Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 4 release time and what to expect from Fortnite Paradise

Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 4 arrives this weekend, and thanks to some teases by developer Epic Games, we had a decent idea of what to expect in terms of theme and character cameos.

In recent weeks of Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 3, we've seen characters disappearing - and it appears to be tying into the new Paradise theme which, unfortunately, appears more sinister than it sounds.

Here's when Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 4 starts and what we expect to appear.

Note this particular challenge is no longer able to be completed. What's new? Chapter 4 Season 2 has arrived! New additions include the Grind Rails and Kinetic Blades, along with the new Battle Pass, character collection and Eren Jaeger skin. It's a good idea to know how to get XP fast in Fortnite.

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Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 4 release time

Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 4 has a release date of Sunday, 18th September.

Epic has confirmed downtime will begin at around 2am ET. Factor in a couple of hours of downtime which comes with each major new update, expect the launch to be around the following times:

• UK: 9am (BST)
• Europe: 10am (CEST)
• East Coast US: 4am (EDT)
• West Coast US: 1am (PDT)

Note that downtime could be longer; new seasons are major updates and setbacks can happen. If you are in the Americas, we recommend waiting until the morning before you play to be safe - whereas those in Europe should be playing by mid-morning.

Before then, make sure you unlock any remaining Battle Pass rewards you want, unlock the Indiana Jones skin (give yourself plenty of time to solve the secret door past the main chamber in Shuffled Shrines puzzle!) and be sure to spend those gold bars.

Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 4 is here! To help you get started with this heist themed season, we have guides on how to alert a Securitry Camera, secure data from Forecast Towers and destroy weakened walls or security gates. There's also a new Victory Umbrella! Meanwhile, learn what the best weapons are, the current Augments, how to get XP fast, use the best PC settings and earn a Victory Crown.

What can we expect from Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 4?

Unlike last season, we have some specifics about what to expect from Chapter 3 Season 4 - though a lot of mystery remains, thanks to some cryptic but interlinked teases over the last couple of weeks.

First, there's the theme - Paradise. This theme is more sinister than it sounds, however - with the reveal accompanied by three viral clips where, despite their rosy starts, seem them quickly consumed by a metal-like substance.

It's even invaded Times Square! The promo campaign, anyway:

What does this mean? This substance appears to be called 'chrome', with a further tease by the Fortnite Twitter account capitalising letters to spell out the word, alongside the phrases 'It consumes everything', 'Free them' and 'You might be next'.

Free who, exactly? Further teasers have featured characters reaching out of the chrome, seemingly consumed by it.

The community has matched the four teasers with previous leaks to come up with what they believe to be the next season's Battle Pass characters - including a goth-take on Meowscles and Spider-Gwen.

Chrome has been appearing in-game also, suggesting it's already taking hold of the map - but how it relates to the overall storyline, including the Reality Tree and Zero Point, remains to be seen.

We'll find out very soon when the season launches!