Epic Games has confirmed that Five Nights at Freddy’s, the horror series created by Scott Cawthon, is joining Fortnite for this year’s Fortnitemares Halloween event. A new trailer released on 27 September 2026 ends months of rumours and teasing about whether the series would cross over into the battle royale. The crossover had been expected for a while, and the footage shows Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria as a location on the island, ready for the event’s October 1 start.
Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria and the animatronic bosses
Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria will sit on the Fortnite map, and Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy are the boss characters inside it. The trailer shows players fighting the four animatronics and then taking control of one after defeating it, so the machines work as both enemies and playable characters during the event. The pizzeria had already appeared on the island during Fortnite’s current Override season, and earlier Fortnitemares material referenced security cameras and dialogue from the series. The new footage confirms those earlier hints and marks the first official word from Epic on the crossover.
Epic’s official announcement reads: “It’s almost showtime! The Fazbear Band has taken over Battle Royale. Face the animatronic animal bosses and survive the night… if you can. Fortnitemares begins 1st October!” The company shared the wording alongside the new trailer.
Fortnitemares 2026 begins October 1
Fortnite’s official social account posted a teaser reading “IT’S ME! See you October 1” and tagged FNAF creator ScottGames. Epic first hinted at the event’s date on 23 September, when the game’s account posted “Nitemares really do come true 10.1.” Fortnitemares 2026 begins on October 1, the day the crossover goes live in the game. Fortnite, developed and published by Epic Games, has run Fortnitemares as its annual Halloween celebration, and the pizzeria and its four bosses arrive together as part of it.
The collaboration follows other recent Fortnite crossovers, including one that brought Lilith into the game from Borderlands. Five Nights at Freddy’s has also been growing beyond its own games, with Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza set to become a permanent animatronic stage show in 2027.
