Imagine logging into Fortnite for your daily squad battle or jumping into Roblox to build with mates, only to hit a black screen. That's the nightmare millions of gamers faced yesterday when a massive outage at Amazon Web Services (AWS) knocked out popular titles like Fortnite and Roblox. The glitch hit AWS's US-East-1 region, a key hub for cloud services, sending shockwaves across the globe—including right here in the UK—disrupting play sessions for players from London to Los Angeles.
What Went Wrong in the Cloud
AWS powers the behind-the-scenes magic for countless apps and games, acting like the massive server farms that keep everything running online. On October 21, 2025, a problem with one of its core database products caused a widespread failure. This wasn't just a hiccup; it took down services relied on by everyday tools. Fortnite, Epic Games' battle royale smash, and Roblox, the user-generated world builder, both depend on AWS infrastructure. Players reported login failures, lost connections mid-match, and entire worlds going dark. The outage started around midday US time, peaking into the evening and affecting global traffic routed through US-East-1.
Global Ripples Hit UK Gamers Hard
For UK kids glued to screens after school, the timing stung. Many log on around 4pm GMT for after-homework vibes, but the AWS crash meant no Victory Royales or Roblox obbies. Social media lit up with frustration: queues that never ended, error codes flashing, and mates left hanging in voice chat. Beyond gaming, it knocked out Snapchat for sharing clips and Ring doorbells for home checks—stuff that ties into daily routines. In the UK, where Fortnite boasts over 10 million active players and Roblox draws even more young creators, this meant disrupted friend hangs and stalled progress in favourite modes. The outage lasted hours, with recovery efforts dragging into October 22.
Amazon's Fix and the Aftermath
Amazon's team scrambled, identifying the database issue as the culprit. By early October 22, they rolled out fixes, restoring services step by step. A TechRadar report called it an "AWS earthquake" that "gave the internet a very bad day," highlighting how one region's snag rippled worldwide. Fortnite and Roblox began coming back online regionally, but some players in Europe faced lingering lag. No official word on exact player numbers hit, but with AWS underpinning much of the web, millions were sidelined. Quotes from affected users echoed the chaos: one gamer tweeted about "hours wasted staring at a loading screen," while another said it "ruined my whole evening grind."
This AWS meltdown reminds us how connected our gaming worlds are to these giant cloud providers—one weak link, and the fun stops cold. Keep an eye on official Fortnite and Roblox status pages for any post-outage tweaks; smoother sails ahead, but always have a backup plan for those offline adventures.