The latest Fortnite map has arrived, and although there have been changes made to mark the new season, the update definitely doesn’t have the same impact as previous iterations. The Invasion is over and the aliens have generally been driven away, but they’ve been replaced by the cubes that could potentially represent an even greater threat. Although the Fortnite map changes are less significant this time around, there are still some new landmarks to visit and crash sites for Fortnite players to explore. If you want to catch up on the latest tweaks to the battle royale, then here’s a summary of all the main Fortnite map changes for Season 8.
New map for Chapter 2 Season 8
As you can see from the full Fortnite map above, Operation: Sky Fire has had a large effect on the island for Fortnite Season 8. Other than The Aftermath in the middle, most of the purple-tinged alien areas have now been removed, although the influence of the extra-terrestrials hasn’t been wiped out completely.
Unusually, there have been no significant changes to the main Points of Interest, with no named areas added or taken away and Colossal Crops returning to its pre-abduction form. However, large sections of The Mothership have crashed down around the island to transform the landscape, leaving swathes of destruction amongst the wreckage.
The biggest map change has been the arrival of the Fortnite Sideways, unleashing hordes of monsters and creating a PvE environment for players to deal with. Although the locations for these encounters change each match, they’re important enough to appear on the map.
Let’s take a closer look at the Fortnite map changes.
Alien Crash Sites
Big chunks of The Mothership have created crash sites around the island, marked by the scorches orange earth and wreckage thrown around. You’ll also find floating purple tubes of energy flowing around above these areas, which you can jump into then fly around inside to quickly traverse the locations.
Golden Cube
As well as the purple cubes dotted around the crash sites, there is also a large golden cube currently moving around the island. Not much is known about it yet, though it’s said to spread corruption as it travels from place to place, so it’s definitely something to keep an eye on.
IO Outposts
The Fortnite IO guards have moved on from their satellite stations, and can now be found at five new outposts dotted around the island. There is also an IO convoy featuring a number of guards and Doctor Slone, which is currently just northwest of Dirty Docks.
Sideways Zones
A Sideways Zone appears over a randomly selection named POI at the start of each match, which you can see marked clearly on the map. Go inside this pulsing dome and you’ll be transported to the Sideways, where various monsters await to attack you, and defeating them can grant you powerful Sideways weapons. There are also Sideways Anomalies, that look like purple rifts and appear on the map as well, which open up a small Sideways area when you get close enough and trigger a timed challenge to defeat the monsters you unleash.
Extra-Terrestrial Estate
There is still a small alien presence on the island, and you’ll find a lone biome at the Extra-Terrestrial Estate landmark in the north east corner opposite Steamy Stacks. There you can float around almost weightlessly, though watch out for the aggressive Trespasser NPC lurking on the upper floor.