Fortnitemares 2026: Dates, FNAF Bosses, Collabs and New Weapons

Fortnitemares 2026 started on October 1 and runs until November 1, bringing Five Nights at Freddy’s animatronic bosses you can possess, Freddy Krueger at a new Nightmare Neighborhood POI and a new weapon, the Bonerattler SMG, to Battle Royale. Epic Games is adding Halloween outfits from 11 more franchises through October, after the Five Nights at Freddy’s set went on sale on day one.

The event arrived with update v42.30 and also covers Horde Rush, Blitz Royale and, from October 8, Reload. Below are the key dates, every confirmed collaboration, the weapon and loot changes, the new Sprites and the Power Hours Epic has scheduled so far.

Fortnitemares 2026 Dates: October 1 to November 1

The cinematic trailer Epic posted on September 29 announced that Fortnitemares would return to Battle Royale on October 1, and the event went live that day as part of Chapter 7 Season 4, Override. In the story, Geno has slotted a cursed cartridge into the Island, and the corruption shows up as new Overrides and weapons. Epic’s patch post says the event runs until November 1.

That is the earliest start of the last three years. The dates on Epic’s launch posts for recent events:

• 2026: October 1, running until November 1
• 2025: October 9, running until November 1, with Nitemare Island added to Reload on October 10
• 2024: October 12 (update v31.40), running until the end of Chapter 5 Season 4
• 2017: Fortnitemares began on October 26 in Save the World, with the new Hexsylvania zone

Epic has not published a start time or an end time of day for 2026, so plan around the dates rather than a specific hour. Its gameplay trailer, posted on launch day, shows the Five Nights at Freddy’s bosses, the Bonerattler SMG and Freddy Krueger’s claws in action.

Five Nights at Freddy’s Bosses and Freddy Krueger’s New POI

The headline addition is Five Nights at Freddy’s. Its animatronics roam the Island as bosses, and if you bring one down you can possess it and play as the animatronic yourself. When your health bottoms out while possessing it, you get a few seconds in which you cannot be eliminated before the animatronic shell breaks and you are back in the fight.

The map change is the new Nightmare Neighborhood POI, home to Freddy Krueger as a second boss. He can hide behind a friendly face, then vanish and reappear close enough to strike. Defeat him to claim Freddy’s Nightmare, an item that teleports you into range of an opponent and slashes them. Freaky Fields, where Billy the Puppet appeared during Fortnitemares 2024, is the other drop spot Epic highlights this year.

Every Fortnitemares 2026 Collab and Outfit Confirmed So Far

The Five Nights at Freddy’s outfits show battle damage and went into the Item Shop on October 1. Epic says outfits and accessories from these franchises follow through October:

• A Nightmare on Elm Street, the Freddy Krueger film series
• Black Clover
• Hollow Knight
• 99 Nights in the Forest
• Hazbin Hotel
• The Purge
• Obsession
• Slender Man
• Beetlejuice
• Predator: Badlands
• Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights

Epic has not given a date for each wave, so the list above is the confirmed lineup rather than a schedule. The crossover runs both ways: Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood each have a Fortnitemares scare zone at this year’s real event, covered in our Halloween Horror Nights 2026 guide. If you buy an outfit and change your mind, our guide on how to refund items in Fortnite explains the free 24-hour cancel window and the limited Return Tickets.

Ghost Face is also part of the event, though as a playable role rather than a Shop item: in Blitz Royale one player becomes Ghost Face with his Last Call knife, and eliminating that player hands the knife and the role to whoever got the elimination.

New Weapons, Overrides and Loot Pool Changes

The Bonerattler SMG is the one new weapon, and it reveals enemies through walls. Five weapons come back alongside it: the Wood Stake Shotgun, Pumpkin Launcher, Dual Fiend Hunters, Witch Broom and Heavy Assault Rifle. The Pumpkin Launcher goes back to the 2017 Fortnitemares update, where Epic listed it as a new weapon.

Overrides, this season’s rule-bending cartridges, get Halloween versions:

• Spooky Sprinter: cloaks you while you sprint
• Berserk: you hit harder as your health drops
• Spooky Prop Hunt: disguises you as a Halloween prop
• Others: trade shields for extra health, or fire pumpkin rockets while shooting

Loot Hacks, which let you customize the loot pool, gain six options: Last Call, Infantry Rifle, Pumpkin Launcher, Light Machine Gun, Slap Candy Corn and Loot Hacker Sprite Variants. Quack Snacks are unvaulted, while the Drum Gun, Ranger Assault Rifle and Tetris Rift are vaulted. A new Snack-O’-Lantern Gizmo can be thrown to smash it open and spill a pile of Exotic Candy.

Rebecca’s Guns also got a buff: more SMG damage, including at longer ranges, and less spread and recoil on both the SMG and the Assault Rifle. Epic notes that Ranked and Competitive playlists receive part of the Fortnitemares vaults and unvaults too.

Fortnitemares Sprites and Trick or Treat Cheats

New Pumpkin Chests scattered across the Island hold Sprites, and more arrive during the month, including the final community-made #DesignASprite winners. Our full Fortnite Sprites list covers the Sprites already in Override; these are the Halloween additions:

• Spooky Dash Sprite: dash charges that refill over time
• Vampire Sprite: recover health as you damage enemies
• The Deer Sprite: melee attacks hit harder
• Dumpster Dive Sprite: jump into a hiding spot to find food that restores extra health
• Honey Sprite (October 15): sends bees after enemies who damage you
• Obsession Sprite (October 15): One Wish Willow helps you collect other Sprites

The season’s Cheat Codes have also turned into Trick or Treat Cheats for the event. Entering one can give you an extra treat alongside your Sprite.

Horde Rush, Blitz Royale and Nitemare Island in Reload

Fortnitemares 2026 runs across three more modes beyond standard Battle Royale:

• Horde Rush (from October 1): squads fight waves of Cube Monsters, build a loadout around perks, buy and upgrade weapons and grow stronger across matches. Cursed Shrines raise the challenge, and beating the final boss keeps the run going in Endless Mode.
• Blitz Royale: faster matches with the Bonerattler SMG, Freddy’s Nightmare, the Ghost Face role and more Fortnitemares unvaults.
• Reload (from October 8): Nitemare Island returns with a refreshed map and Elite Kado Thorne in charge, plus horror weapons and plenty of Siphon loot that restores health as you deal damage. The Stranger Things and Squid Grounds maps join the Reload rotation the same day.

Nitemare Island first appeared in Reload during Fortnitemares 2025, a day after that event began, so this is its second October in the mode.

Bounty Hunter Sprites Power Hours on October 3

The first Fortnitemares Power Hours run on Saturday, October 3, in two rounds:

• Round one: 2 p.m. ET (6 p.m. UTC)
• Round two: 9 p.m. ET (1 a.m. UTC on Sunday)
• Loadout: everyone drops in with the Dual Fiend Hunters
• Bonuses: Bounty Hunter Sprites appear more often and level up as you eliminate opponents, and 1-Up Tokens and Portable Extractors may drop from Chests

Update v42.30 also brings smaller fixes worth knowing before you drop. The redesigned Friends list is back in the Social tab, item pickup now favors things you can use over ammo and consumables you are already full on, drivable Reboot Vans have been replaced with stationary ones, and PC players get an Epic Quality Assets option in the Epic Games Launcher in place of High Resolution Textures.

Epic Quality Assets downloads gameplay content such as map terrain and objects to your PC, while cosmetics keep downloading on demand so the install stays small. To turn it on, click the three dots on the Fortnite icon in your Library and choose Options. Anyone who had High Resolution Textures installed is switched over automatically.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does Fortnitemares 2026 end?

Epic says Fortnitemares 2026 runs until November 1. It started on October 1, so the event lasts a full month, longer than the 2025 run, which began on October 9 and also ended on November 1.

How do you play as a Five Nights at Freddy’s animatronic in Fortnite?

Find one of the animatronic bosses roaming the Island and defeat it, then possess it. If your health runs out while you are inside, you get a few seconds of protection before the shell breaks and you are back in the fight.

When does Nitemare Island come back to Reload?

On October 8. The refreshed Nitemare Island returns with Elite Kado Thorne, horror weapons and Siphon loot, and the Stranger Things and Squid Grounds maps join the Reload rotation the same day.

Which collabs are in Fortnitemares 2026?

Five Nights at Freddy’s outfits launched on October 1. A Nightmare on Elm Street, Black Clover, Hollow Knight, 99 Nights in the Forest, Hazbin Hotel, The Purge, Obsession, Slender Man, Beetlejuice, Predator: Badlands and Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights outfits and accessories follow during October.

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