The last thing you want to see when loading up Fortnite for a match with your friends, especially when a big new update is dropping, is to be hit with an error. The worst of which might be the “Fortnite servers not responding” error due to how vague it is. Most people don’t know what servers are, let alone what it means when they aren’t responding, except that you can’t play your game. The question then becomes if you have any power to solve this issue yourself or if you’re forced to wait until Epic Games addresses it on its end.

The first thing to do when encountering this error in Fortnite is to go straight to the Epic Games Help website or X account (formerly Twitter). This will let you know if it is something on Epic Games’ end that is the issue and also keep you updated on the status of when the servers are expected to be fixed. Servers can also be taken down for maintenance or in preparation for major updates, which will also be accounted for here. If this is the case, there’s nothing to do but wait until they announce the servers are back up and running.

If everything appears to be in working order, you can try a few things to fix the problem yourself. The first step should be to do the tried-and-true tech support tactic of turning your PC or console off and on again. A fresh reboot may smooth out the issue. You would probably know this already, but make sure your internet connection is still up and running. If so, you may want to try rebooting your modem or router.

If all the above options fail, your last hope is to contact Epic Games support and see if it can find a solution for you.