Rebooting is a gameplay mechanic in Fortnite: Battle Royale. It was introduced in Season 8.
Functionality
When a player is eliminated in Squad Based modes (Duos, Trios, Squads etc.), they will drop a Reboot Card. This card can be collected in order to allow the player to reboot a squad member. Players must take this card to a Reboot Van, and reboot them there. Reboot Vans will appear in Solo, but be non-functional, and do not appear in Team Rumble.
When used on the van, the player must hold down the button for 10 uninterrupted seconds, to reboot players. All players are rebooted when activated, one after the other. Reboot Vans are placed at every Named Location on the map, and at many landmarks and open areas.
Once the reboot is activated, the Van will make a loud alarm sound, flash, and the top of the van will display a blue line up in the sky, potentially alerting enemy squads to your location. After this, the van goes on cool-down and cannot be used for a short period of time. When it is ready to use, it will give a short alarm sound. After this, the respawned player will drop from the sky into the area.
If a player fails to grab a reboot card before the timer runs out, the player cannot be rebooted. If the card is grabbed, there is no time limit on rebooting them.
In competitive playlists, players eliminated by Storm Surge does not drop a Reboot Card, and cannot be rebooted as a result.
Gear
Players respawn with:
| Item | Icon | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Common Sidearm Pistol |  |
Normal Playlists, as of Chapter 3: Season 1 |
| Common Pistol |  |
Normal Playlists, if Unvaulted. |
| Common Combat Pistol |  |
From Content Update v18.30 - 2 to 19,00. |
| Common Revolver |  |
During Chapter 2: Season 6. |
| Unvaulted LTM | ||
| Legendary Pistol |  |
Solid Gold LTM |
| Common Bolt-Action Sniper Rifle |  |
Sniper Shootout LTM |
| 100 Wood |  |
All Playlists, if applicable |
History
Season 8
- Update v8.30: Introduced Rebooting. Players can now be brought back from elimination if they are rebooted.
Chapter 2: Season 4
- Update v14.40: Rebooting is disabled for Fortnitemares.
- Update v14.50: Rebooting is re-enabled.
Chapter 2: Season 6
- Update v16.00: Rebooted players now receive a Common Revolver.
Chapter 2: Season 7
- Update v17.00: Rebooted players now receive a Common Pistol again.
Chapter 2: Season 8
- Update v18.00: Changed Rebooting:
- There are many more reboot vans across the map, and they spawn in unnamed locations, as well as areas with no points of interest.
- Reboot cards are now picked up automatically, as the player walks over them.
- Players now have 260s to pick up a Reboot Card, instead of 90s.
- Reboot Vans now have a much shorter cooldown.
- Content Update v18.30 #2: Rebooted players now receive a Common Combat Pistol.
Chapter 3: Season 1
- Update v19.00: Rebooting was revamped and now the more players holding the Interact button, the faster the reboot.
- Players now rift into the map rather than spawning on the van.
- Players recieve a Common Sidearm Pistol when spawning.
Quests
Bunker Jonesy
Not sure who makes those reboot cards, but I don't trust whoever it is.
Keep it quiet, but I don't think the Midas that returned was the same Midas.
Reboot Teammates
0 / 10
Bunker Jonesy
I can't prove it, but I think Bigfoot is behind the vans. He's part of it.
Well, maybe Bigfoot isn't. But THEY definitely are.
Reboot Teammates
0 / 25
Bunker Jonesy
The Storm hasn't reset yet. There's still time to try and escape the Loop.
Not escaping this time... but soon. Soon.
Reboot Teammates
0 / 50
Cabbie
My fare sheet doesn't say anything about bringing someone back from beyond.
Hope they give you a big tip for that one!
Reboot teammates
Joey
Your reboot tech frightens and confuses me.
I might not understand it, but I'll certainly use it.
Reboot teammates
Trivia
- Reboot vans and rebooting is a concept taken from Apex Legends, another Battle Royale released shortly before Season 8 of Fortnite, in which the vans were introduced.
- During Fortnitemares 2020, the vans were disabled, with the graphic on the side replaced with static, due to the implementation of Shadows.
- The same graphic appeared on the reboot van at Corny Complex during Operation: Sky Fire.
- Although they have no function in Solos, the vans are still present and active, they just cannot be used.
- Reboot Vans cannot be destroyed by players.
- This feature was leaked before its release due to a glitch in the Spectator mode of the Luxe Cup.
- The Yacht was the first landmark to have a reboot van, introduced in Chapter 2: Season 3.
- In Chapter 2: Season 7, Stealthy Stronghold became the first Unnamed Location to have a reboot van.
- The Reboot Cards are a retexture of the Hero/Survivor/Schemetic Cards from Fortnite: Save the World.
_-_Location_-_Fortnite.png "Craggy Cliffs (Reboot Van) - Location - Fortnite.png (2.7 MB)")
