Fortnitemares 2026 started on Thursday, 1 October 2026 with update v42.30 (servers were down from 08:00 to 10:31 UTC) and Epic says it runs until 1 November 2026. It brings the Nitemare Quests with the free Jack-A-Nape outfit, Five Nights at Freddy's and Freddy Krueger bosses, two new POIs, Horde Rush and a Nightmare Island season in Reload. Skull Trooper and Ghoul Trooper were back in the Item Shop in October, but their Purple Glow and Pink styles are still only on accounts that bought them in 2017.
- Dates: 1 October to 1 November 2026. Epic has not given an end hour, so treat 31 October as your last full day.
- Free rewards: complete 26 Nitemare Quests for the Jack-A-Nape outfit, plus a back bling, pickaxe, emotes and a loading screen along the way.
- Item Shop: Skull Trooper (8 to 10 Oct), Skull Ranger (8 to 10 Oct), Ravage (10 to 12 Oct) and Ghoul Trooper (5 to 15 Oct) all returned.
- Still OG only: Purple Glow Skull Trooper and Pink Ghoul Trooper. Buying the skin in 2026 does not unlock them.
Fortnitemares 2026 dates and times
Epic's Battle Royale notes say Fortnitemares is "running until November 1". Epic's Battle Pass page lists the Chapter 7 Season 4 end as 1 November 2026 in Eastern Time, also without an hour. The safest reading is that everything closes at the start of 1 November in New York, which is 04:00 UTC.
| Event | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Fortnitemares starts (v42.30) | Thu 1 Oct 2026 | After downtime, 08:00 to 10:31 UTC |
| Power Hours: Bounty Hunter Sprites | Sat 3 Oct 2026 | 2 PM ET (18:00 UTC) and 9 PM ET (01:00 UTC Sunday) |
| Reload: Nightmare Island season | Thu 8 Oct 2026 | Epic gave no hour |
| Honey and Obsession Sprites | Thu 15 Oct 2026 | Epic gave no hour |
| Fortnitemares and Chapter 7 Season 4 end | Sun 1 Nov 2026 | Not announced; plan for 04:00 UTC (midnight ET) |
The Item Shop resets daily at 00:00 UTC, so the shop dates below are UTC days.
What is in Fortnitemares 2026
The story is that Geno has slotted a cursed cartridge into the Island. In practice that means Halloween Overrides, new weapons and bosses across Battle Royale, Horde Rush, Blitz Royale and Reload.
Map changes and bosses
- Nightmare Neighborhood is a new POI. Freddy Krueger waits there as a boss and drops Freddy's Nightmare, a melee item that pulls you into range of your next opponent.
- Freaky Fields is the second new location named by Epic.
- Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria holds Five Nights at Freddy's animatronic bosses. Bring one down and you can possess it and play as it.
Modes and Overrides
- Horde Rush is back: squads fight waves of Cube Monsters, buy and upgrade weapons and perks, and unlock Endless Mode after the final boss.
- Blitz Royale gets a Fortnitemares loot pool, including Ghost Face's Last Call knife. Eliminate the wielder to take the knife and the role.
- Reload moved to a refreshed Nightmare Island on 8 October, with Stranger Things and Squid Grounds added to the map rotation.
- Overrides named by Epic include Spooky Sprinter (cloak while sprinting), Berserk (more damage at low health) and Spooky Prop Hunt.
- Weapons: the new Bonerattler SMG reveals targets through walls while aiming. The Wood Stake Shotgun, Dual Fiend Hunters, Witch Broom and Heavy Assault Rifle return. Drum Gun, Ranger Assault Rifle and Tetris Rift are vaulted.
Epic lists Five Nights at Freddy's, Hazbin Hotel, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Beetlejuice and Obsession among the October crossovers, with more arriving through the month.
Quests and free rewards
The Nitemare Quests drop in weekly sets and can be completed in Battle Royale, Reload and Horde Rush. Progress counts toward one reward track. Quest rewards are listed by the Fortnite Wiki and several guides; the milestone numbers below match TheGamer and Dexerto, and Epic's own notes do not list them.
| Quests completed | Reward | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Jack-A-Nape | Banner |
| 5 | The Clockwork Ape | Loading screen |
| 8 | Wind-Up Key | Back bling |
| 12 | Monkey Biz | Emoticon |
| 16 | Jack-A-Nape | Spray |
| 20 | Jack's Tambourine | Pickaxe |
| 23 or 24 | Tambourine Surprise | Emoticon |
| 26 | Jack-A-Nape | Outfit (Epic rarity) |
The wiki also lists Gold Punk as an Epic Games gift card bonus outfit for this event. Dexerto reports the redemption window as 2 to 31 October 2026.
Halloween skins back in the Item Shop
Dates come from the Fortnite Wiki shop history and match daily shop records on fnbr.co. All four were sold during the first half of October.
| Skin | First released | Back in 2026? | OG only style |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skull Trooper | 26 Oct 2017 | Yes, 8 to 10 Oct 2026, 1,500 V-Bucks | Purple Glow |
| Ghoul Trooper | 26 Oct 2017 | Yes, 5 to 15 Oct 2026, 1,500 V-Bucks | Pink |
| Skull Ranger | 10 Oct 2018 | Yes, 8 to 10 Oct 2026, 1,200 V-Bucks | None listed |
| Ravage | 26 Aug 2018 | Yes, 10 to 12 Oct 2026, 2,000 V-Bucks | None listed |
None of the four has been confirmed for the rest of October. Epic does not announce shop rotations in advance, so any claim about a second Skull Trooper return before 1 November is a guess.
OG styles you cannot get in 2026
The skins are common now. Two styles are not. The Fortnite Wiki describes both in the same words: exclusive to original owners who bought the outfit in 2017.
- Purple Glow Skull Trooper: only for accounts that bought Skull Trooper in October or November 2017.
- Pink Ghoul Trooper: only for accounts that bought Ghoul Trooper in 2017.
Buying either skin in October 2026 gives you the default and the other public styles, never these two. That is why an "OG Skull Trooper" listing means nothing until you see Purple Glow selected. For the wider list of locked items, see Fortnite OG skins that are still exclusive in 2026.
How to check if an account has the original styles
- Open the Locker, select Skull Trooper or Ghoul Trooper and open the style menu.
- Purple Glow or Pink must be selectable, not locked. A locked style tile means the skin was bought after 2017.
- Ask for a live video or screen share, not a screenshot. A still image of the default style proves nothing.
- Look for other 2017 items on the same account, such as Season 1 and Season 2 cosmetics. A real early account usually has a cluster of them.
Buying an OG Fortnite account
If you want Purple Glow or Pink, buying an account is the only route, and it is against Epic's rules, so the account can be banned by Epic. METAMMO is a store, not a marketplace: you buy every account from METAMMO, not from an individual seller. Our warranty covers recovery by a previous owner. It does not cover Epic bans. See current lockers on Fortnite accounts and read the Fortnite account buying guide first. More skin pages are in the Fortnite guide hub.
Frequently asked questions
When does Fortnitemares 2026 end?
Epic says it runs until 1 November 2026 and the season ends that day in Eastern Time. No hour is announced, so finish quests by the end of 31 October (04:00 UTC on 1 November).
Is the Jack-A-Nape skin free?
Yes. It is the final reward of the Nitemare Quests track, unlocked after 26 quests in Battle Royale, Reload or Horde Rush.
Was Skull Trooper in the Item Shop in October 2026?
Yes, from 8 to 10 October 2026 for 1,500 V-Bucks. It did not include the Purple Glow style, which stays with 2017 owners.
Can I still get Pink Ghoul Trooper?
No. Pink is exclusive to players who bought Ghoul Trooper in 2017. Ghoul Trooper itself was sold from 5 to 15 October 2026 without it.
Will Skull Trooper return again before Fortnitemares ends?
Epic has not said. It has returned at least once every October in recent years, but a second run this month is not confirmed.
Sources
- Epic Games: The Corruption Spreads in Fortnitemares 2026
- Epic Games Community: Fortnitemares 2026 notes
- Fortnite Wiki: Fortnitemares 2026
- Fortnite Wiki: Skull Trooper
- Fortnite Wiki: Ghoul Trooper
- Fortnite Wiki: Skull Ranger
- Fortnite Wiki: Ravage
- fnbr.co: Item Shop, 10 October 2026
- Dexerto: Fortnitemares 2026
- TheGamer: Jack-A-Nape quests guide
- Endgame Tools: Fortnitemares 2026 dates
