Why is There a Queue for Fortnite? – Waiting in Queue Explained

Although Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 2 is now live, many players are getting hit with a “Waiting in Queue” message when logging in. This guide will explain why there is a queue in Fortnite and if there’s anything you can do to fix it.

Fortnite 1 hour queue time explained

If you are trying to jump into Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 2 and are confused when the “Waiting in Queue” message pops up on your screen, you are not alone! While an influx of players returning to the multiplayer game was expected with the launch of the new season, the lengthy queue times result from something else.

The queue for Fortnite is happening because Epic Games had to put the game into emergency maintenance for over 19 hours. Although Chapter 5 Season 2 was supposed to start at 7 AM on March 8th, the new season didn’t actually go live until hours later due to Fortnite server downtime. As a result, millions of players around the world have been trying to access the game at the same time.

Can I skip the Fortnite queue?

Unfortunately, there is no fix or way to skip the Fortnite queue time message. The only thing you can do is sit patiently and wait. However, if your game says your queue time is over two hours, that is likely inaccurate. When I booted up my game, it stated my wait time was 1 hour and 20 min. That number then quickly started to drop, and I eventually could log in after 20 minutes of waiting.

If you don’t want to wait 20 to 30 minutes, try logging in a few hours or the next day. The queue will definitely go down quickly the more time passes. The wait times are only as long as they are currently due to the initial rush of players trying to get in simultaneously. And, of course, the servers being down for 19 hours didn’t help the situation.

Fortnite is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, mobile and PC.