Fortnite servers are up and running after they temporarily went down before a new season of the mega-popular online game debuted.

The outage was an expected step that Epic Games, the developer behind Fortnite, takes to regularly prepare new content – including maps, weapons and playable characters – to keep the eight-year-old video game fresh for its legion of fans.

Here’s everything to know about the scheduled outage, when Fortnite went back online and what the new heist-themed season, named Lawless, is all about:

Why were Fortnite servers down?

Epic Games’ servers went down around 2 a.m. Friday as the developer made updates to Fortnite ahead of the launch of its new season after the previous one came to an official end.

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The outage was not due to an error, but rather gave the developer time to adjust gameplay mechanics, introduce new features and fix any bugs that may have existed.

When will Fortnite servers be back up?

Epic Games said the servers were back up and running shortly after 7 a.m. Friday.

The five-hour outage is a typical length, as past seasonal updates have also lasted for a few hours. However, there have been longer delays, like in the one in March 2024 when Epic Games needed an additional eight hours to complete the job.

Eager players were able to check the server status for Fortnite and other Epic Games products at status.epicgames.com. Fortnite also has a status account on social media site X that reports on the latest issues with the game.

What to know about the new season of Fortnite

Chapter 6, Season 2 of Fortnite takes on a crime theme that allows players to execute train heists and bank robberies.

Crossovers with other video game franchises have become a staple of Fortnite. This time around, players will be able to play as characters from the classic fighting game Mortal Kombat, and there’s also a tie-in with the popular anime, “Cowboy Bepop.”

The new season, as expected, includes a slew of new weapons to use and new maps to peruse during the popular battle royale mode, in which up to 100 players can fight it out to the last one standing. That include an urban locale called Crime City.

Another new feature will allow players to select their own “jam track” that plays at the start of matches as they drop onto the map, and again if they manage to notch a victory.

There’s also a giant pickle that raps, just … because?

Fortnite Lawless trailer

Fortnite dropped its trailer for the new season Tuesday, which features a pickle character, Big Dill rapping alongside a hot dog, a visit from Mortal Kombat’s Sub-Zero, and lots of characters battling over the spoils from a bank heist.

Watch it here:

How long does Fortnite Lawless Battle Pass last?

The game’s famous seasonal system, known as Battle Pass, for Lawless will run through May 2.

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected]