that starts season 5 or closes season 4. And with less than two weeks until Fortnite season 5 starts, Epic Games is now ready to push that red button and set off the Fortnite rocket launch. If you're wondering what is the rocket launch time, where could the Fortnite rocket hit and what are the different time zones for launch, then Express.co.uk has you covered. Just be aware that the Fortnite rocket launch has been teased as an event that is only happening once. So be sure to be in a Battle Royale match before the Fortnite rocket launch so you can look to the sky and see Blast Off! ORIGINAL - Friday June 30: Fortnite Battle Royale players will see the much-rumoured rocket strike launch soon. But when and what time will the missile be fired? It has long been rumoured that a Fortnite rocket strike could be what kicks off season 5. Ever since Fortnite season 4 began fans have been speculating that the Fortnite rocket launch could play a big role in Fortnite season 5. This is because one of the new locations added at the start of the current Fortnite Battle Pass was a super villain lair near Snobby Shores. In this lair fans discovered the Fortnite rocket, and season 5 theories started snowballing from there. Fortnite leaked skins for update 4.5 Tue, June 26, 2018 FORTNITE update 4.5 dataminers have discovered new skins to be released in the coming weeks. Play slideshow 1 of 23 These Fortnite fan theories only gathered more weight after a mysterious timer countdown started appearing on TVs across the Battle Royale map. It was thought that the countdown could be showing the time left until the Fortnite rocket was launched in Battle Royale. Around the same time new Blockbuster loading screens leaked showing the mysterious Visitor character appearing to be readying a missile launch. And now it has been confirmed that the Fortnite rocket will be launching from the Battle Royale map. Dubbed ‘Blast Off’, the Fortnite rocket launch is being teased as soon as fans log into Battle Royale at the moment. Fortnite season 5 is less than two weeks away and as it draws nearer Epic Games are getting ready to press the red launch button on the rocket. Ahead of the Fortnite rocket launch, Express.co.uk has rounded up everything you need to know about it. Epic Games release explosive trailer for Fortnite season 4 FORTNITE - WHEN IS THE ROCKET LAUNCHING? WHAT IS THE LATEST ON THE MISSILE TV TIMER COUNTDOWN? TVs across the Fortnite Battle Royale map are currently counting down to when the Fortnite rocket will be launched. And it’s all leading up to the Fortnite rocket launch this weekend. The TV timer currently has less than 24 hours remaining on it. And Epic Games have confirmed when the rocket will be hitting in this once-in-a-lifetime event. Fortnite rocket - Epic Games confirmed the missile will launch in a Battle Royale update When Fortnite fans login at the moment, on the ‘New Updates’ screen the first bit of news being teased is the ‘Blast Off!’ event. Next to it is an ominous looking red skull which can’t be a good sign. For Fortnite fans in the UK, the rocket will be launching at 6.30pm BST on Saturday June 30. Epic Games are advising Fortnite fans to already be in a match ready at that time to “look to the sky” and see the rocket be launched. The new in-game message says: “Get in-match on Saturday by 10:30am PT / 1:30pm ET / 7:30pm CET and look to the sky. It only happens once!” FORTNITE - WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE ROCKET LAUNCH? WHERE COULD THE MISSILE HIT? At the moment, it’s unclear where the Fortnite rocket will hit - but there are plenty of theories. Rumours suggest the Fortnite missile will fly from the super villain lair in Snobby Shores, with the rocket travelling over the map to Moisty Mire. It’s expected that is where the Fortnite missile will hit, turning the area into a huge desert. And it’s believed that from the chasm the Fortnite rocket causes a new creature will emerge. Fortnite rocket launch countdown - A TV timer recently appeared across the Battle Royale map It’s rumoured that out of that smouldering hole the Fortnite Leviathan creature will surface. On Thursday reliable Fortnite leakers Two Epic Buddies tweeted details about how Fortnite season 4 will end, revealing more about Leviathan. Two Epic Buddies said that Fortnite season 4 will end with two limited time modes (LTM). One will be a 50v50 mode where one team controls the big Leviathan and has to escort him to Wailing Woods or Greasy Grove. Fortnite rocket countdown - The Visitor is expected to launch the Battle Royale missile The other team has to take down the big Leviathan before it’s too late. Huge footprints that have been spotted on the Battle Royale map have teased that large, monster-like creatures could play a part in Fortnite season 5. Previously, soon after Fortnite season 4 was launched, a massive footprint that destroyed a building was spotted on the Battle Royale map.<doc-sep>Ever since the launch of Fortnite’s Nintendo Switch version back on Tuesday, June 12, the game’s in-game televisions have been acting a little weird. First of all, the Switch version was broadcasting a countdown clock in ominous red letters, which seemed to point toward the morning of Tuesday, June 18 — most likely a patch day. Now, on the other versions of the game — consoles and PC — the televisions are now showing a picture of a skull in the same red color scheme as the countdown. So, what exactly do all these strange broadcasts mean? Well, it’s hard to say for sure. The most likely they are all connected to the missile inside the super-villain layer just west of Snobby Shores. The skull on the TVs is nearly identical to the one that the villains have carved into the side of their mountain, which makes the connection pretty strong. Inside that base there’s even a bran-new hologram that appears to show a projection of what the missile would look like if it were careening toward the ground. It’s possible that this is all a tease meant to build anticipation for next season. Around this time during Season 3, meteors began to appear in the sky and, after a few weeks, began crashing to the ground and destroying any structure in their way, so a missile wouldn’t be too far out of the question. But, whether the missile would be launched Tuesday, to match the countdown clock, or perhaps at the end of the season, is a question we still don’t have an answer to. For now, all we have is a lot of speculation as we wait to see what happens to the game tomorrow morning.<doc-sep>
Fortnite 's rocket will launch earlier than expected, and Epic has even officially announced when you can watch it. The "New Updates" screen for Battle Royale is teasing the event ahead of time, saying you should be in a match on Saturday by 10:30 am PDT / 1:30 pm EDT / 6:30 pm BST to see it yourself. And make sure you're ready, because it's only going to happen once! It's pretty rare to get a truly one-time-only event in an online game like this so we'll definitely be watching with interest. Especially because Fortnite season 5 still isn't set to begin for several weeks after the launch; what kind of strange events will unfold in the final days of season 4? This week people found you could make all Fortnite's TVs say 'Launch' ominously just by changing the in-game clock on your PS4, or PC. Those are the two confirmed so far but it's the same game on all formats so Xbox One and Switch will likely achieve the same results. When is Fortnite season 5 starting? What do the new Fortnite map changes tell us about season 5? As you can see in the video all you need to do is change the clock settings to July 1 and you'll find 'Launch' ominously flashing on the TVs you can find in the game. The hologram in the Evil Villain's lair previously showing the missile will also disappear. Interestingly, if you go back an look at the TVs in a replay after changing the date back you get a default static countdown image. But what does that actually mean? The lair hologram briefly showed a countdown in Fortnite on Switch, but that seems to have been accidental and stopped without anything happening. However, that countdown was for three days which would line up perfectly with something changing in this Thursday's update as it'll then be three days until July 1on Sunday. So why does changing the clock affect the TV and hologram but nothing else? Likely because they're minor things that only involve an image and no major map or geometry changes. It's such a little addition that it would be hard for data miners to unearth it and could easily be slipped in ahead of time, unnoticed. Anything larger like, say, a massive missile hanging in the air, or a new crater on the map, would require a far more substantial and obvious update that would be found straight away. Those sort of likely won't be deployed until much later. If you're wondering what else might happen this week the Fortnite Playground mode is apparently "coming soon", promising more resources and time to build like crazy on an enemy free map.