'Fortnite' Chapter 4 Season 1 release date: New map, motorcycles, skateboards, and rideable flying animals coming up

Discussions about "Fortnite" Chapter 4 Season 1 is starting to heat up, which is understandable considering that the current season and chapter will be ending on Saturday, December 3 at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET. By then, the live Fracture event will wrap up Chapter 3 and signal the start of Chapter 4.

'Fortnite' Chapter 4 Season 1 release date

Players can expect "Fortnite" Chapter 4 Season 1 to start on December 4, 2022, according to GameSpot. However, there might be some downtime between the chapters.

"Fortnite" went offline for over two days the first time it switched to a new chapter at the end of Chapter 1. However, the game only remained offline for about a day following Chapter 2. It could take anywhere between 12 and 48 hours, but it's most likely that "Fortnite" will be up and running by December 4.

A new map in 'Fortnite' Chapter 4 Season 1

Even though Chapter 3 is far shorter than the previous two seasons were, players should still anticipate a fresh map coming in Chapter 4. Dataminers discovered a reference to a new "launch option" named Asteria in files just before the current season started.

Previous "launch options" were Athena, Apollo, and Artemis and players are familiar with these three as the battle royale maps for each chapter. Chapter 1 was Athena, Chapter 2 was Apollo, and Chapter 3 is Artemis, the name of the current island.

It follows that a new map for this new chapter is Asteria, another ancient Greek deity whose name begins with A. However, Asteria might not be entirely new; it shouldn't surprise players if all these floating structures get recycled and appear on the new map.

Major gameplay changes coming in 'Fortnite' Chapter 4 Season 1

Several interesting mechanics have been teased in the files for a while now, including motorcycles and rideable skateboards. One activity that may have been planned for Fortnite's big summer event is skateboarding. This appears to be hinted at by the skatepark that was built in the large bay on the island's eastern side.

Flying creatures that can be ridden have also been speculated about for a while. There have also been discussions about a first-person mode, which might already arrive next chapter.