Fortnite season 6's v6.00 patch notes and spooky opening trailer

As Fortnite season 6 arrives, Epic has released the patch notes for the v6.00 update, with map changes, pets, new consumables and a Halloween-ish theme that's been dubbed 'Darkness Rises' by Epic.

"Islands floating, crops growing, Storm approaching," is how Epic describes the changes to the map. You can get a little sample of that in the trailer above: now you've got Loot Lake's now-floating island to explore, a haunted castle, corn fields, Wailing Woods and corrupted areas. They also tease more new places out there to find yourself. Here's the new map:

A new consumable, called Shadow Stones, has also cropped up around the map in corrupted areas, which turn your character into a ghostly figure for 45 seconds. In Shadow Form, you won't be able to use weapons, but you'll be invisible whenever you're not moving. Instead of attacking with the primary fire button, you'll use an ability called phase, which will let you pass through objects. If you aim down sights, you can cancel the effect early. 

More Fortnite

What's new with the latest Fortnite season
The best Fortnite creative codes
The optimal Fortnite settings
Our favorite Fortnite skins
The best Fortnite toys

You'll also be able to get pets in Fortnite now as part of the Battle Pass, called Bonesy, Scales and Camo. Epic says they'll react to whatever situation you'll find yourself in, and the important thing is that one of them (presumably Bonesy) is a dog. Here they are, the cuties:

Purchasing the battle pass for 950 V-Bucks gets you two new outfits right away—Calamity and DJ Yonder, which can both be progressed. The light machine gun, Bouncer, remote explosives and Impulse Grenade have all been vaulted in Fortnite season 6, although they'll all still be available in Playground mode.

In terms of more granular stuff, Epic has fixed a rare alt-tab crash error. PS4 players, who can now access cross-play with other platforms, will be put into PC matchmaking if using a mouse and keyboard. They've also added momentum to grapplers and timing tweaks to the storm circles. Check out the full list of patch notes here, and check out the battle pass trailer below:

Samuel Roberts
Former PC Gamer EIC Samuel has been writing about games since he was 18. He's a generalist, because life is surely about playing as many games as possible before you're put in the cold ground.
Latest in Survival & Crafting
An Enshrouded player in a recreation of Erebor from The Lord of the Rings
Kings under the Mountain! 33 Enshrouded players spent 10,000 hours to recreate this iconic location from The Lord of the Rings
An April Fool's Day Palworld game concept about dating Pals
From Palworld movies to Palworld TV shows: 'Everyone under the sun pitched us every idea you can imagine,' says Pocketpair's communications director
Pacific Drive Endless Expeditions spring 2025 update trailer still - a sexy, tricked-out 1980s station wagon being blasted with magic healing electricity
Pacific Drive developers change their mind: A year after refusing to give it mid-run saves, it's getting mid-run saves
minecraft diamond level sword
Minecraft's never going free-to-play because as it stands it's 'the best deal in the world'
New shaders in Minecraft following Minecraft Live 2025
In the year of our lord 2025, Mojang is finally adding shaders to Minecraft, making reflective lighting and water effects more accessible for all
A dried ghast, a ghastling, and a friendly ghast all smiling
The latest Minecraft Live uncovered the tragic truth of the Nether's most bothersome mob, which has unlocked new levels of guilt
Latest in News
PC Gamer magazine issue 408 Doom: The Dark Ages
PC Gamer magazine's new issue is on sale now: Doom: The Dark Ages
A gigantic terracotta sentinel made of living armor
Total War: Warhammer 3's army of Cathay has broken containment and is making its way to tabletop Warhammer at last
Two brightly colored stormtroopers dressed like Run-DMC stand in front of PAX Australia's WELCOME HOME banner.
Tickets for PAX Australia 2025 are on sale now
An Enshrouded player in a recreation of Erebor from The Lord of the Rings
Kings under the Mountain! 33 Enshrouded players spent 10,000 hours to recreate this iconic location from The Lord of the Rings
A mech awakens.
Mecha Break developer is considering unlocking all mechs following open beta feedback
Lara Croft Unified Art
Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics lays off 17 employees 'to better align our current business needs and the studio's future success'