A massive Amazon Web Services (AWS) outage has plunged the internet into disarray over the past few hours, severely impacting numerous beloved games like Fortnite and Palworld, which are currently struggling with server access. The entire Epic Games Store has also been hit with significant issues. As of early Monday (3am PT / 6am ET / 11am BST), while the situation still appears somewhat unstable, AWS has thankfully announced “significant signs of recovery.”
This widespread outage hasn’t just affected gaming; it’s caused disruptions across various platforms, from social media apps like Snapchat to essential services like Ring doorbell connectivity. Naturally, some of the biggest multiplayer games on the planet have also been caught in the crossfire. Although the AWS problems began during off-peak hours for most US gamers and early morning for those in the UK and Europe, the sheer global player bases of giants like Roblox, Fortnite, Palworld, and Rocket League mean millions have undoubtedly felt the impact. The issues have persisted for approximately three hours.
However, it looks like your constant refreshing of the Fortnite server status page might soon pay off. AWS’ most recent update, issued at 2:27am PT / 5:27am ET / 10:27am BST, confirmed they are “seeing significant signs of recovery. Most requests should now be succeeding. We continue to work through a backlog of queued requests. We will continue to provide additional information.”
Beyond the headline-grabbing titles, several other games have also felt the sting of the AWS outage. The intense WW2 shooter Hell Let Loose, Sloclap’s fantastic soccer game Rematch, and the popular dino survival game Ark: Survival Evolved have all officially acknowledged server disruptions.
While major outages like this are certainly frustrating, they’re not entirely unprecedented and usually resolve within a few hours. Yet, each time it happens, there’s that fleeting, slightly dramatic feeling of a “tech apocalypse” looming – especially when you can’t even “hot drop Utopia City and die instantly” in your favorite battle royale. It really makes you wonder, ‘Is this the end?’
If you’re still locked out of your go-to online games, consider diving into some of the best single-player experiences for a change. Or, perhaps, take a moment to experience that mythical “outside” world for a bit! Rest assured, when everything springs back to life, you’ll be ready to jump back into the best free PC games around.
Did any other games leave you stranded this morning? Share your experiences with us in the PCGamesN Discord server!