Starting Sunday, August 16, 2026, a ride on Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run can keep going after you leave Batuu. Disney Parks and Epic Games are launching a free connected experience that ties the attraction at Disneyland Park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios to a new Fortnite island called Smugglers Gambit.
Guests who accept a special mission in the queue, then complete the run, can unlock Fortnite rewards, including a Forsworn Trooper Outfit, when eligible accounts are linked. The same day, Smugglers Gambit opens in Fortnite so the Hondo Ohnaka story can also start at home.
- Start date: Sunday, August 16, 2026, at park open on both coasts.
- Where: Disneyland Park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios Smugglers Run.
- Cost: Included with valid theme park admission; no extra ticket.
- How to join: Accept the mission in the Disneyland or My Disney Experience app while in queue.
- Rewards: Link MyDisney and Epic, or redeem a code, for Fortnite items.
What Disney and Epic announced at D23
The official Disney Parks Blog post frames Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run | Fortnite as a first-of-its-kind link between the physical ride and a digital Star Wars adventure. It was announced during D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event on August 15, 2026.
Epic Games Newsroom corroborated the same day, saying Disney and Epic are connecting Smugglers Run to Disney Games’ new Smugglers Gambit island in Fortnite so the story can continue after the ride.
Disney Parks’ own announcement adds the traveler payoff: join Hondo Ohnaka’s mission across Galaxy’s Edge and Smugglers Gambit, then unlock the exclusive Forsworn Trooper Outfit when eligible MyDisney and Epic Games accounts are linked.
This is not a new paid ticketed overlay. It is a free, account-aware layer on top of the existing attraction and a free-to-download Fortnite island that launches the same day.
How the park-to-Fortnite loop works
On the ride side, you still board Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run as part of a six-person crew. During the smuggling run, guests help collect crates for Hondo. Those crates can unlock rewards that carry into Fortnite after you step off the Falcon.
On the game side, Smugglers Gambit is a Fortnite island developed in-house by Disney Games and Digital Entertainment. The official post sets it around Mersa Veta Station on the planet Ord Ryla, with co-op missions, pirates, Imperial remnants, wildlife, gear, and reputation play in the Outer Rim.
Disney says the adventure can start in either place. You can accept the special mission while climbing into the cockpit, or begin while exploring Ord Ryla in Fortnite and carry progress back toward the park experience.
Walt Disney Imagineering and Disney Games also highlighted Unreal Engine 5 for ride customization during the D23 conversation. That is a technical foundation, not a new boarding procedure for guests. The traveler action still runs through park admission, the mobile app mission prompt, and optional account linking for full rewards.
Exact steps for Disneyland and Hollywood Studios guests
Launch is Sunday, August 16, 2026, when the parks open at Disneyland Park in Anaheim and Disney’s Hollywood Studios near Orlando. Smugglers Gambit goes live in Fortnite the same day. The experience is included at no additional cost with valid theme park admission.
To take part in the park, accept the special mission while in the attraction queue using the Disneyland app or the My Disney Experience app. Guests who are logged into those apps may accept the mission. The official language also allows accepting the mission inside the Smugglers Gambit island in Fortnite.
To claim post-ride rewards in Fortnite, including the Forsworn Trooper Outfit, eligible guests need to link a MyDisney account with an Epic Games account, or have already linked those accounts. Guests who ride but are not eligible to link accounts instead redeem a code in Fortnite for their reward.
Fortnite itself remains free to download on PC, console, and mobile. Disney points to Disneydigital.com/fortnite for more product information. Message and data rates can apply when using park apps, and availability depends on device and carrier coverage.
If you are planning Disneyland Park or Hollywood Studios this week, treat the app login and account link as part of pre-park prep, not something to invent mid-queue. A charged battery and a working sign-in beat a scramble while the crew load screen is already counting down.
Who this changes plans for, and who can ignore it
This matters most for guests who already play Fortnite, or who share a household with someone who does. A family that links accounts before park day can turn one Falcon ride into a home game continuation without buying a separate ticketed product.
It also matters for Galaxy’s Edge day-of routing. Smugglers Run already draws long waits on busy days. Adding a mission-accept step in the queue makes a charged phone and a logged-in Disney app more important before you enter the land.
If nobody in your party uses Fortnite, the ride still operates as a normal attraction with valid admission. You do not need the Fortnite side to board. The connected mission is additive, not a requirement for riding.
Height and party rules stay the same as the base attraction. Guests still need to meet the published height minimum and fill crew roles inside the cockpit. Use the park’s live height and Lightning Lane tools if you are building a rope-drop plan around the Falcon.
For park-day sequencing help, the Disneyland Park height requirements guide and Hollywood Studios planning pages remain useful companions to this free digital layer.
How this fits a real park day on either coast
At Disneyland, Galaxy’s Edge sits inside Disneyland Park, so the mission competes with rope-drop Fantasyland pressure and other land openers. Guests who want a clean Falcon run should still treat Smugglers Run as a timed stop, not a walk-up afterthought, especially on a Sunday launch day when curiosity demand can spike.
At Hollywood Studios, Galaxy’s Edge sits beside other high-demand headliners, so the same rule applies. Build buffer for queue time, app prompts, and the chance that your party needs an extra minute to accept the mission before the crew loads into the cockpit.
Lightning Lane Multi Pass or Single Pass, when available for Smugglers Run, can reduce wait time, but it does not replace the app mission step. Official launch language still routes mission acceptance through the park apps in the queue or through the Fortnite island itself.
A practical pattern for Fortnite households is simple. Link MyDisney and Epic the night before, confirm both park apps open on the same account you use for tickets, and assign one person to watch for the mission prompt while the group moves through the queue. That reduces the risk of reaching the load area without accepting the special mission.
Parents of younger riders should still check the published height line for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run before promising the connected reward. The digital layer does not change who can board. It only changes what can continue after a successful run for eligible guests who complete the reward path.
If your group splits between Fortnite players and non-players, you can still ride together. Non-players enjoy the attraction as usual. Players handle account linking and post-ride claims. That split keeps the day social without forcing every guest into a game setup they will never use.
| If you… | What to do |
|---|---|
| Visit either park on or after August 16 and want the Fortnite reward | Log into the park app, accept the queue mission, then link MyDisney and Epic before claiming. |
| Ride Smugglers Run but cannot link MyDisney to Epic | Complete the run and redeem the published code path inside Fortnite for your reward. |
| Play Fortnite first and want the connected story | Enter Smugglers Gambit on August 16, then carry progress toward a later park visit if you ride. |
| Do not use Fortnite at all | Skip account linking and ride as usual; the connection is optional, not a boarding requirement. |
- Before Sunday: Confirm park reservations, charge phones, and log into Disneyland or My Disney Experience.
- Account prep: Link eligible MyDisney and Epic accounts if you want the outfit without a code scramble.
- In queue: Accept the special mission in-app before boarding when the prompt appears.
- After the ride: Claim Fortnite rewards the same day while the mission path is still active.
- Non-players: Keep your normal Galaxy’s Edge plan; no extra ticket is required either way.
The confirmed facts are the August 16 launch at both coasts, free inclusion with admission, app-based mission accept, same-day Fortnite island launch, and the link-or-code reward path for the Forsworn Trooper Outfit. Still unknown in public guest detail are exact reward rates, how long the limited outfit remains available, and whether every crew role earns the same crate credit on every mission.
Until Disney publishes more operational fine print, treat launch day as a soft open for the digital layer. If the app prompt is delayed or the Fortnite claim flow is busy, keep your park day moving and retry account steps after you leave the land rather than camping the queue for a second attempt.
When does the Smugglers Run Fortnite connection start?
Disney says it launches Sunday, August 16, 2026, at park open at Disneyland Park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, with Smugglers Gambit going live in Fortnite the same day.
Do I need a special ticket for the Fortnite mission?
No. Disney says the experience is included at no additional cost with valid theme park admission.
How do I accept the special mission in the parks?
Accept it in the attraction queue through the Disneyland app or My Disney Experience app while logged in, or accept it inside the Smugglers Gambit island in Fortnite.
What if I cannot link MyDisney and Epic Games accounts?
Guests who ride but are not eligible to link accounts can redeem a code in Fortnite to receive their reward, according to Disney’s launch post.
Is this only at one Disney park?
No. The launch covers Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run at both Disneyland Park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
