Fortnite Update 16.20: Description, Release Time & More
Epic Games is releasing a new v16.20 update for Fortnite Chapter 16 Season 2, and the developers have revealed details about the changes to the patch and release time, which will be released on April 13th.
Update v16.20 is the third update since the launch of Season 6 in Fortnite on March 16, and is expected to include both new content and some changes to various aspects of the battle royale.
While at first glance, players may not have much to worry about, some interesting things may be added based on recent leaks.
When will Fortnite update 16.20 be released? Release time and downtime
According to Epic, the next update will go live on Wednesday, April 13 в 8:00 am - here is the global release time:
- 23:00 p.m. PT (April 12)
- 1:00 am CT
- 2:00 am ET
- 7:00 AM BST (UK)
- 8:00 AM CET (Europe)
- 16:00 AEST (Australia)
As usual, this patch will come with downtime, but there are a few changes in regards to what deserves attention. The downtime will start earlier and last longer than usual, and the update itself will not be released for download until several hours of downtime have elapsed.
The road is what you make it.
- Fortnite Status (@FortniteStatus) April 12, 2021
Update v16.20 is scheduled for release on April 13. Downtime will begin at approx. 2 AM ET (06:00 UTC).
. pic.twitter.com/OiOootxbVQ
Description of the Fortnite v16.20 update
While the devs haven't yet released the extended version of the patch notes, they did tweet a couple of things that provide more clarity in terms of what's coming next:
- Catch your ride with new wheels
- Sharpen your bow skills and focus on the special Duos Tournament
- 50 player matchmaking at Creative
The first one clearly refers to previously leaked vehicle mods that data developers say could be coming soon, which include "new levels that have different behavior for dirt, grass, and road, and are hard to come by," according to a well-known HYPEX leader.
HYPEX also mentioned that mounted weapons could be included as part of these mods, but that seems to have been put on hold since Epic's tweet only lists wheels.
Can't turn this useless vehicle to actual overpower vehicle pic.twitter.com/weAYZSOeBm
— old grumpy,ultomato (@Ultomatobored) April 12, 2021
There will also be a "special doubles tournament" related to bows as the developers are advising players to "hone their bow skills" so we'll have to see how it all plays out.
The mention of bows does point to the possibility of the debut of another leaked item, the Unstable Bow. This bow, which the leaks claim will be an exotic rarity and can only be obtained through crafting, will apparently cause some sort of glitch effect on players when hit.
Little is known about this other than the sound effects leaked by HYPEX at the end of March.
Unstable Bow sounds, it only has 4 files so far 2 Gameplay Cue Notifiers (Glitch In & Out) & their 2 effects.. and it seems like it will most likely glitch the screen of the player that got hit + damage him.. pic.twitter.com/W6qyNynivH
- HYPEX (@HYPEX) March 30, 2021
Error correction
According to the official Fortnite Trello page, there are a lot of bugs and glitches that should be fixed in the v16.20 patch:
- Unable to create system level groups between PS5 and PS4 when playing Fortnite.
- Coded green shell is displayed incorrectly.
- Arena playlist issues.
- Storm visibility is clear when using performance mode.
- Character #17 from the Collector's Book does not appear on the Island.
- Slurpshrooms and Coconuts are temporarily disabled.
- (Creative) Start with the "Pickax" creator setting, which still spawns with a pickaxe.
- (Creative) Vehicles do not move properly in creative mode.
- (Mobile) Lobby cosmetics look blurry on Nintendo Switch.
- (Mobile) The 3D resolution resets itself even if the player has saved the settings.
What else to expect in v16.20
In addition to potentially adding some or all of the leaked content mentioned above, this update should include a new wave of cosmetics, most of which will be leaked by the time the downtime is over.
The first two Season 6 updates brought their own changes to the map, so it would be reasonable to expect that to happen as well. There's a good chance Epic won't reveal what these changes are right away, so it could be something that players will have to discover on their own.
Be sure to check the PortalVirtualReality Fortnite pages after the downtime begins to find all the news, leaks, and patch notes regarding this update.