Fortnitemares 2026 starts October 1, bringing Fortnite's annual Halloween event back with Five Nights at Freddy's, Freddy Krueger, Slender Man, Beetlejuice, The Purge, and more.

There are also reports of Halloween loot returning, Horde Rush, map changes, new Sprites, and another update halfway through October.

However, not all of that is confirmed yet.

Here's everything we know about Fortnitemares 2026 ahead of launch.

When does Fortnitemares 2026 start?

Fortnitemares 2026 starts on Thursday, October 1, 2026.

The accompanying image introduced the Fortnitemares logo and the “The Game Is Cursed” tagline.

The event is expected to launch alongside Fortnite v42.30 once downtime ends.

Epic hasn't announced the exact downtime schedule yet, so don't treat specific launch-hour estimates as confirmed.

When does Fortnitemares 2026 end?

The likely end date is October 31, 2026, which also lines up with the reported end of Chapter 7 Season 4.

That would give us almost a full month of Fortnitemares.

Epic hasn't explicitly announced the Fortnitemares 2026 end date yet, so October 31 should still be treated as expected rather than locked.

Expected Fortnitemares 2026 collabs

This is where things get messy.

Several collaborations have been linked to Fortnitemares through official teasers, existing Fortnite material, datamines, or reliable leakers, but they don't all have the same level of confirmation.

Here's where the current lineup stands:

Don't expect every collaboration to release on October 1. Fortnitemares lasts for weeks, giving Epic plenty of Item Shop rotations to spread these releases across.

Fortnitemares 2026 skins

The confirmed collaborations give us a good idea of the characters appearing throughout the event, but not every character shown in promotional material necessarily tells us the complete structure of their Item Shop release.

The major names currently include:

Freddy Fazbear, Bonnie, Chica, Foxy, Freddy Krueger, Slender Man, Beetlejuice, Asta, and characters or cosmetics connected to The Purge and Obsession.

Leaks and teasers have pointed toward names including Hello Neighbor, The Exorcist, Predator, Chucky, 99 Nights in the Forest, Trick 'r Treat, and others.

Expect skins and bundles to roll through the Item Shop during the event rather than necessarily releasing everything on October 1.

Will Fortnitemares 2026 have new Sprites?

This is one of the more interesting questions because Sprites are already central to Chapter 7 Season 4.

Override introduced a new generation of Sprites alongside Loot Hacks, Cheat Codes, and Match Overrides.

FNAF crossover has mentioned two Sprite codenames: Hook and Mimic.

Whether those become FNAF Sprites, Halloween Sprites, or something else entirely remains to be seen.

Fortnitemares would be an obvious opportunity to expand the system, though, particularly because Epic can give Halloween characters abilities without having to rebuild the season's core mechanics.

Will Horde Rush return in Fortnitemares 2026?

Horde Rush is reportedly set to return, although Epic hasn't formally detailed its 2026 version yet.

Horde Rush has become closely associated with Fortnite's Halloween period, throwing players against waves of Cube Monsters while they collect score multipliers, upgrade their weapons, and survive increasingly difficult encounters.

Will Fortnitemares 2026 have free rewards?

Fortnitemares traditionally includes quests and free cosmetics, and current reporting points toward another reward track for 2026.

The exact Fortnitemares quests and free rewards haven't been fully revealed, though.

Once the update lands, the important things to check will be:

• Number of Fortnitemares quests
• XP rewards
• Free cosmetics
• Quest unlock dates
• Any staged bonus rewards
• Event completion deadline

We'll update those separately once the actual quest tab becomes available.

Will there be Fortnitemares Admin Panel codes?

This is another area where Override changes what we normally expect from Fortnitemares.

Chapter 7 Season 4 already uses Cheat Codes and other code-driven systems, so Halloween-themed additions would fit naturally into the season.

We already have one important Fortnitemares code:

B964M6

However, B964M6 is not an in-game Admin Panel code. It's the code for the Fortnite.com/pizza page teased through Fortnite's social posts. Entering it unlocks a downloadable video revealing the Fortnite x FNAF collaboration. Community members worked out that the six-character code was split across two Fortnitemares teasers.

Don't mix the two systems up: B964M6 is a website reveal code, while Admin Panel and Lobby Hack codes are used in Fortnite itself.

We'll test and track the actual working in-game codes separately. If Epic activates new ones during Fortnitemares, they'll go into our dedicated Fortnite Admin Panel codes guide with their effects.

Fortnitemares 2026 could have a second major update

October 1 may only be the beginning.

Another Fortnite update is reportedly scheduled for October 15, right in the middle of Fortnitemares.

Everything confirmed for Fortnitemares 2026 so far

Fortnitemares 2026 begins October 1 with the v42.30 era of Chapter 7 Season 4.

The biggest confirmed addition is Five Nights at Freddy's, bringing Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, Foxy, Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria, and animatronic gameplay to Battle Royale.

The wider crossover lineup includes Freddy Krueger, Slender Man, Beetlejuice, The Purge, Black Clover, and Obsession, with more content potentially arriving throughout October.