Fortnite's v42.30 update brought Fortnitemares 2026 to Battle Royale on Thursday, October 1, after a downtime that began at 4 a.m. ET (8 a.m. UTC). Epic says the event runs until November 1. Here is what the update adds, from Epic's announcement and the Battle Royale team's notes.
Key dates
| What |
When |
| v42.30 downtime |
October 1, from 4 a.m. ET (8 a.m. UTC) |
| Fortnitemares 2026 |
October 1 to November 1 |
| Power Hours: Bounty Hunter Sprites |
Saturday, October 3, at 2 p.m. ET (6 p.m. UTC) and 9 p.m. ET (1 a.m. UTC on Sunday) |
| Nitemare Island returns in Reload |
October 8 |
| Honey Sprite and Obsession Sprite |
October 15 |
| End of the Override Battle Pass |
November 1 (Eastern Time) |
Freddy Krueger and the Nightmare Neighborhood
Drop into Freaky Fields or the new Nightmare Neighborhood, where Freddy Krueger waits. According to Epic, he can hide behind a friendly face, then vanish and reappear close enough to strike. Defeat him to claim Freddy's Nightmare: claws that teleport you into range and slash your next opponent.
Five Nights at Freddy's animatronics
The animatronics from Five Nights at Freddy's roam the Island as bosses. Bring one down and you can possess it and play as the animatronic. If its health runs out while you are inside, you get a few seconds in which you can't be eliminated before the shell breaks and you are back in the fight. The Five Nights at Freddy's Outfits, which show battle damage, are in the Item Shop now.
Weapons and loot pool
- New: the Bonerattler SMG, which reveals enemies through walls, and the Snack-O'-Lantern Gizmo, which spills a pile of Exotic Candy when you smash it.
- Back: the Wood Stake Shotgun, Dual Fiend Hunters, Witch Broom and Heavy Assault Rifle; Quack Snacks are unvaulted.
- New Loot Hacks: Last Call, Infantry Rifle, Pumpkin Launcher, Light Machine Gun, Slap Candy Corn and Loot Hacker Sprite variants.
- Vaulted: the Drum Gun, Ranger Assault Rifle and Tetris Rift.
- Buffed: Rebecca's Guns, with more SMG damage at range and less spread and recoil on the SMG and the Assault Rifle.
Ranked and Competitive playlists get part of the same vaults and unvaults.
Overrides and Sprites
The new Fortnitemares Overrides include Spooky Sprinter (cloaked while sprinting), Berserk (more damage as your health drops) and Spooky Prop Hunt (disguised as a Halloween prop); others trade shields for health or fire pumpkin rockets as you shoot.
Pumpkin Chests hold the new Sprites: Spooky Dash (dash charges), Vampire (heal as you damage enemies), The Deer (stronger melee) and Dumpster Dive (hide and find food that restores extra health). The Honey Sprite, which sends bees after anyone who damages you, and the Obsession Sprite arrive on October 15. Cheat Codes have become Trick or Treat Cheats.
Modes
- Horde Rush is back: squads fight waves of Cube Monsters, build around perks, take on Cursed Shrines and a final boss, then carry on in Endless Mode.
- Blitz Royale gets the Bonerattler SMG and Freddy's Nightmare, and Ghost Face with his Last Call knife: eliminate the player who holds it to take the weapon and the role.
- Reload, October 8: an updated Nitemare Island, led by Elite Kado Thorne, with Siphon loot; the Stranger Things and Squid Grounds maps join the rotation.
Collaborations through October
Five Nights at Freddy's is first. Epic lists Outfits and accessories from 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 "throughout October", without dates. Our Item Shop page shows each day's offers as they arrive.
Also in v42.30
The redesigned Friends list is back in the Sidebar's Social tab, item pickup now favours what you can use, and on PC an Epic Quality Assets option replaces High Resolution Textures in the Epic Games Launcher. Drivable Reboot Vans are replaced by stationary ones, and an issue that made Rebecca's Guns flash on Nintendo Switch 2 is fixed.
Epic's announcement before the event, and the end of the season, are in our Fortnitemares 2026 dates article.
