Halloween Horror Nights is bringing Fortnite, the most-played console game in the United States, into the physical event. Universal is opening a Fortnitemares scare zone at both of its US Halloween Horror Nights events this fall, tied to Epic Games’ annual in-game Halloween event of the same name. The zone opens August 28 at Universal Orlando Resort and September 3 at Universal Studios Hollywood.
What Freaky Fields is
Universal is naming the scare zone Freaky Fields and staging it as a Halloween-inspired living battleground overcome by a threatening force. Guests will “drop in” to the world of Fortnitemares and move through ever-evolving, high-stakes environments modeled on the game’s fall event. Expect to see the Battle Bus and familiar Fortnitemares characters, plus a few new additions exclusive to Halloween Horror Nights.
Fortnite’s Fortnitemares in-game event returns every fall with new characters and horror-themed gameplay, so the HHN take is essentially a physical, walk-through translation of the annual game moment, with HHN-only creatures layered on top.
Why this is big for HHN: Fortnite’s scale
Universal picking up Fortnite for an HHN scare zone is a scale story. Fortnite was the #1 most-played console game in the United States in 2025 across both PlayStation and Xbox, per the Circana Player Engagement Tracker — ahead of Call of Duty, GTA V, Roblox, and Minecraft, and holding the same top spot it held in 2024. On PC, Newzoo’s July 2025 rankings put Fortnite at #1 by monthly active users across the US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy.
The game runs on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PC, and mobile, and it returned to the US Apple App Store in May 2025 after a nearly five-year absence following Epic’s court win over Apple, then rolled out worldwide on the App Store through May 2026. Industry figures put lifetime registered players at more than 650 million, and Epic itself confirmed more than 100 million monthly players during a 2023 season peak.
Fortnite’s in-game events are the closest thing gaming has to stadium concerts. Travis Scott’s 2020 “Astronomical” show drew 12.3 million concurrent players, and Epic’s Remix: The Finale on November 30, 2024 hit an all-time record of 14,343,880 concurrent players in-game, plus more than 3 million watching via external streams. The Fortnite OG launch on November 4, 2023 drew 44.7 million players in a single day.
Cultural reach follows. Fortnite has run in-game crossovers with Marvel, DC, Star Wars, LEGO, Godzilla, and dozens of music artists. The 2019 Fortnite World Cup Finals awarded a $30 million prize pool, with the 16-year-old solo winner Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf taking home $3 million — the largest individual esports payout at the time. In short: HHN is opening its scare zone to a fandom that, by most measures, is bigger than HHN itself.
Where and when to see it
Freaky Fields is confirmed for both U.S. Halloween Horror Nights events; no other Universal park has been named.
Universal Orlando Resort (HHN 35): Select nights from August 28 through November 1, 48 event nights total (the earliest start in HHN’s 35-year history). Freaky Fields opens on opening night. Full ticket menu, including the multi-night Frequent Fear passes and the new 5-House R.I.P. Tour, is in our Halloween Horror Nights 2026 tickets guide.
Universal Studios Hollywood: Select nights from September 3 through November 1, 42 event nights. Freaky Fields opens with the event.
The Fortnitemares merch drop
Universal is releasing a limited Fortnitemares collection tied to the scare zone: a graphic tee, a decal set, and an acrylic collectible piece.
The collection is available now at both Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood, and lands on ShopUniversal.com tomorrow, Thursday, July 23 at 9 a.m. PST.
What else Universal has revealed for HHN 2026
Freaky Fields is the third scare zone confirmed for HHN 35 Orlando, joining the theme-titled Infernal Carnival of Nightmares and the past-year-throwback Sideshow of Decay. Orlando’s confirmed haunted-house lineup now sits at nine of ten announced, including Sinners, Stranger Things 5, Hellraiser, Evil Dead Burn, plus originals Jack & Oddfellow: Chaos & Control, H.R. Bloodengutz Presents: A Halloween Fright-Tacular, Madlands: Caged Cannibals, Cybergoria, and Invasion: Alien Abduction. Hollywood has confirmed four of eight houses so far.
More Halloween Horror Nights 2026 coverage from HAN
- Halloween Horror Nights 2026: Dates, Tickets, and Lineups for Every Park
- Halloween Horror Nights 2026 Reveals First Haunted House and Returning Icons for 35th Anniversary
- Halloween Horror Nights 2026 Hollywood: Complete Guide
- Evil Dead Burn Is Coming to HHN 2026 at Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood
- HHN 35 Orlando Frequent Fear Passes On Sale, Plus 5-House R.I.P. Tour
- Halloween Horror Nights Tickets Guide (all five Universal parks)
