When does Fortnite Season 2 in Chapter 7 start?

When does the Fortnite Season 2 of Chapter 7 start is a question we now know the answer to, as Showdown will get underway on March 19, 2026. As always, you can expect things to get switched up for the fresh season, with new areas of the map to explore, familiar faces and new characters to meet, and no doubt some updated mechanics to get to grips with.

Epic aren't known for resting on their laurels and are always planning the next stage of development in Fortnite, so there will certainly be more changes brought in during the course of the upcoming season and beyond. If you're looking ahead and wondering what Fortnite Season 2 of Chapter 7 may bring us, then here's everything we know about it so far.

What will be the biggest changes made for Fortnite Season 2 in Chapter 7?

The recently announced key art for Fortnite Season 2 in Chapter 7 reveals a raft of new and returning characters, which has been broken down by @HYPEX on X. We have The Rock returning as The Foundation, along with a remix of the Jules skin first seen in Season 3 of Chapter 2. There will also be an Icy battle pass skin and a Sidekick, plus it's hard to miss that Bugs Bunny also features prominently!

According to HYPEX, there will also be a new Rewards Leaderboard, where players can choose a team and compete in weekly battle royale challenges to earn real world rewards such as GPUs, consoles, and merch. We'll have to wait for further announcements to see how this will work in practice, as earning tangible rewards is likely to be heavily regulated.

Naturally there will be the usual updates to the map as well, with the Ice King bringing a fresh POI called Frigid Fortress. Epic themselves have also confirmed already that surfing into the battle royale will end on March 18, so it's likely we'll be jumping from the battle bus again full time unless a new mechanic is introduced.

How much will the Fortnite Season 2 in Chapter 7 Battle Pass cost?

Fortnite is free to play, but buying the Battle Pass will get you lots of additional rewards. The Fortnite Season 2 of Chapter 7 Battle Pass will be available for 800 V-Bucks, following the recently announced V-Bucks price increase, which means it will still be enough to purchase the smallest V-Bucks bundle in the Fortnite store, priced at $8.99 / £6.99 to get 800 V-Bucks.

It's possible to get a head start by buying the Battle Bundle upgrade. This will get you to Tier 25 on the Battle Pass instantly. Doing so will cost you 2,600 V-Bucks, which you can get for $22.99 / £17.49. You can also sign up to the Fortnite Crew subscription service, which costs $11.99 / £9.99 per month but gives you access to all of the Fortnite Passes including the Battle Pass, as well as awarding a bonus 800 V-Bucks every month and other exclusive rewards.

If you don't want to spend any money, you can always try to get free Fortnite V-Bucks for the Fortnite Season 2 in Chapter 7 Battle Pass, but don't fall for online scams! If you choose to save up some V-Bucks, remember that you only need 800 of them to unlock the next Fortnite Battle Pass starting in March 2026.

And that's everything we know about Fortnite Season 2 in Chapter 7 for now, but keep checking back and we'll have all of the details as soon as they're revealed!

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