Fortnite Battle Royale news and updates: what’s new in Fortnite

[Update: The latest Fortnite update has landed and it's brought a new map point and a new weapon with it. We've also been promised jetpacks will come in the near future though a "last minute design issue" has delayed their arrival. Read on to find out more.]

You've probably noticed, but Battle Royale games are having something of a moment. One of the biggest of the Battle Royale titles available at the moment is Fortnite Battle Royale from Epic Games.

Available for free on PC, Xbox One and PS4, Fortnite Battle Royale supports up to 100 players at a time in a game, either playing as individuals or in squads of up to four. When starting up, you're thrown onto an island with no weapons or armor and you must scavenge for supplies and fight for your life to be the last man or squad standing at the end of the game.

Like most Battle Royale games, Fortnite is split into matches of varying length with a map that shrinks as the match progresses, forcing players closer together.

Epic Games actively works on Fortnite Battle Royale, making changes through patches and updates. Here you'll be able to find the latest changes to the game.

What's the latest Fortnite update?

Season 3 of Fortnite is now well underway - we're now two patches in! The first patch after the launch of season three, 3.1.0, was by far the more significant of the two, bringing a brand new map point and weapon to the game as well as a handful of bug fixes and quality of life improvements.

The new map point is on the southern edge of the map and it's called Lucky's Landing. The new weapon coming to the game is the Hunting Rifle. This is a single shot rifle, best for medium to long range. You'll be able to pick it up in treasure chests and in floor loot.

Players will also find that the drop rate has changed for some weapons: drop rates have decreased for common revolvers, tactical shotguns and burst assault rifles, but they've increased across the board for rare versions of these weapons.

The very latest patch dropped, 3.1.1, doesn't bring anything new to the gameplay. Instead it's been used to fix client crashes being experienced by some players.

Twitch Prime benefits

Those who use Twitch Prime and play Fortnite will be glad to know that they have access to free loot right now. Those with a Prime account can claim the Fortnite Twitch Prime Pack which includes a host of cosmetic items and is available across all platforms.

The pack includes two exclusive gliders and outfits: the Havoc Outfit and Back Bling, plus the Sub Commander Outfit and Slipstream Glider.

PS Plus subscribers can also download the PS4 Celebration Pack for free right now which also includes an exclusive outfit and glider.

What's a Battle Pass?

The Battle Pass is a purchasable item in Fortnite that gives you access to exclusive in-game rewards.

As players complete daily challenges and level up their rank, they earn Battle Stars which can then be used to unlock Tiers in their Battle Pass. Each new Tier you unlock will bring both Free and Premium rewards. The Tiers vary from season to season but in season three you get around 100 items in each Battle Pass which can take anywhere between 75 and 100 hours of play to unlock.

Everyone that has a Battle Pass will get the Free reward they unlock, but only Premium Pass holders will get the Premium reward. Battle Pass Premium can only be purchased with in-game V bucks and not with real money.

You can purchase a Battle Pass for around £7/$10 in the Battle Pass tab of the game’s menu.

What's coming up in Fortnite?

Fortnite is a game that undergoes pretty frequent updates so week-by-week you can expect to see patches which either squash bugs or make small changes to gameplay which improve quality of life.

Recently it was announced that jetpacks will be coming to the game. They will, apparently, be coming soon - in fact, they were intended to be included in the game's last patch - but have been delayed due to some "last minute design" issues.

In the long term, Epic Games has said that it’s planning to make improvements to social features and Limited Time Modes as well as add Custom Matches.