Every October, Fortnite transforms from a battle royale into a haunted playground. Fortnitemares 2025 continues this tradition with even bigger crossovers, new maps, spooky gameplay twists, and exciting Twitch Drops for players to claim free rewards.

This year’s event is all about blending pop culture, music, and classic horror into one thrilling Halloween experience. Whether you’re here for free cosmetics, the new bosses, or the exclusive skins, here’s everything you need to know about Fortnitemares 2025.

What is Fortnitemares 2025 event?

Fortnitemares is Fortnite’s yearly Halloween event, a limited-time celebration that adds haunted themes, horror crossovers, and exclusive challenges. Fortnitemares 2025 began on October 9 and runs until November 1, giving players more than three weeks of eerie action.

The event affects both Battle Royale and Reload modes. Starting October 10, a new environment called Nitemare Island takes over Reload, offering a darker, cursed version of the Fortnite world filled with pumpkins, fog, and ghostly surprises.

The story this year centers on the Mother of Thorns, a supernatural villain played by Doja Cat. Her arrival corrupts the island with crimson vines and haunted energy, creating new challenges and boss fights for players to face. 

New Fortnitemares 2025 skins and crossover collaborations

Fortnitemares 2025 features one of the biggest crossover lineups in Fortnite history. The mix of horror icons, pop culture characters, and original designs keeps players logging in every day to see what’s new.

The Horror Legends

A wide range of famous horror villains and dark icons join the Fortnite roster this season, including:

• Ghostface from Scream
• Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th
• Wednesday Addams
• The Grabber from The Black Phone
• Art the Clown from Terrifier
• Huggy Wuggy from Poppy Playtime

Each character arrives with themed pickaxes, emotes, and back bling that reflect their original stories.

Scooby-Doo Joins the Battle

A lighter crossover balances out the darker tone: the Scooby-Doo gang enters Fortnite. Players can grab Shaggy, Scooby, Velma, Daphne, and Fred outfits, with fun cartoon-style gliders and emotes that bring nostalgia to the battlefield.

The Mother of Thorns

Doja Cat’s in-game persona, Mother of Thorns, is the headline addition. She serves as a boss fight in select matches, appearing in corrupted areas called Pumpkin Takeovers. Defeating her grants rare loot, XP, and progress toward Fortnitemares challenges.

The Mother of Thorns location

She can appear at Freaky Fields, Gourdy Gate, or Supernova Academy — one per match. Look for the corrupted, thorn-covered throne area.

How to defeat the Mother of Thorns in 5 steps

1. Loot first. Collect strong weapons such as a shotgun and an assault rifle, plus shields, before engaging.
2. Keep moving. Her thorn attacks cause area damage, so strafe and use cover constantly.
3. Aim for headshots. She has high health, so steady damage is essential.
4. Use mobility items. Impulse grenades or launch pads let you escape her pull attacks.
5. Attack from range. Stay just outside her reach and keep firing until she drops.

Understanding her behavior helps in countering her moves:

• She has high health, so you’ll need sustained damage, not just burst.
• Her movement is not very fast. She’s more of a stationary to semi-mobile boss.
• She may deploy thorn attacks or pulls using her abilities.
• She sometimes uses area damage or AoE (area-of-effect) attacks around her throne.
• Because she joins your team after defeat (in many cases), you might need to manage her presence while still fighting other players.

The Mother of Thorns rewards

When defeated, she drops the Mythic Thorn Ripper, an Epic Woodstake Shotgun, and Slurp Juice. After the fight, she joins your team as an NPC ally for the rest of the match.

Free unlockable skin

For players who prefer earning rather than buying, there’s a special Pig the Butcher skin available for free. You unlock it by reaching level 15 during the event. Alongside it come themed accessories like a pickaxe, emote, and spray — all obtainable by completing Fortnitemares 2025 quests.

All quests, challenges, and event rewards

Fortnitemares 2025 adds a large set of Halloween-themed quests spread across multiple stages. Completing these quests not only earns XP but also unlocks cosmetics and collectibles.

Nitemare Island: The Reload Map Makeover

A major addition this year is Nitemare Island, a completely reimagined version of Fortnite’s Reload map. The layout stays familiar, but the environment shifts into a full horror setting.

Expect fog-covered fields, glowing pumpkins, abandoned cabins, and cursed landmarks filled with traps. The eerie lighting and sound design make every match feel like a mini horror movie. Loot pools have also been adjusted — expect Halloween favorites like Pumpkin Launchers and spooky melee weapons.

Because Nitemare Island is part of the Reload mode, respawns are faster, and matches are more chaotic. It’s the perfect place to try new weapons, farm XP, and enjoy the Halloween atmosphere.

Fortnitemares 2025 Twitch Drops

Fortnitemares 2025 brings back Twitch Drops, letting players earn free cosmetics by watching Fortnite streams.

Rewards

• Treat Sack Back Bling – Watch 30 minutes
• Treat Axe Pickaxe – Watch 1 hour

Event window

Available from October 9, 9 AM ET to October 12, 11:59 PM ET.

How to claim

1. Link your Epic Games and Twitch accounts under “Connections.”
2. Watch Fortnite streams marked “Drops Enabled.”
3. Claim rewards from your Twitch Drops Inventory to receive them in your locker.