Disney Brings Fortnite Into Its Star Wars Theme Park Rides
Riders who climb into the Millennium Falcon cockpit at Disneyland and Walt Disney World can now earn loot they keep in Fortnite. The integration between the Smuggler's Run motion-simulator ride and the blockbuster video game launched on Sunday, 16 August 2026, at both resorts, Disney announced at its D23 fan event. Disney Parks Blog
Smuggler's Run seats six guests at the controls of the Millennium Falcon, where they fly a smuggling mission to collect cargo crates for the character Hondo Ohnaka. With the new Fortnite link active, crates gathered during that ride unlock rewards inside the game itself. The first perk available is the Forsworn Trooper Outfit, a cosmetic armour set players can wear on their Fortnite character. GameSpot
On the Fortnite side, a new island called Smugglers Gambit went live the same day. Set at Mersa Veta Station on the planet Ord Ryla, it lets players team up with friends for co-op missions, battle pirates and Imperial remnants, dodge dangerous wildlife, unlock gear, and build a reputation across the Outer Rim. Disney Games and Digital Entertainment developed the island in-house in collaboration with Lucasfilm, using Unreal Engine 5 — the same graphics technology that powers many modern games — to enable ride customisation options. Disney Parks Blog
To take part, guests accept a special mission while in the ride queue using the Disneyland app or the My Disney Experience app, or by heading straight to the Smugglers Gambit island in Fortnite. Players then link their Epic Games account (the storefront that runs Fortnite) with their MyDisney account to bridge the physical and digital experience. The feature is included at no extra cost with valid theme park admission. Disney Parks Blog
Disney's official corporate newsroom noted that this marks the first time the Smuggler's Run attraction has extended beyond the physical ride into a digital adventure. The Walt Disney Company
The cross-over is one product of a much larger bet. Disney invested more than US$1.5 billion into Epic Games, the developer behind Fortnite, to build synergies between the game and Disney's broader entertainment empire — including its theme parks. GameSpot
At D23, Ray Gresko, SVP and Head of Product & Development for Disney Games and Digital Entertainment, and Asa Kalama, Executive of Creative & Interactive Experiences at Walt Disney Imagineering, walked fans through how the two worlds connect. The presentation framed Smugglers Gambit as a first step in linking what happens inside a theme park ride to what players do on their screens at home. Disney Parks Blog
More Star Wars content is on the way. Disney and Epic Games confirmed earlier this year that a new Smuggler's Run mission featuring Din Djarin and Grogu — the Mandalorian and his small green companion from the Disney+ series — is coming to Fortnite. The Walt Disney Company
For now, guests at Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge can sit in the Falcon, fly a mission, and walk away with something that travels with them into the game.
