Start time for Fortnitemares 2025, and every change coming in the Halloween update

Fortnite is gearing up for a fright as it readies to launch Fortnitemares 2025, complete with a plethora of new skins and a significant change to its standard Horde Rush mode, introducing the world's biggest K-Pop band into the mix.

While Halloween may seem a way off for us in the real world, Epic Games isn't so keen on being bound by mundane concepts like "time" and "circumstance."

Fortnite has a knack for getting overly excited about the spookiest season of all, and 2024 was no exception with appearances from Saw's Billy the Puppet, Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and even Edward Scissorhands for reasons we're still trying to figure out.

Let's be clear, though – this is a massive event that drapes decor across the island, introduces some fantastic new crossovers and immerses players once again into the returning PvE Horde Mode, which this year, will be undergoing a very timely twist. It's pretty substantial whichever way you look at it, even after the arrival of the Daft Punk Experience and the weekly turnover of the Delulu LTM.

So, what exactly is happening with the event? And when can we expect the Fortnitemares 2025 start time? Here's everything you need to know about Fortnitemares 2025.

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Fortnitemares 2025 start time

The Fortnitemares 2025 start time is set for 3am PDT / 6am EDT / 11am BST on Thursday, October 2. This is the estimated time that the Fortnite 37.40 downtime ends, and it will introduce the first batch of skins that highlight the event itself.

The start time of the event has also been hinted at in teasers for the upcoming altered "Demon Rush" mode. A recent report from IGN suggests that the new Demon Rush will commence at 1am PDT / 4am EDT / 9am BST, marking the beginning of the Fortnitemares 2025 celebrations. However, as the game will be unavailable during this period, our time is considered the "effective" start time for Fortnitemares 2025.

Fortnitemares 2025 skins

We've already delved into the numerous sources of the Fortnitemares 2025 skins leaks, and frankly, there's a lot to dissect here – so here's a summary of all the crossover characters you can anticipate throughout Fortnitemares 2025:

• The iconic Huntr/x from K-Pop Demon Hunters
• Doja Cat
• Scream's Ghostface
• Friday the 13th's Jason Voorhees
• The Mystery Machine gang from Scooby-Doo
• Terrifier's Art the Clown
• The player characters from R.E.P.O
• Huggy Wuggy from Poppy Playtime

In addition to these pop culture crossover characters, a number of original characters are expected to make their debut and receive reskins, with Peely turning radioactive-green, and The Black Knight undergoing a spooky transformation with a gaping maw holding his torso together.

All in all, it's a rather thoughtfully curated selection of cosmetics – it doesn't just cater to horror film enthusiasts with nods to Terrifier and Friday the 13th, but also draws in those who aren't keen on genuinely frightening content, with K-Pop Demon Hunters and the Scooby-Doo crew all fitting the brief without needing to originate from material that's too adult for the game's younger demographic.

Additionally, bridging the gap with characters from R.E.P.O and Poppy Playtime proves to be an inspired move.

Fortnitemares 2025 Demon Rush

Thus far, leakers like

KPOP DEMON HUNTERS MODE DESCRIPTION

- You work together with HUNTR/X
- Fight against waves of demons
- Not the normal Horde Rush enemies pic.twitter.com/mfQMmew2kN

— Shiina (@ShiinaBR) September 30, 2025

have been hinting at the arrival of the Demon Rush mode, which is obviously set to be a fresh take on the PvE mode Horde Rush, featuring cameos from K-Pop Demon Hunters characters.

The mode drops players into a section of the current map, tracking a shifting circle whilst they're bombarded by "The Horde," numerous NPC enemies.

The experience culminates with a (rather savage, honestly) battle against a massive opponent, and players exit with a top score and loads of XP.

There'll probably be several surprises throughout, and according to a report from IGN, we understand that you'll be collaborating with Huntr/x to survive against Demons instead of the usual Horde once the mode goes live following update 37.40's maintenance period.

That's all the information we have at the moment about the colossal Fortnitemares 2025 event – it's set to feature in the game for a while, so we hope you're fond of dark smog and loads of cosmetics. We're on the brink of losing a heap of V-Bucks.