Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Japan returns for its 15th anniversary from September 11 through November 8, 2026, running inside the wider Universal Extreme Autumn ~Discover U!!!~ umbrella event that opens September 10. The 2026 lineup adds a new Resident Evil Requiem: The Dive maze in partnership with Capcom, a 15th-anniversary retrospective stage show, refreshed ride overlays for Hollywood Dream, and after-dark Jaws overlays, with Universal Studios Japan also marking its own 25th anniversary this season.
Unlike Universal’s US Halloween Horror Nights events, USJ’s HHN is included with standard Studio Pass admission — no separate hard-ticket is required for the street zombies, the Zombie de Dance, or the ride overlays. Some enclosed attractions require a free day-of timed-entry e-ticket in the USJ app, and a paid Halloween Express Pass covers priority access to the biggest mazes.
What is new for 2026
- Resident Evil Requiem: The Dive debuts inside Stage 18 as USJ’s first Resident Evil walk-through maze in years, tied to Capcom’s 30th anniversary of the Resident Evil series and USJ’s 25th anniversary. It runs through December 27, 2026, well past HHN’s November 8 close.
- Halloween Horror Night Academy ~15 Years of Screams~ debuts as the marquee 15th-anniversary retrospective stage show in Gramercy Park, gathering iconic monsters, zombies, and performers, including Hamikuma.
- Playback Zombie de Dance takes over the final Zombie de Dance performance each evening as a nostalgia medley of past HHN collaboration tracks, including Ado’s “Show” and Sandaime J SOUL BROTHERS III’s “Rat-tat-tat.”
- Chainsaw Man × Hollywood Dream ~IRIS OUT~ replaces the 2025 “KICK BACK” overlay with Kenshi Yonezu’s theme song for Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc set to the Backdrop coaster.
- Zombie de Dance × Hollywood Dream debuts as a new ride audio overlay featuring King Gnu’s “SO BAD” and past Zombie de Dance tracks.
- Jaws: Red Alert transforms the classic Jaws boat ride after sunset with heavy fog and dramatic red lighting, running September 11, 2026 through January 31, 2027.
- Sadako’s Curse ~Dark Horror Ride~, the Ring-inspired Space Fantasy overlay first run in 2023, is revived for 2026 after being absent in 2025.
- Super Nintendo World 5th anniversary greetings debut Pink Yoshi and Light Blue Yoshi and include an easier Bowser Jr. Final Battle Power-Up Band Key Challenge, running September 10, 2026 through January 11, 2027.
What is not returning in 2026
- Chucky’s Carnival of Chaos — the 3D-glasses walk-through was officially retired after the 2025 season, with USJ running a four-day “Gallery Version” walk-through after HHN 2025 closed.
- Biohazard: Night of Heroes — the outdoor live-action horror show is replaced by the Resident Evil Requiem: The Dive maze, a different indoor walk-through format.
- M3GAN “Megan’s Attack” — the 2025 street scare-zone based on the M3GAN AI doll is absent from the announced 2026 lineup.
- Hamikuma Sweet Scream Party — the 2025 marquee rock-concert show is superseded by the Halloween Horror Night Academy 15th anniversary show. Hamikuma still appears across the 2026 lineup.
Halloween Horror Nights Japan 2026 at-a-glance
| Attraction | Location | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Resident Evil Requiem: The Dive | Stage 18 | 10:00 a.m. to park close (through Dec 27) |
| Factory of Fear ~Zombie Tour of Despair~ | Stage 22 | 10:00 a.m. to park close |
| KATE Presents “The Witch of No. 18” | Stage 18 | 9:00 a.m. to park close (timed e-ticket) |
| Sadako’s Curse ~Dark Horror Ride~ | Space Fantasy – The Ride | Park open to park close (through Jan 4, 2027) |
| Chainsaw Man: The Chaos 4-D | Cinema 4-D Theater | Park open to park close |
| Street Zombies ~POWER UP!~ | Park-wide (excluding some areas) | 6:00 p.m. to park close |
| Zombie de Dance | Park-wide (excluding some areas) | 6:00 p.m. to park close |
| Playback Zombie de Dance ~15th Anniversary~ | Park-wide | Last show of the day |
| Halloween Horror Night Academy ~15 Years of Screams~ | Gramercy Park | Start times vary by day |
| Chainsaw Man × Hollywood Dream ~IRIS OUT~ | Hollywood Dream – Backdrop | Park open to park close |
| Zombie de Dance × Hollywood Dream | Hollywood Dream / Backdrop | Park open to park close |
| Smileys Happy Halloween Greetings | Near Cinema 4-D Theater | Varies by day |
| Minion Belloween Greeting | Hollywood Area / Minion Park | Varies by day |
| Park-wide Trick or Treat | Park-wide (excl. Super Nintendo World and Wizarding World) | Park open to 5:00 p.m. |
| Jaws: Red Alert | Jaws boat ride | After sunset (through Jan 31, 2027) |
| Jurassic Park: The Ride – In the Dark | Jurassic Park: The Ride | Sept 11 through Nov 8 |
Haunted mazes and horror rides
Resident Evil Requiem: The Dive (NEW for 2026)
The 2026 season’s headline addition is Resident Evil Requiem: The Dive, a Capcom-tied indoor horror maze inside Stage 18 recreating the abandoned Wrenwood Hotel and the Rhodes Hill Chronic Care sanatorium featured in Capcom’s newest Resident Evil game. The storyline follows FBI analyst Grace Ashcroft, who vanishes while investigating a series of mysterious consecutive deaths inside the hotel. Live-action appearances include Leon S. Kennedy, and creatures include Licker β2 and “The Girl.”
The maze is R-15 rated (children 14 and under, or junior-high students and below, are not permitted) and requires a day-of e-ticket from the USJ app or a Halloween Express Pass. It opens September 11 and continues through December 27, 2026 — well past HHN’s Nov 8 close — and is framed as a joint celebration of the Resident Evil series 30th anniversary and USJ’s 25th anniversary.
Factory of Fear ~Zombie Tour of Despair~ (returning)
Factory of Fear returns to Stage 22 as an enclosed walk-through set inside a “zombie manufacturing plant,” with Prison Zombies and Cyber Zombies as the featured factions. The maze is R-15 rated and runs 10:00 a.m. to park close.
KATE Presents “The Witch of No. 18” (returning)
USJ’s collaboration with Japanese cosmetics brand KATE returns to Stage 18 as a sensory, makeup-themed walk-through with four witches at the “Witch’s Mansion Where Emotions Play.” The attraction requires a timed-entry e-ticket and skews lower on the horror intensity spectrum.
Sadako’s Curse ~Dark Horror Ride~ (returns after gap)
Sadako’s Curse revives for 2026 after being absent in 2025. The Ring (Ringu) overlay of Space Fantasy – The Ride sends guests through pitch-black darkness under Sadako’s curse. The overlay runs from September 11 through January 4, 2027.
Chainsaw Man: The Chaos 4-D (returning, third season)
The Cinema 4-D Theater attraction returns for a third season, featuring Denji, Aki, Power, and Kobeni in a 4-D theater battle with the Halloween Horror Night Demon and his zombie army. Under-13 guests need guardian consent.
Street zombies, dance parties, and the 15th anniversary show
Street Zombies ~POWER UP!~ returns park-wide from 6:00 p.m., with USJ promoting the 2026 iteration as featuring the highest number of zombies in the event’s history and a new story “packed with 15 years of horror.” Factions include the Psycho Circus clowns led by mascot Hamikuma, the Chainsaw Chain-Gang, and tortured test subjects.
Zombie de Dance returns for 2026 and continues the King Gnu “SO BAD” collaboration track from 2025. The final performance of each evening switches to Playback Zombie de Dance ~Halloween Horror Night 15th Anniversary~, a nostalgia medley of past HHN collaboration tracks including Ado’s “Show” and Sandaime J SOUL BROTHERS III’s “Rat-tat-tat.”
Halloween Horror Night Academy ~15 Years of Screams~ is the marquee 15th-anniversary stage show, running in Gramercy Park across the season and gathering iconic monsters, zombies, and performers from HHN’s 15-year history. A paid Special Viewing Area ticket for enhanced seating went on sale July 15, 2026, priced from ¥2,100 by date.
New Hollywood Dream ride overlays
Both Chainsaw Man × Hollywood Dream ~IRIS OUT~ (the Backdrop coaster set to Kenshi Yonezu’s Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc theme) and Zombie de Dance × Hollywood Dream (King Gnu’s “SO BAD” plus past Zombie de Dance tracks) are new 2026 audio overlays on Hollywood Dream and its Backdrop version, replacing the 2025 “KICK BACK” audio treatment.
Extreme Autumn family programming
USJ’s daytime “Universal Surprise Halloween” side returns for 2026 with several family-first offerings:
- Minion “Belloween” Greeting in the Hollywood Area, with Minions in Halloween costumes inspired by classic Universal horror icons.
- Park-wide Trick or Treat from park open to 5:00 p.m., excluding Super Nintendo World and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
- Super Nintendo World 5th anniversary greetings debuting Pink Yoshi and Light Blue Yoshi, plus meet-and-greets with Mario, Donkey Kong, and Yoshi through January 11, 2027. The Bowser Jr. Final Battle Power-Up Band Key Challenge receives an easier 5th-anniversary update.
- Hogwarts Castle Walk returns to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter from September 1, 2026 through January 17, 2027.
- Jaws: Red Alert overlay on the Jaws boat ride after sunset from September 11, 2026 through January 31, 2027, with heavy fog and dramatic red lighting.
- Jurassic Park: The Ride – In the Dark returns as a near-total-darkness night version of the ride from September 11 through November 8.
Tickets and Halloween Express Passes
Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Japan is included with Studio Pass admission. USJ’s Studio Pass switched to dynamic pricing in 2026, with per-day prices varying by demand.
The paid Halloween Express Pass covering priority access to Resident Evil Requiem: The Dive, Factory of Fear, and Chainsaw Man: The Chaos 4-D went on sale at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, with prices starting at ¥11,800 and varying by date. The 2026 Halloween Express Pass starting price is roughly 74 percent higher than the 2025 starting price of ¥6,800.
Additional Express Pass options and attraction operating schedules are expected to be released by USJ closer to the start of the autumn season.
Frequently asked questions
When does Halloween Horror Nights Japan run in 2026?
Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Japan runs from Friday, September 11 through Sunday, November 8, 2026. The wider Universal Extreme Autumn event opens one day earlier on September 10. Some attractions, including Resident Evil Requiem: The Dive, Sadako’s Curse, and Jaws: Red Alert, continue beyond November 8.
Do I need a separate ticket for Halloween Horror Nights Japan?
No. Unlike Universal’s US Halloween Horror Nights events in Orlando, Hollywood, and Las Vegas, USJ includes HHN in standard Studio Pass admission. Some attractions require a free day-of timed-entry e-ticket in the USJ app, and a paid Halloween Express Pass covers priority access to the biggest mazes.
What is new at Halloween Horror Nights Japan in 2026?
The single new enclosed maze is Resident Evil Requiem: The Dive, tied to Capcom’s newest Resident Evil game. Other 2026 additions include the Halloween Horror Night Academy 15th anniversary show, Playback Zombie de Dance, Jaws: Red Alert overlay, new Hollywood Dream ride audio overlays, and Super Nintendo World 5th anniversary greetings. Sadako’s Curse returns after being absent in 2025.
Is Chucky’s Carnival of Chaos returning in 2026?
No. Chucky’s Carnival of Chaos was officially retired after the 2025 season. USJ ran a four-day “Gallery Version” walk-through after HHN 2025 closed to mark the end of the run.
How much does the Halloween Express Pass cost?
Prices start at ¥11,800 and vary by date. The 2026 starting price is roughly 74 percent higher than the 2025 starting price of ¥6,800.
What is the age rating for the mazes?
Resident Evil Requiem: The Dive and Factory of Fear are R-15 rated, meaning children 14 and under (or junior-high students and below) are not permitted. Chainsaw Man: The Chaos 4-D requires guardian consent for guests under 13. KATE Presents “The Witch of No. 18” and Sadako’s Curse do not carry the R-15 restriction.
Where is Universal Studios Japan?
Universal Studios Japan is in Osaka, Japan. The park opened in 2001 and marks its 25th anniversary in 2026.
HAN prior Halloween Horror Nights coverage
- Halloween Horror Nights 2026: Dates, Tickets, and Lineups for Every Park — HAN’s master HHN hub across all Universal parks
- Halloween Horror Nights 14 Singapore Reveals Four Haunted Houses and Two Scare Zones for 2026
- Halloween Horror Nights 2026 Reveals First Haunted House and Returning Icons for 35th Anniversary — HHN Orlando
- Halloween Horror Nights Tickets Guide — every US ticket tier
- Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood 2026 — West Coast Universal event
About Universal Studios Japan
Universal Studios Japan is a Comcast NBCUniversal park in Osaka that opened on March 31, 2001 and marks its 25th anniversary in 2026. It is the second-most-attended theme park in Japan after Tokyo Disneyland and one of the world’s largest attended theme parks. Halloween Horror Nights has been an annual USJ Halloween tradition since 2011 and celebrates its 15th anniversary in 2026.
For tickets and the full 2026 program, visit Universal Studios Japan’s official Halloween page.
Last updated: July 18, 2026. This guide is updated as Universal Studios Japan announces additional 2026 Halloween Horror Nights details.
