Fortnite Season 9: Everything we know so far

Fortnite Season 8 is drawing to a close, and that means a new season is on its way.

According to news on the Fortnite website, Season 9 could be with us as soon as 8 or 9 May.

The release said: "We wanted to give everyone a heads up that the Account Merge feature will be coming to an end on May 6, two days before Season 9 begins."

Season 8 gave us a pirate theme as well as the 'Baller', a volcano, Lazy Lagoon and lava.

So what can we expect from the end of Season 8 and the dawn of Season 9?

A new map? A returning item? Take a look below and find out...

Is the volcano going to explode?

Runes, Volcano and a Vault!

Back in February Epic Games introduced a Volcano into Fortnite, which is looking more and more likely to erupt.

A few weeks ago five mysterious runes started appearing on the Battle Royale map.

Each rune had a special requirement which needed to be fulfilled in order for them to lock into place near Loot Lake.

• The first rune required players to pickaxe it until the meter filled up.

• The second rune asked players to hit lasers with their pickaxe.

• The third rune just wanted people to dance in front of it!

• The fourth rune needed players to match tiles on the floor.

• The fifth (and final?) rune requires players to drop items into the volcano whilst a meter fills up.

As this has been going on, a strange futuristic vault has slowly been excavated under Loot Lake - in the same spot that Kevin the Cube exploded.

Some people have also noticed that old items have appeared on the screens of the labs next to the vault.

What is inside the mysterious vault?

The Nexus is coming! - Bring back my items!

Players think that when the volcano meter is full it might explode and trigger the Nexus - the final event of the season.

Beady-eyed players have spotted old items like the Bouncers, Grapper, Tactical SMG, Drum Gun and the X4-Stormwing Plane on the screens in the lab by the vault.

The only vaulted item yet to be displayed on the final screen is the Infinity Blade.

Fan theories have suggested that, during the Nexus, players will get the chance to vote on which item they would like to see return in the next season.

People are predicting that this could happen on Saturday 4 May.

Will the map change in Season 9?

A new map?

If the volcano does explode, it could cause lava to flow over the map changing it.

Some people think that Tilted Towers and Retail Row could be destroyed.

Epic Games have said on their FAQ page that they are working on new maps.

However, a full map change could still be a way off, as the makers have said they're continuing to make improvements to the existing map.

Will 'Ruin' be linked to the end of Season 8 and the beginning of 9?

Who is Ruin and what does he want?

During Season 8 players have been able to complete challenges to unlock the 'Ruin' skin.

Players think 'Ruin' could be related to 'The Prisoner', who was unlockable at the end of Season 7.

Both characters have dark cracked skin and an internal glow which looks a bit like lava - could they be connected to the volcano?

Will 'Ruin' have a big part to play in the story, in the same way the Ice King did in the previous season?