How to fix the LS-0016 error in Fortnite

Let me in, I want to play!

One of the generic wallpapers for Fortnite: Battle Royale, showcasing several characters and a purple storm.
Image via Epic Games

The hype for Fortnite’s newest season, Myths and Mortals, is quite high.

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Sporting a Greek mythology theme, new skins include those inspired by Greek gods like Zeus and Hades, along with collaboration skins from The Legend of Korra and Persona, according to leaks. But none of that matters when you can’t even play the game.

Right now, many players are encountering the LS-0016 error as they try to launch Fortnite. It’s an annoying error, but there’s one with an easy explanation. Here’s all you need to know about how to fix the LS-0016 error code in Fortnite.

If you need help with another code, consider checking out our Fortnite error code page.

How to fix LS-0016 error in Fortnite

The Cerberus Tier 1 Skin in Fortnite.
Have you seen this error lately? Image via Epic Games

On March 8, 2024, players got this error code due to Epic taking Fortnite’s servers offline for the Chapter Five, season two downtime. Downtime has been extended multiple times, so the game has been offline for quite some time already.

Unfortunately for prospective players, we still don’t know when the servers will come back up. According to the latest updates from Epic, maintenance is still in progress and the company will provide updates when it can.

“Hey everyone, we encountered an unexpected issue during our maintenance and we need to extend downtime at least eight additional hours,” Epic said shortly after 8am CT on March 8. “We apologize for making everyone wait longer than usual to drop into Chapter Five, season two of Battle Royale. The team is working through this as quickly as possible, and we’ll provide another update when we have more info.”

When trying to launch Fortnite from the Epic Games Launcher, players may notice that the error code “LS-0016” will pop up. Clicking on this code will take you to Epic’s website, where you can search for the error code. According to the official entry for LS-0016, this error code means the game is currently unavailable, which makes sense because Epic itself has said that downtime has been extended and the game will not be available until it’s complete.

With the servers being down, that means players can’t access their cosmetics, Creative mode, the Battle Royale, LEGO Fortnite, Fortnite Festival, or anything else that the massive game has added throughout the years.

Instead, gamers will need to find something else to play while they wait for the servers to come back online later today, potentially at around 4:30pm CT.

Author
Image of Izabela Tomakic
Izabela Tomakic
Staff Writer & World of Warcraft lead. Izabela has a long history with writing and games like World of Warcraft, League of Legends, Fortnite, and The Sims. Before finding her home at Dot Esports in 2021, Izabela was an English teacher and a freelancer at Hotspawn, GGRecon, and Gameranx. In her free time, you’ll find her writing novels, wandering Azeroth, or inting on Summoner’s Rift.
Author
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Scott Duwe
Senior Staff Writer & Call of Duty lead. Professional writer for over 10 years. Lover of all things Marvel, Destiny 2, Metal Gear, Final Fantasy, Resident Evil, and more. Previous bylines include PC Gamer, Red Bull Esports, Fanbyte, and Esports Nation. DogDad to corgis Yogi and Mickey, sports fan (NY Yankees, NY Jets, NY Rangers, NY Knicks), Paramore fanatic, cardio enthusiast.
Author
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Christian Harrison
Christian is a freelance writer of five years who's been with Dot Esports for over 15 months covering Fortnite, general gaming, and news. Some of his favorite games include Yakuza 0, The Witcher III, Kingdom Hearts 2, and Inscryption.