New Fortnite Season: Treasure Hunters, End Date and Battle Pass

What is the new Fortnite season and when did it start?

The new Fortnite season is Treasure Hunters, a mini-season that started on Sunday, 1 November 2026. It follows Chapter 7 Season 4, called Override, and press coverage describes it as the final season of Chapter 7, not Chapter 8.^[1][2][3]

A season is a time-limited block of Fortnite Battle Royale with its own Battle Pass, items and map changes. A mini-season is a shorter version of the same thing; Dot Esports says Fortnite mini-seasons usually last 28 to 30 days.^[3]

What is new in Treasure Hunters?

• Update v43.00. The Treasure Hunters update is version v43.00.^[4]
• A new island. Game Rant reports a new island with a maximum of 80 players.^[2]
• A new Battle Pass. Game Rant reports a new Battle Pass that features Remix skins, and Dot Esports also covers the pass in its release guide.^[2][3]
• Collaborations. Game Rant reports a One Piece collaboration plus other collaborations.^[2]

These details come from gaming press coverage rather than from an Epic announcement, so treat the list as press-reported and check Fortnite's in-game news for the final contents. Hotspawn published a patch-notes roundup late on 31 October 2026 (UTC) for readers who want the detailed change list.^[5]

When does the Fortnite season end?

FRVR reports that Epic confirmed a Chapter 7 end event on Saturday 5 December 2026, with no start time announced yet; no Epic announcement itself was among the sources reviewed.^[4] Game Rant and Hotspawn give the same 5 December 2026 end date for Treasure Hunters.^[2][5] Vice says the mini-season will last around 30 days.^[1]

Earlier coverage was less certain. Dot Esports estimated a different date, 30 November 2026, by applying the usual 28 to 30 day length of Fortnite mini-seasons to the 1 November start.^[3] Games.GG said no end date was confirmed.^[6]

Why do the dates differ?

The two dates are five days apart. Dot Esports' 30 November figure is an estimate from typical mini-season length, while FRVR's later report ties 5 December to an end event it says Epic confirmed. Because no exact time had been announced, it still makes sense to plan around the earlier date if you want to finish the Battle Pass, and treat the extra days as a bonus.

How do I read the countdown in my own time zone?

Epic's Battle Pass page has given pass end dates in Eastern Time (ET) in past seasons.^[7] For Override, FRVR reports that the official page listed the end as 1 November 2026, Eastern Time.^[4] Convert any ET time to your local zone with a time-zone converter and leave a margin of several hours. This guide gives no UTC time for the Treasure Hunters ending because FRVR says no start time for the end event had been announced.^[4]

Is the next Fortnite season Chapter 8?

No. Treasure Hunters comes first, so the season after Override is a mini-season, not Chapter 8.^[1][2] Vice reports a Chapter 8 Season 1 release in December 2026.^[1] Games.GG says Epic has not announced a Chapter 8 date and that leakers point to late November or early December.^[6]

What is a Fortnite Chapter?

A Chapter is a group of several seasons. Chapter 2 began in October 2019, and Wikipedia describes the seasons before it as a retroactively defined Chapter 1.^[12]

What is still uncertain?

• The exact Chapter 8 release date: Vice says December 2026, while Games.GG says nothing is announced.^[1][6]
• The timing of the Chapter 7 end event: FRVR reports Epic confirmed it for 5 December 2026 but says no start time was announced yet.^[4]

How do Fortnite seasons, chapters and mini-seasons work?

Fortnite's calendar has three layers. A season is the basic unit and carries a Battle Pass. A Chapter bundles seasons together. A mini-season is a shorter season that sits between larger releases. The purchasable Battle Pass itself dates from December 2017.^[12]

How long does a season last?

Wikipedia's article on Fortnite seasonal events says each season lasts two to three months; the longer “three to four months” figure in the article refers to battle passes across a Chapter, not to a single season.^[12] The Override season launched on 20 August 2026, and the Fortnite Wiki lists it as lasting 72 days, to 31 October 2026, which is about ten weeks.^[13] FRVR reports that Epic's official page gave Override's end as 1 November 2026, Eastern Time.^[4] Mini-seasons are shorter, usually 28 to 30 days according to Dot Esports.^[3]

What is Fortnite OG?

Fortnite OG is a side mode with its own season calendar. It began in December 2024 and replays the first chapter of Battle Royale.^[12] Because it runs on a separate calendar, its seasons do not line up with the main game's Chapters.

How does the Fortnite Battle Pass work?

The Battle Pass is a purchasable track of rewards that you unlock by earning experience points (XP) during a season. Epic's Help Center says every pass in Fortnite (Battle Pass, LEGO Pass, OG Pass and Music Pass) lasts one season, and progress on all of them advances at the same time from XP earned in any experience.^[14]

V-Bucks are Fortnite's in-game currency. The Battle Pass costs 800 V-Bucks, or it comes with a Fortnite Crew subscription, according to Epic's Help Center and Battle Pass page.^[7][14] Epic's Battle Pass page says players can earn up to 800 V-Bucks back, which Epic describes as enough to buy the next pass at no extra cost.^[7]

Epic also says items from a Battle Pass may be offered in the Fortnite Shop for at least 18 months after the pass expires.^[14] Treasure Hunters has its own new Battle Pass, according to press reports.^[2][3]

What are the benefits?

• Regular players can recover the full price in V-Bucks, according to Epic's Battle Pass page, so the pass can pay for itself.^[7]
• One stretch of play advances every pass you own, because XP from any experience counts.^[14]
• Epic's Battle Pass page has offered the pass with a Fortnite Crew subscription in past seasons, so Crew subscribers may not need to buy it separately; check what Crew includes when you subscribe.^[7]
• Rewards you miss may come back to the Shop later, though Epic says only “may”.^[14]

What are the drawbacks?

• Time pressure is greater on a mini-season, which usually lasts only 28 to 30 days, so there are fewer days to finish the tiers.^[3]
• The money-back figure is a maximum (“up to 800”), so a player who does not finish enough of the pass earns back less.^[7]
• A pass lasts one season, so its progress does not carry into the next.^[14]

How much does the Fortnite Battle Pass cost in 2026?

The Battle Pass costs 800 V-Bucks as of November 2026, according to Epic's pass page and Help Center.^[7][14] It cost 1,000 V-Bucks before March 2026. Epic confirmed on 10 March 2026 that V-Bucks packs would give fewer V-Bucks for the same price from 19 March 2026, and the pass price fell from 1,000 to 800 V-Bucks.^[8][9]

What changed for packs and subscriptions?

From 19 March 2026 the US $8.99 pack gives 800 V-Bucks (previously 1,000) and the $22.99 pack gives 2,400 (previously 2,800). The $36.99 pack gives 4,500 (previously 5,000) and the $89.99 pack gives 12,500 (previously 13,500). Regional prices vary.^[9]

The change also touched other products. The Fortnite Crew monthly V-Bucks grant dropped from 1,000 to 800.^[9][8] TalkEsport reports that the OG Pass fell from 1,000 to 800 V-Bucks, and the Music Pass and LEGO Pass fell from 1,400 to 1,200.^[8]

Worked example: one pass in the US

The US $8.99 pack gives 800 V-Bucks, exactly the price of one pass.^[9][7] If Epic's figure holds and you collect the full 800 V-Bucks back during the season, you would have enough for the next pass at no extra cost.^[7] If you collect only part of it, you would need to top up the difference. Before March 2026 the same $8.99 pack gave 1,000 V-Bucks, which matched the old 1,000 V-Bucks pass price, so both numbers fell together for this pack. Larger packs now give 400 to 1,000 fewer V-Bucks for the same price, and the $22.99 pack gives 400 fewer.^[9]

Why do press reports show different totals?

GamesHub says the pass price and the V-Bucks earned back both fell to 800 from 1,000, while TalkEsport's text also mentions a figure of 1,500 for the earlier total including bonus rewards.^[9][8] For current figures, rely on Epic's own pass page: an 800 V-Bucks price with up to 800 back.^[7] Prices can change again, so check the in-game store before you buy.

What happens to Battle Pass rewards when the season ends?

Epic says every pass in Fortnite lasts one season.^[14] Once the season ends, the pass stops being a live track, so tiers you did not reach in time are no longer available through it. Epic adds that items from a Battle Pass may be offered in the Fortnite Shop for at least 18 months after the pass expires.^[14] The word “may” matters: it is not a promise that every item returns, and the sources do not say at what price.

Which end time counts?

FRVR reports that Epic's official page listed Override's end as 1 November 2026, Eastern Time.^[4] The Fortnite Wiki lists the season as running to 31 October 2026, and Vice also gave 31 October.^[13][1] The gap looks like a time-zone or rollover-time difference, but no source states that, so treat it as an unresolved discrepancy.

The practical rule is simple: Override has already ended, and the same logic applies to the Treasure Hunters pass. Finish what you want well before the earliest plausible end time, and do not rely on the last hours of the countdown.

How do Fortnite updates and downtime work?

A Fortnite update (also called a patch) changes the game's files, and downtime is the period when servers are offline while it installs. The Treasure Hunters update is version v43.00.^[4]

Downtime was reported to start at 1 AM ET (5 AM UTC) on 1 November 2026; FRVR gives that time citing Fortnite Status.^[2][4] Vice gave a later start, about 1 AM PT (4 AM ET).^[1] Estimates for servers returning ranged from 5 to 6 AM ET, according to FRVR, which noted that US clocks went back an hour that night, to about 7 AM ET (4 AM PT), according to Vice.^[4][1] The return time is a press-reported estimate: one report noted that Epic had not yet published official regional launch times.^[3]

How do I find my local time?

1. Take the Eastern Time figure from the report.
2. Convert it to your own time zone with a time-zone converter.
3. Add a margin, because servers may return later than the estimate.

Hotspawn's patch-notes roundup, published late on 31 October 2026 (UTC), lists what changed once the update is live.^[5]

Can you play Fortnite and buy a Battle Pass in Iran?

Epic's Help Center lists Iran among the regions where its products and services are not available, citing export control laws and applicable sanctions. Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk, Cuba and North Korea are also on that list.^[10]

What have players in Iran reported?

In December 2019, Al Jazeera reported that Epic Games had blocked its online store to Iranians.^[15] In February 2021, AFP, via France 24, reported that Microsoft, Epic Games and Riot Games had blocked Iranians from their gaming services, often without explanation.^[16]

Are games themselves under sanctions?

France 24/AFP noted that the US sanctions reimposed in 2018 do not directly target the gaming industry.^[16] Epic's own page nonetheless cites export controls and sanctions as the reason for the restriction.^[10] In practice, access depends on each company's policy, which is why players often meet blocks without a clear explanation.

What should readers do?

This guide gives no workaround or circumvention steps. Check Epic's current policy on its Help Center page before relying on any account, and think carefully before spending money on V-Bucks or a pass that you might lose access to. No sourced figures for local alternatives were found for this article, so none are given.

What is likely next for Fortnite, and what is still uncertain?

The reported dates point to a busy few weeks. Treasure Hunters is expected to end on 5 December 2026, the date FRVR says Epic confirmed for a Chapter 7 end event, although Dot Esports had estimated 30 November. Vice reports Chapter 8 Season 1 in December 2026 and Games.GG says leakers point to late November or early December.^{[4][2][3][1][6]} The windows overlap, which suggests Chapter 8 could follow soon after the mini-season, but no source states that directly.

What is still uncertain?

• The exact end time. FRVR reports that Epic confirmed a 5 December 2026 end event, matching Game Rant, though earlier Dot Esports estimated 30 November and Games.GG said no date was confirmed.^[4][2][3][6]
• The Chapter 8 date. Vice and Games.GG disagree on whether a December date exists.^[1][6]
• The end event's start time. FRVR reports a Chapter 7 end event on 5 December 2026 but no start time yet.^[4]
• Prices. Epic changed V-Bucks and pass prices once in March 2026, and further changes are possible.^[8][9]
• Access in Iran. This depends on Epic's current policy, which readers should check themselves.^[10]

For the most reliable answers, watch Epic's Battle Pass page, which has shown pass end dates in Eastern Time in past seasons, and the in-game store and news screens.^[7]