UPDATE: Fortnite has been officially taken offline for the release of update 33.11.

With the game expected to remain offline until at least 2pm GMT, fans can download and install the update ready for when Fortnite comes back online.

You can read all about the new items, Winterfest skins and crossovers here, as the likes of Mariah Carey join the game.

ORIGINAL: Fortnite servers are about to be taken offline for the final update of the year, Epic Games has confirmed.

Fortnite update 33.11 is coming to PS5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch and Android on December 18.

The new content won’t be available until server maintenance comes to an end, although downtime will begin later than usual.

Indeed, Fortnite is offline from 12pm GMT UK time, while matchmaking is disabled shortly beforehand. This means you’ll need to join a game before 11.30am if you want to play one last game before maintenance.

The news was announced by Epic Games on X (formerly Twitter), alongside a confirmation of the new downtime.

“Downtime for v33.11 begins at 7 AM ET with matchmaking ending shortly beforehand,” reads an Epic Games tweet.

For UK fans, this means that Fortnite will be taken offline in full at 12pm GMT, while matchmaking will be disabled at 11.30am UK time.

Epic hasn’t revealed exactly when downtime will come to an end, but maintenance typically lasts for 2-3 hours.

This means Fortnite and all companion game modes should be back online from 2pm GMT UK time at the earliest.

The delayed downtime makes it slightly harder to predict, so keep checking back for confirmation about the Fortnite server maintenance.

In terms of what fans can expect, the new update will lay the foundation for the Winterfest event, which runs from December 20 until January 7.

The event will feature a series of unique challenges and rewards, not to mention special Christmas decorations adorning the island and the return of the Cabin. According to the rumours, one of the rewards is a festive Snoop Dogg skin.

Needless to say, classic Winterfest weapons and items are also likely to be unvaulted for the event, while new items like Ice Skates will be added.

In one of the more bizarre crossovers, Epic is also teasing the release of a Skibidi Toilet bundle containing a Plungerman Outfit, Skibidi Backpack, Skibidi Toilet Back Blings and Plungerman’s Plunger Pickaxe. According to Hypex in the tweet above, the bundle will cost 2,200 V-Bucks.

Other potential crossovers include Pixar’s Cars, Cyberpunk 2077 and more Nike shoes.