Fortnite players across the UK are facing a temporary hiatus from the battle royale today as Epic Games takes the servers offline for a major update. The scheduled maintenance paves the way for the highly anticipated Winterfest 2025 event, but requires fans to wait patiently for the new content to go live.
Fortnite Update 39.11: Winterfest Arrives With Downtime
The cause of the interruption is the deployment of update v39.11, which officially introduces the seasonal Winterfest 2025 celebration to the game. Epic Games confirmed the plans on X, stating that "Winterfest blows into the Golden Coast!" While the new content is welcome, the necessary server downtime means matchmaking is disabled and the game is inaccessible for all platforms, including PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Android.
UK Server Downtime Schedule & Return Time
For players in the United Kingdom, the disruption began in the morning. Matchmaking was disabled at 8:30am GMT on Thursday, December 18, 2025. The full server downtime commenced at 9:00am GMT the same day.
According to the official Fortnite server status page, the maintenance window is scheduled to last for approximately 90 minutes. If this timeline holds, servers are expected to come back online with all the new Winterfest content at 10:30am GMT on December 18.
What This Means for Players
This period of server maintenance is significant as it is likely the final major downtime for Fortnite in 2025. The result will be a game transformed by the festive Winterfest event, complete with new challenges, cosmetic items, and in-game experiences. Players are advised that any active games needed to be concluded before the 8:30am GMT matchmaking cut-off.
Once servers are restored, UK gamers can dive straight into the Winterfest 2025 festivities. The update marks a key moment in the game's seasonal calendar, ensuring fresh content is available throughout the holiday period.
