Fortnitemares 2026 runs until November 1, 2026, according to Epic’s update notes. Clear 26 Nitemare quests in Battle Royale, Horde Rush and Reload to earn the free Jack-A-Nape outfit. 24 of those quests are live right now. A second track, Safety in Numbers, gives 10 more quests in horror islands you play with friends.
Below: every quest, every free reward, today’s Power Hours times and what to do first. Checked October 17, 2026, 03:30 UTC, on update v42.40.
Table of Contents
Quick answer: Fortnitemares 2026 at a glance
- Dates: started October 1 with update v42.30. It runs “until November 1,” Epic says. The Override Battle Pass page also says “Ends November 1, 2026 Eastern Time.”
- Free outfit: Jack-A-Nape, for completing all 26 Nitemare quests. There are 8 rewards along the way.
- Quests live now: 24 of 26. That’s three weekly batches (October 1, 8 and 16) across Battle Royale/Zero Build, Horde Rush and Reload. Each quest is worth 15,000 XP.
- Second track: Safety in Numbers has 10 quests in creator-made horror islands, played in a party. Its last reward is the Cuddlz back bling.
- Bosses: Freddy Krueger at Nightmare Neighborhood, plus four Five Nights at Freddy’s animatronics you can beat and then possess.
- This weekend: Power Hours on Saturday, October 17, at 18:00 UTC, with a second round at 01:00 UTC Sunday. Everyone drops with an enhanced Freddy’s Nightmare.
Epic's Fortnitemares 2026 key art: the FNAF animatronics and Freddy Krueger are this year's headline bosses. Image: Epic Games
When does Fortnitemares 2026 end?
Epic’s Fortnitemares notes say the event is “running until November 1.” That matches the end of the Override season (Chapter 7 Season 4). Epic’s Battle Pass page says the pass “Ends November 1, 2026 Eastern Time.” Epic hasn’t given an exact hour. Some guides, such as Beebom, still say rewards can be claimed until October 31.
The safe plan: finish your quests by October 31. That way you won’t lose the Jack-A-Nape outfit to a late-night season-end downtime. Leakers expect a short mini-season to follow on November 1. That’s still a rumor; see our report on the Fortnite One Piece mini-season leaks.
All free Fortnitemares 2026 rewards (Jack-A-Nape track)
All Nitemare quests feed one shared counter. You can do them in any order and switch modes whenever you like. Your progress carries over between Battle Royale, Zero Build, Horde Rush and Reload. Beebom, Technerdiness and Khel Now list the same reward ladder:
| Quests completed | Reward | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Jack-A-Nape banner icon | Homebase banner |
| 5 | The Clockwork Ape | Loading screen |
| 8 | Wind-Up Key | Back bling |
| 12 | Monkey Biz | Emote |
| 16 | Jack-A-Nape | Emote |
| 20 | Jack’s Tambourine | Pickaxe |
| 24 | Tambourine Surprise | Emote |
| 26 | Jack-A-Nape | Outfit |
One early guide, TechWiser (October 2), calls the 12 and 16 rewards an emoji and a spray. The three later sources all say emotes, so check the in-game Quests tab if you’re unsure. With 24 quests live, you can already reach the Tambourine Surprise emote. The final two quests haven’t been listed yet. Going by the weekly pattern so far, expect them in a later batch.
All Fortnitemares 2026 quests and how to complete them
These quest lists come from Beebom’s guide (updated October 16) and Technerdiness (Horde Rush, October 12). Each quest gives 15,000 XP. Epic doesn’t publish the quest text in its notes, so match the wording in your Quests tab.
Battle Royale and Zero Build: Nitemare One (October 1)
- Smash a Pumpkin Chest to find a Sprite (1)
- Damage opponents with the Bonerattler SMG (500)
- Restore health or gain shields with consumables (500)
- Search containers at Named Locations (20)
Battle Royale and Zero Build: Nitemare Two (October 8)
- Carve pumpkins at Nightmare Neighborhood or Wonkeeland (5)
- Damage opponents with Freddy’s Nightmare (200)
- Travel distance while airborne after landing from the bus (1,500)
- Eliminate opponents with SMGs or pistols (3)
Battle Royale and Zero Build: Nitemare Three (October 16)
- Visit the Dark Cartridge, Cluster Coast and Golden Grove (3)
- Damage opponents with the Wood Stake Shotgun or Dual Fiend Hunters (750)
- Defeat bosses or eliminate players (10)
- Travel distance while under the effects of an Override (1,000)
Horde Rush: Nitemare One, Two and Three
| Batch | Quest | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| One (Oct 1) | Choose Perks while in a match (15) | Take every Perk offer between rounds |
| One (Oct 1) | Purchase a starter kit from a Vending Machine (1) | Buy it after the first wave |
| One (Oct 1) | Collect Cube Monster Parts (500) | Progress carries over between matches |
| Two (Oct 8) | Interact with the Cursed Statue to increase difficulty (2) | Do it once your build is strong |
| Two (Oct 8) | Buy weapons from Vending Machines using Cube Monster Parts (3) | Buy actual weapons; the starter kit may not count |
| Two (Oct 8) | Collect score multipliers (10) | The small purple pickups |
| Three (Oct 16) | Damage Cube Monster spawners (5,000) | Shoot the purple obelisks that spawn monsters |
| Three (Oct 16) | Defeat bosses (3) | Push deeper into a run to meet more bosses |
| Three (Oct 16) | Eliminate Cube Monsters with Rare or better weapons (200) | Upgrade one gun at an Upgrade Bench early |
Technerdiness notes that only the Horde Rush island tagged “By Epic” in Discover tracks these quests. Creator-made copies may not.
Reload: Nitemare One (October 8, Nitemare Island)
- Damage players at Retail Ruin or Estranged Estate on Nitemare Island (500)
- Land at Named Locations on Nitemare Island (10)
- Search containers at Terror Turrets or Haunted Hamlet on Nitemare Island (25). Beebom lists the Eternal Elite loading screen as this quest’s reward.
Safety in Numbers quests: the second free track
In its in-game news, Epic says developers “have brought their own horrors to life for Fortnitemares.” There’s a Collection of horror islands, and playing them “with friends” unlocks the Safety in Numbers quests. Beebom lists 10 quests, added in mid-October. Each one asks you to earn XP in horror creator-made islands while in a party with friends. That works out to 80,000 XP per quest, and each quest pays 10,000 XP. They don’t count in Battle Royale, Reload, Horde Rush or OG.
| Safety in Numbers quests | Reward |
|---|---|
| 2 | Banner icon |
| 4 | Tarnished Crowbar pickaxe |
| 6 | Welcome To Harrowville loading screen |
| 8 | Chilling Claws pickaxe |
| 10 | Cuddlz back bling |
Epic's in-game tile for the creator-made horror islands that unlock the Safety in Numbers quests. Image: Epic Games
What’s new in Fortnitemares 2026 (Battle Royale)
From Epic’s v42.30 and v42.40 update notes:
- Nightmare Neighborhood: a new POI where Freddy Krueger hides behind a friendly face. Beat him for the Mythic Freddy’s Nightmare, which lets you teleport into range and slash.
- FNAF animatronics: beat one, then possess it to play as the animatronic. If the suit’s health runs out, you get a few seconds where you can’t be eliminated. Then you pop back out. Our Fortnite FNAF boss locations guide covers where Freddy, Foxy, Bonnie and Chica spawn.
- Weapons: the new Bonerattler SMG reveals enemies through walls. The Wood Stake Shotgun, Dual Fiend Hunters and Heavy Assault Rifle are back. The Witch Broom returned too, but v42.40 vaulted it again.
- Fortnitemares Overrides: Spooky Sprinter cloaks you while you sprint. Berserk makes you hit harder as your health drops. Spooky Prop Hunt turns you into a Halloween prop.
- Snack-O’-Lantern Gizmo: smash it open for a pile of Exotic Candy.
- Pumpkin Chests and new Sprites: Spooky Dash, Vampire, Deer and Dumpster Dive came first. Honey and the Obsession Sprite followed on October 15; it lets One Wish Willow help you collect other Sprites. Our Fortnite Sprites list has the full collection.
- Trick or Treat Cheats: Cheat Codes became Trick or Treat Cheats. Enter one and you might get an extra treat with your Sprite.
- Horde Rush and Reload: Horde Rush is a squad PvE run against Cube Monsters with perks, Cursed Shrines and an Endless Mode. Reload brings back Nightmare Island with Elite Kado Thorne.
Fortnitemares Power Hours: October 17 times
Epic’s v42.40 notes list “Trick or Treat Sprites” Power Hours this Saturday:
| Round | UTC | US Eastern |
|---|---|---|
| First | Sat, Oct 17, 18:00 | 2 PM ET |
| Second | Sun, Oct 18, 01:00 | Sat 9 PM ET |
During Power Hours, everyone drops in with an enhanced Freddy’s Nightmare. Trick or Treat Sprites appear more often. Chests may also drop 1-Up Tokens and Portable Extractors. That’s the easiest time all week for the “Damage opponents with Freddy’s Nightmare” quest.
Fortnitemares 2026 skins and collabs
Epic’s own notes name Freddy Fazbear (Five Nights at Freddy’s), Hazbin Hotel, Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare on Elm Street), Beetlejuice and Obsession. Beebom’s collab tracker (updated October 16) lists the Item Shop releases so far:
- FNAF outfits: October 1
- Freddy Krueger: October 2
- Black Clover’s Asta, Noelle and Yuno: October 3
- Jack the Clown from Halloween Horror Nights (the “HHN” in many searches): October 5
- A Hollow Knight sidekick: October 7
- 99 Nights in the Forest’s Deer: October 10
- Hazbin Hotel: October 16
- The Purge’s Lady Liberty: due October 17
Slender Man, Beetlejuice and Predator: Badlands have no confirmed date yet. Shop items rotate, so check the Item Shop before you plan a purchase.
There are two more free outfits besides Jack-A-Nape. The Elite Kado Thorne outfit was a prize in the October 13 Solo Reload cup, according to Beebom. Beebom also reports that redeeming a Fortnite gift card during the event unlocks the Gold Punk outfit, with the offer listed through October 31.
What to do first
- Stack Battle Royale quests. Land at Nightmare Neighborhood to carve pumpkins, open a Pumpkin Chest and loot containers in the same match. Pick up a Bonerattler SMG or Wood Stake Shotgun on the way.
- Play Power Hours on Saturday to finish the Freddy’s Nightmare damage quest with the free starting weapon.
- Run two Horde Rush matches. Technerdiness says one or two runs can clear the first six quests (perks, parts, multipliers, vending buys), because most progress passively. Save the Cursed Statue for when you’re geared.
- Do the three Reload quests on Nitemare Island. Landing at named locations counts across matches.
- Party up for Safety in Numbers. Play horror islands from Epic’s Fortnitemares Collection with friends for the extra pickaxes and Cuddlz.
- Check back for the last two Nitemare quests and finish them before October 31.
Also playing Roblox this month? Our list of Roblox Halloween event start times covers this weekend’s events.
FAQ
How do you get the Jack-A-Nape skin for free in Fortnite?
Complete all 26 Fortnitemares Nitemare quests. Any mix of Battle Royale/Zero Build, Horde Rush and Reload counts. 24 are available as of October 17. The rest are still to come.
When does Fortnitemares 2026 end?
Epic says Fortnitemares runs until November 1, 2026. The Override Battle Pass also ends November 1, Eastern Time. Finish by October 31 to be safe, because Epic hasn’t posted an exact time.
Is there a Fortnitemares 2026 part 2?
Epic hasn’t called anything “part 2.” Mid-October brought the next wave instead: v42.40 on October 15 added new Sprites (Honey, One Wish Willow), the Safety in Numbers quests arrived the same week, and the third Nitemare quest batch followed on October 16.
What is Fortnitemares HHN?
It refers to the Halloween Horror Nights collab. According to Beebom, Jack the Clown from Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights arrived in the Item Shop on October 5.
Sources: Epic Games: Fortnitemares 2026 update notes (v42.30); Epic Games: v42.40 update notes; Fortnite.com: Override Battle Pass; Fortnite in-game news (Safety in Numbers); Beebom: Fortnitemares 2026 quests; Beebom: Safety in Numbers; Beebom: Fortnitemares 2026 collabs; Technerdiness: Horde Rush; Khel Now.
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