The Big Bang live event marks the end of Fortnite OG as the game enters both a new chapter and season.
While it’s been fun to revisit Fortnite’s past, The Big Bang live event promises to bring us back to the present with, well, a bang. How this revised version of the original Season X live event will play out, however, shall remain a mystery until the event occurs and we begin the move over to Fortnite Chapter 5.
So to ensure you don’t miss out, we’ve covered The Big Bang live event start time below along with when the expected Fortnite downtime start date and times.
Update: Due to matchmaking and login issues there will be a replay of The Big Bang live event on Sunday 3rd December at 4am (GMT) / Saturday 2nd December at 11pm (ET).
✅ Unforgettable event
— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) November 21, 2023
✅ Evolving all things as you know them
✅ Memorable reveal toward the end
December 2, 2023. 2pm ET. pic.twitter.com/xAhMKtmwiG
Fortnite Big Bang live event replay start time: When is the Fortnite live event replay?
Update: Due to matchmaking and login errors there will be an additional showing of The Big Bang event to make up for the issues. Fortnite was initially taken completely offline while Epic worked on setting up additional showtimes, but it’s servers are now back online.
Big Bang live event replay start time
The first replay of the Big Bang live event in Fortnite is now at 4am (GMT) on Sunday 3rd December / 11pm (ET) on Saturday 2nd December. The start times for other timezones are:
- UK – Sunday 3rd December, 4am (GMT)
- Europe – Sunday 3rd December, 5am (CET)
- East Coast US – Saturday 2nd December, 11pm (ET)
- West Coast US – Saturday 2nd December, 8pm (PT)
Downtime in Fortnite will also start on Saturday 2nd December – you can find the times further along in this guide – in preparation for Chapter 5.
It’s also important to note that the official Fortnite website has included a photosensitivity and seizure warning for this event. For this reason, if you’re sensitive to flashing lights or have a history of photosensitivity, seizure, loss of awareness or other conditions linked to an epileptic condition you will want to exercise caution when deciding whether to participate in this event.
How to join The Big Bang live event in Fortnite
If you want to partake in The Big Bang live event in Fortnite, then you must be able to play the game at the times listed above on Saturday 2nd December.
An option for the event will become available 30 minutes before it starts in the Battle Royale mode, so 6:30pm (GMT) if you’re a UK resident, so you can properly prepare yourself for the event.
Since this live event also supports parties of up to four players, then you can also use this time to gather your friends.
You can also use Xbox Cloud Gaming, NVIDIA GeForce NOW and Amazon Luna to partake in The Big Bang live event via cloud streaming.
If you’re part of the Support-A-Creator (SAC) program you’ll be able to host VOD content from this live event and monetize it on YouTube for seven days without risking a takedown notification. Just make sure you’ve linked your YouTube and Support-A-Creator accounts, as well as uploading the video as either Public or Unlisted content. Uploading the footage as Private could result in a monetization claim.
When it comes to Twitch streamer, however, Epic Games can not prevent footage from being flagged by third-party copyright detection systems.
Finally, it’s important to remember that the official Fortnite website has issued a photosensitivity and seizure warning due to the inclusion of flashing lights. If you have a history of these conditions or other conditions linked to an epileptic condition, you may want to skip this live event.
Fortnite downtime start date and time explained
Alongside The Big Bang live event, Fortnite will also start experiencing downtime at the following times on Saturday 2nd December:
- UK – 5pm (GMT)
- Europe – 6pm (CET)
- East Coast US – 12pm (ET)
- West Coast US – 9am (PT)
Meanwhile, creator-made experiences for Fortnite v28.00 will start experiencing downtime from the following times:
- UK – 4:30am on Sunday 3rd December (GMT)
- Europe – 5:30 am on Sunday 3rd December (CET)
- East Coast US – 11:30pm on Saturday 2nd December (ET)
- West Coast US – 8:30pm on Saturday 2nd December (PT)
What do we know about The Big Bang live event in Fortnite?
The Big Bang live event is a reworked version of the Fortnite Season X live event, The End.
As its name suggests, this original event brought the end of Fortnite Chapter 1, taking the original map with it, as The Seven used the combined power of rockets and rifts to squash the Zero Point with a meteor. The end result was the island, everything on it, and even the Fortnite main menu being sucked into a black hole. (I hope that made some form of sense…)
The Big Bang live event, however, could end quite differently as there appears to be a time machine attached to the rocket this time.
Once The Big Bang has finished, we’ll have to wait for the new Fortnite season – Chapter 5 Season 1 – to go live. Since this is a new Chapter, there will most likely be a new map and a couple of surprises alongside the new battle pass and challenges. Visit our Fortnite Chapter 5 estimated release date guide, which we’ll be updating as new information about the upcoming season is revealed.
It has also been confirmed that Eminem will be making an appearance during The Big Bang event, with any player who partakes in the event receiving a loading screen featuring him. Eminem’s inclusion was both leaked and hinted at in the The Big Bang teaser image.
Eminem-themed skins – Rap Boy, Slim Shady and Marshall Never More – will also be for sale in the Fortnite Item Shop from Wednesday 29th November at 7pm ET (midnight of Thursday 30th November in the UK).
Players who know the Marshall Never More Outfit, also known as the one with the hat, will unlock the Marshall Magma Style for said Outfit by attending The Big Bang live event. This will occur even if you purchase the outfit after said event.
The teaser image for The Big Bang also hints at new modes arriving in Fortnite, which lines up with recent leaks. There’s a racing wheel, which could hint towards a racing mode from Rocket League creator Psyonix, and, if you stare hard enough, Lego bricks. This suggests we may finally see the fruits of the Fortnite and Lego collaboration, which leaks suggest is a Minecraft-style game including both a creative and survival mode.
The Fortnite "BIG BANG" Event will be the BIGGEST one to date. It's 1.5GB+ making it the biggest in terms of files size alone ‼️
— HYPEX (@HYPEX) November 21, 2023
It'll also feature Eminem, LEGO, Rhythm Mode & Racing Mode. Here's the OFFICIAL Image 🔥 pic.twitter.com/AtsNIwpSMR
Finally, the guitar and microphone could hint at a new musical mode made by Harmonix, the studio behind Rock Band. It can also be seen as an early hint towards the appearance of Eminem in The Big Bang live event itself.
Are you dropping into Fortnite’s Big Bang event next month? Let us know in the comments below!