Fortnite v8.40 release date and time announced – what to expect

Epic Games have announced the release date and time for the v8.40 update in Fortnite Battle Royale, and we’re here to make sure you’re kept up-to-date on everything there is to know.

With Season 8 of Fortnite around its halfway point, Epic are releasing what will be the fourth major game update of the season, expected to be filled with numerous changes and new content.

Below you can find everything we know so far about the v8.40 update, including the release date and time, details on downtime, any confirmed info, and more.

When does v8.40 go live?

The v8.40 update in Fortnite will go live on Wednesday, April 17 at 2 AM PT / 5 AM ET / 10 AM GMT. Since this is an actual patch and not just a Content Update, there will be downtime for it, which means matchmaking should be disabled 20-25 minutes prior.

v8.40 confirmed additions and changes

As is the case every week, we won’t know everything that’s coming in the v8.40 update until the patch notes are released, which usually happens around when the downtime begins.

However, just hours before the update’s scheduled release, Epic revealed that brand new Epic and Legendary variants of the Infantry Rifle will be added to the game.

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 Cosmetically, the weapon looks considerably different from the three variants that already exist in the game, and we will just have to wait and see how potent the weapons’ stats are.

The Epic and Legendary Infantry Rifles look a lot different from their lower rarity counterparts.

What to expect in v8.40

Even though pretty much nothing else about v8.40 has been revealed so far, that doesn’t mean we can’t speculate as to its contents. Below, you can find details about what we expect to see in this mysterious patch.

“Hit your mark!”

When Epic announce the release date and time for Fortnite updates, they usually include some sort of witty clue about a major aspect of that week’s patch. 

This week’s announcement tweet includes the line “Hit your mark” with the ‘direct hit’ emote, which is either about the new Infantry Rifle variants or perhaps some sort of substantial upgrade to the Boom Bow.

Could we see major changes made to the Boom Bow in the v8.40 update?

Map changes

One thing that players can most expect from the v8.40 update is that there will be some sort of noticeable changes made to the map. 

Over the past few weeks, mysterious digging and excavation sites have appeared near and in points-of-interest, most notably Dusty Divot and Loot Lake, so we could see more of that in this week’s update.

The v8.40 update could reveal more info about these mysterious digging sites that have popped up on the map

New cosmetic items

As has been the case for most weekly updates, the v8.40 patch should see some new outfit skins, back-blings, emotes, pickaxes, and other cosmetic items added to the game files for future release.

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If that does end up being the case, then data-miners will likely look for, find, and leak them shortly after the update goes live, so players should definitely be on the lookout for that.

Make sure to check back here once the v8.,40 update goes live as we will provide the full patch notes, breakdown of any changes, all leaked content, and more.