Fortnite new season: Full patch notes as Optimus Prime arrives for Season 3

If you're looking for all of the key details, including the first proper trailers for the new season, keep on reading and we'll run through everything you need to know.

When is the Fortnite new season start date?

The Fortnite new season start date is Friday 9th June 2023.

The previous season ended early in the morning, and the game was down for quite a few hours, with the developers from Epic Games taking their time behind the scenes.

That's all in the past now, though — the update has landed and you should be able to install it now to play the new season of content!

What is the UK start time for Fortnite Season 3?

Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 3 began, speaking from a UK time zone perspective, at around 1:30pm BST on Friday 9th June.

We had hoped to see the game going live around lunchtime. That was our prediction, and in this case it was pretty accurate (unless you took your lunch break quite early today).

Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 3 patch notes

There was no Fortnite live event taking place to mark this new season, but we do have a big pile of patch notes to tell you what has changed.

One of the major changes in today's Fortnite update is this: you can now ride around on raptors! You can also grind on vines. And if you slide on muddy ground, you'll gain a stealthy camouflage advantage.

There are also leafy canopies to be explored, plants to be used as weapons and special reality augments to tie in with the forest-themed season (there's even one that gives you thermal vision).

In terms of weapons, the Drum Shotgun and the Combat SMG have been unvaulted. There are also new weapons to try out: the Thermal DMR, Flapjack Rifle, Kinetic Boomerang, Cybertron Cannon and Wildwisp Jar are all worth considering for your loadout.

For more details, use the links below to see the official Epic Games breakdown of today's big changes:

• Battle Royale patch notes
• Creative patch notes
• Save the World patch notes

Time will tell how the new season of Fortnite goes down with the players, but at least the wait is finally over and we can jump in for ourselves.

Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 3 battle pass skins

Epic has also revealed the Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 3 battle pass skins, and we've put all the available characters into this little video for you:

Mariposa, Relik and Purradise Meowscles will be among the unlockable skins in the Wilds-themed new season, along with Optimus Prime (as part of a long-rumoured Transformers: Rise of the Beasts crossover). Have a gander and get ready to start grinding for Optimus Prime.

Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 3 news and trailers

Epic Games has also released the trailer below, confirming that Wilds is the title of the new season, and that Optimus Prime is among the characters set to appear. Take a look at this cinematic teaser to get a feel for the new vibe:

Furthermore, Epic has shared a gameplay trailer Fortnite's new season, allowing you to see the new meta in action. Watch this one and feel your hype start to grow:

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