USJ Halloween 2026: Do You Need an Express Pass?

You’ve picked — or are considering — a September or October trip to Japan. Universal Studios Japan (USJ) is on the list, and now you’ve discovered that your dates land in the middle of something called Halloween Horror Nights. Cue the questions: is the park more crowded? Do the rides change? Can you bring the kids? And the one that brought you here — do you actually need an Express Pass for this, and if so, which of the confusingly numbered options?

I live in Kansai, my family goes to USJ about twice a year, and I’ve spent a lot of time reviewing USJ’s official Halloween information — in Japanese, where details are often published first. This guide pulls it all into one place: the 2026 dates, what’s actually running, the age rules parents need, and an honest answer to the Express Pass question, including one detail that’s easy to miss — during Halloween, the number on the pass matters less than what’s inside it.

Prices and event details checked against official USJ pages on September 2, 2026.

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you book through one, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Quick Answer: Do You Need an Express Pass for USJ Halloween?

Short version: as a rule of thumb, an October weekend is far more likely to justify an Express Pass than a September weekday — especially if you want to do the regular rides and the horror attractions. If you’re visiting midweek early in the season and you’d be happy with four or five rides, you can probably skip it and put the money toward food instead.

Here’s what makes Halloween different from every other season at USJ. From September 10 to November 8, 2026, the park runs Universal Extreme Autumn — Discover U!!!, with Halloween Horror Nights reaching its 15th year. USJ doesn’t put its regular rides away to make room for it. It stacks the season on top of them. Zombie street shows, a Resident Evil maze, a Sadako version of Space Fantasy, a brand-new R-18 horror attraction — all of that arrives while Mario Kart, Harry Potter, and the Flying Dinosaur keep running. Most regular attractions stay available; several pick up seasonal overlays, and operating hours and closures vary by date.

The day doesn’t get any longer, though. That’s the whole problem in one sentence.

One pricing note before you compare anything: the “from ¥6,800” Express Pass price you’ll see advertised is a year-round floor, not what to expect in autumn. The sets actually on sale for autumn 2026 start from ¥11,800 — I’ll break the numbers down properly in the pass section below.

Buy an Express Pass if…	You can probably skip it if…
You’re visiting on a weekend or a Japanese holiday	You’re visiting midweek in September
You only have one day at the park	You have two days, or you’re happy to return
You want both the big regular rides and the horror attractions	Four or five attractions would make your day feel complete
You’re traveling with kids who won’t tolerate long waits	You’re fine arriving at opening and moving fast

Already know you’ll want one? You can check Express Pass prices and availability for your dates on Klook — the rest of this guide is for everyone still deciding.

One thing to know before you compare passes: this year USJ sells Halloween-only Express Passes — sets built around specific horror attractions, including one that bundles in an entry ticket for the R-18 attraction. They don’t exist outside the season, which is why “just buy Pass 7” isn’t useful advice in October. I’ll walk through those below.

One thing to know about me before we go further: my family goes to USJ about twice a year, but we’ve never gone during Halloween season — I have a small child, and I can’t do horror. That’s why I went through the official rules carefully, to find which parts of this season are fine for families and which are not.

So if you’re bringing children, or horror simply isn’t your thing, read that section before you book anything. Four of this year’s attractions have specific age restrictions, and one of them requires signing a waiver on the day.

USJ Halloween 2026 Dates, Hours, and Attractions

Start by checking your travel dates against this table, because the season doesn’t line up with the calendar the way you’d expect it to.

What	When
Universal Extreme Autumn — Discover U!!! (the whole season)	Sept 10 – Nov 8, 2026
Halloween Horror Nights (the evening horror event)	Sept 11 – Nov 8, 2026
Halloween Horror Nights All Night (one night only)	Sept 25, 2026, 22:00 – 5:00
Resident Evil Requiem: The Dive	Sept 11 – Dec 27, 2026

Two things about those dates catch people out. Land on September 9 and you miss the entire season by a single day. And if your trip falls in the first week of November — when Halloween is long finished back home — you’re still right in the middle of it. Japanese parks run their seasons on their own schedule, and USJ keeps this one going more than a week past October 31.

This year is also the 15th anniversary of Halloween Horror Nights, and the lineup shows it.

Two attractions are brand new. Lights Out: Nightmare Isolation is the first R-18 attraction in the event’s history — you sign a waiver on the day, it costs extra on top of your park ticket, and you can’t take a bag inside. Resident Evil Requiem: The Dive is a new maze rated R-15, free to enter but requiring a timed entry ticket through the official USJ app.

Around those, the season fills in fast. Sadako’s Curse turns Space Fantasy: The Ride into a dark horror version. Chainsaw Man: The Chaos 4-D arrives as a collaboration. The street shows return as STREET ZOMBIES and ZOMBIE de DANCE, and USJ describes this year’s turnout as its biggest zombie crowd yet.

Even the regular rides change costume. Jaws becomes Jaws: Red Alert after sunset. Jurassic Park: The Ride runs In the Dark. And Hollywood Dream: The Ride swaps in seasonal soundtracks — King Gnu’s “SO BAD” across the whole season, Sandaime J SOUL BROTHERS’ “Rat-tat-tat” until October 10, then Ado’s “Sho” from October 11. The backwards Backdrop version also carries Kenshi Yonezu’s “IRIS OUT” as part of the Chainsaw Man collaboration.

During the daytime, though, almost none of that is what you’ll see. Trick-or-treating with park crew, the Minions Belloween Greeting, and the Hogwarts Castle Walk — which actually runs from September 1 right through to January 17, 2027 — are the family half of the season. How the day splits between the two is the next thing to understand, and I’ll come back to it.

One date worth circling if you’re a horror fan traveling without kids: September 25 is the single All Night event, running from 22:00 until 5:00 the following morning. Under-18s cannot attend, it needs its own separate ticket, and a regular Studio Pass only lets you stay until 21:00 that night.

Now hold all of that next to the reason you’re reading this. Most of the park’s headline rides remain part of the daytime lineup — closures and hours still vary by date — and the season stacks a second lineup on top of them, in the same number of hours. That’s why the Express Pass question is harder in autumn than at any other point in the year.

One caution: USJ states that dates are subject to change. Before you lock anything in, it’s worth a quick look at the official English event page.

USJ Halloween 2026 With Kids: Age Limits and Safe Areas

This is the section I originally went looking for, and I couldn’t find one English page that pulled all the family-specific rules together. USJ has a page of family services — lost child center, stroller rental, baby food — and it doesn’t mention Halloween at all. The Halloween pages, meanwhile, are written for people who want to be scared. If you’re somewhere in between, you’re on your own.

So here is what USJ actually publishes, sorted into the three things that matter when you’re the one holding a four-year-old’s hand.

One practical note before the age limits: a full park day is far more walking than a small child expects. If you’re still deciding what to do about that, see whether you really need a stroller in Japan — it covers in-park rental as well.

The age limits are hard rules, not suggestions

Four attractions this season will turn you away at the door, and the cutoffs are not the same for each one.

Attraction	Who cannot enter
Lights Out: Nightmare Isolation	17 and under. Waiver signed on the day, separate paid ticket (from ¥1,900)
Resident Evil Requiem: The Dive	14 and under, and junior high students. Free, but needs a timed ticket in the USJ app
Factory of Fear: Zombie Tour	14 and under, and junior high students. May require a timed ticket when busy
Witches of House 18	12 and under, and elementary school students. Needs a timed ticket in the app
Street Zombies, Zombie de Dance, HHN Academy	No age limit — but see below

For the street shows, there’s no fixed age cutoff. USJ states that Halloween Horror Nights is not recommended for guests aged five or under, and that guests aged 12 or under require parental consent. I’d treat that as an official signal about the intensity of the event, even though the street performances don’t use the same controlled entry as the indoor attractions.

One detail I didn’t expect from a theme park: for two of the mazes, USJ adds that it doesn’t recommend them to anyone who dislikes graphic content, regardless of age. Parks don’t usually talk you out of an attraction. I’d take that sentence at face value.

The park changes character around 18:00

Two official times, sitting next to each other, tell you more than any guide could:

Trick-or-treating runs from park opening until 17:00. Street Zombies start at 18:00 and continue until closing.

That leaves roughly an hour in between, and it is the single most useful hour on this page. USJ doesn’t frame this as a handover — I’m just putting its own two schedules side by side — but the shape of the day is clear enough. Daytime on the main streets is candy and greetings. From six o’clock, the designated Zombie Areas shift into the nighttime program.

Park hours vary by date, so check the official calendar for your visit. On nights when the park closes at 21:00 or 22:00, an 18:00 start leaves three to four hours of the nighttime program. Long enough to matter. Short enough to plan around.

The rides shift too. Jurassic Park: The Ride switches to its In the Dark version at 18:30 through October 9, then at 18:00 from October 10 onward.

Two practical notes before you arrive. USJ asks guests to store strollers and other large items in advance during Halloween Horror Nights, because performances happen on the street — so don’t plan on parking a stroller nearby at 17:45. And it specifically asks for sneakers rather than sandals for safety. Both are easier to deal with at breakfast than at the gate.

One correction to a thing you’ll read elsewhere: daytime is not automatically horror-free. Several indoor attractions begin well before sunset — Lights Out, Resident Evil Requiem: The Dive and Factory of Fear all open from 10:00, and Witches of House 18 from 9:00.

What protects you isn’t the clock, it’s the door. Lights Out needs a separate paid ticket. Resident Evil and Witches of House 18 generally use app-issued timed entry tickets, and Factory of Fear may require one depending on how busy the day is. Nobody wanders into an R-18 maze by accident — but do check each attraction’s own page before you visit, because the access rules genuinely differ.

USJ’s own map marks a safe area

This is the part almost nobody mentions, and it’s printed right on the official event map.

The legend has three entries: Zombie Area, Safe Area, and Safe Route. The zombie zone is drawn as a band running through the New York and Hollywood streets, with sections reaching toward Amity and Jurassic Park. There is exactly one Safe Area on the map, and one Safe Route drawn leading to it.

That Safe Area sits on the Universal Wonderland side of the park, next to Hollywood Dream: The Ride. USJ doesn’t print an area name on the map, so I won’t tell you it’s officially “Universal Wonderland” — but the position is clear enough to plan around.

One thing worth separating out: the trick-or-treat program excludes The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Super Nintendo World. That tells you where candy is handed out. It doesn’t, by itself, make either area a designated Safe Area — so use the official map for that, not my inference or anyone else’s.

And check the current map in the USJ app on the day, because routes and operating conditions can change. Pull it up before you go, not when you’re already standing in the middle of New York at 18:10.

So should you go at all?

Honest answer, from someone who has made this exact decision several times: it depends on whether your dates are locked.

If you’re already traveling in that window and USJ is on your list, go. Do the rides during the day, take the candy, be out of the zombie band by six or use the safe route, and treat the evening as bonus time in Wonderland or Nintendo World rather than a fight.

If your dates are flexible and your child is five or under, I’d think harder about it. USJ’s own wording — not recommended for that age — is doing real work there.

We go to USJ about twice a year, and we have never once gone during this season. Part of that is the four-year-old. But I should be honest with you: the bigger part is me. I can’t do horror. I don’t enjoy being startled, I don’t want someone in full zombie makeup coming at me on my way to dinner, and a day I spend braced for the next scare isn’t a day off. So we go in spring. We go in winter. We skip October, and I’ve never regretted it.

If that sounds like you, you’re allowed to plan around it. It’s no different from skipping a ride you know makes you queasy — except this one takes up a whole evening, so it’s worth deciding in advance rather than at 18:05 with your family looking at you.

That’s a scheduling decision, though, not a verdict on the park. Which brings us back to the question you came here with — because if you are going, the Express Pass maths in this season works differently than it does the rest of the year.

Best USJ Express Pass for Halloween 2026

Almost everyone arrives at this question the same way: Pass 4 or Pass 7? It’s the comparison the whole internet argues about, and during most of the year it’s the right one to be having.

In October it isn’t. The number on the pass tells you how many attractions you get. It doesn’t tell you which ones — and in Halloween season, that second question decides everything.

What the passes actually cost during the season

USJ advertises each pass with a “from” price. Those are annual floor prices. Here’s what that looks like against the sets actually on sale for autumn 2026.

Pass	Lowest advertised price (year-round)	Autumn 2026 sets on sale
Express Pass 4	¥6,800	Standard sets from ¥14,800 · Halloween-only sets from ¥11,800
Express Pass 5	¥12,200	from ¥16,800 (Race & Minecart Special)
Express Pass 7	¥14,100	from ¥21,800 (Minecart & Selection)
Express Pass 8	¥15,500	varies by date
Express Pass Premium	¥27,600	varies by date

A snapshot of the passes listed for autumn 2026, checked August 2026. These “from” prices don’t all apply to the same date, so use them for comparison rather than as a quote.

Two things to take from that table. The ¥6,800 figure is an advertised floor across the wider ticket lineup, not what to expect for most autumn dates. And here’s the part that surprises people: the Halloween sets currently carry a lower advertised starting price than the standard autumn Pass 4 sets. The horror sets aren’t the premium option — provided their attraction list covers what you actually want. A cheaper pass that skips your priority rides is not better value.

One more thing that catches people out every single year: an Express Pass is not a park ticket. You need a Studio Pass as well, starting from ¥8,400 for an adult. If you were budgeting ¥15,000 for an Express Pass, the combined starting total is about ¥23,400 — before food.

The Halloween-only sets — including the one that gets you into the R-18

This is where autumn stops resembling the rest of the year. Alongside the usual sets, USJ sells Halloween-only ones:

Three Express Pass 4 — Halloween Set versions went on sale in July, all from ¥11,800, each pairing horror attractions with a mainstream ride:

Halloween Set	What’s included
Resident Evil Requiem: The Dive	Resident Evil · Sadako’s Curse · Jurassic Park In the Dark · Hollywood Dream
Chainsaw Man: The Chaos 4-D	Chainsaw Man 4-D · Jurassic Park In the Dark · Factory of Fear · Hollywood Dream
Factory of Fear	Factory of Fear · Resident Evil · Jaws: Red Alert · Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey

Look at that third one for a second. It’s the only Halloween set that includes Forbidden Journey, which makes it the closest thing to a compromise pass if your group is split between people who want mazes and people who want Hogwarts.

There’s also a fourth Halloween option, and it’s the one to know about if the R-18 attraction is on your list: the Universal Express Pass 3+1 — Halloween Set & Lights Out. It includes guaranteed entry to Lights Out: Nightmare Isolation, plus priority access to Factory of Fear, Jurassic Park In the Dark, and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. (On USJ’s Japanese pages, Lights Out appears as 残像 — same attraction, so don’t let the name throw you while booking.)

Two details matter here. The 3+1 is sold through USJ’s official web ticket store, with the price shown by date at checkout. And Lights Out otherwise needs its own paid ticket from ¥1,900, sold in limited numbers — so if you’ve come to Japan specifically for it, the bundle gives you a confirmed slot rather than leaving that part of your day to separate ticket availability.

The Halloween attractions covered by Express Passes this year are Lights Out, Resident Evil Requiem: The Dive, Chainsaw Man: The Chaos 4-D, Sadako’s Curse, Factory of Fear, Jaws: Red Alert, and Jurassic Park: The Ride In the Dark.

And here’s the thing nobody selling you a pass will lead with: the zombies are included with your Studio Pass. Street Zombies and Zombie de Dance are street performances — no separate event pass, ticket or reservation is required beyond your entry ticket. They happen around you from 18:00. If what you want is the atmosphere of Halloween at USJ, you already have it.

So which one?

Work out which of these four you are, and the answer falls out.

You’re here for the regular rides and horror isn’t the point. Then Halloween changes nothing about your logic — you want the set that covers Mario Kart and whatever else you can’t face queueing for, and the usual Pass 4 versus Pass 7 reasoning applies. I’ve worked through that comparison properly in my full guide to the USJ Express Pass, including which attractions each numbered set covers.

You want the horror attractions. Take one of the Halloween Sets rather than a higher number. A Pass 7 built around Minecart and the standard selection will not get you into the mazes you came for — and at current advertised prices it costs around ¥10,000 more than the Halloween set that would. This is the mistake I’d expect a first-time visitor to make, precisely because the higher number looks safer.

You want Lights Out specifically. Look for a bundle that includes it — and buy early. Limited numbers, R-18, waiver signed on the day.

You’re a family steering around the horror. Be honest about the maths here. You’d be paying roughly double the annual floor price for a pass whose Halloween content you intend to avoid. If your dates are fixed, take the cheapest set that covers the rides your kids actually want, spend the difference on food, and plan your evening around the safe area instead. If your dates aren’t fixed, this is the fourth time this article has quietly suggested a different week, and I’ll stop now.

One structural detail worth knowing: from September 1, 2026, USJ updated its Studio Pass pricing so that prices are re-examined by date according to demand even after tickets go on sale. Express Passes have been demand-priced since 2018 and aren’t part of that change — but they do sell out, and same-day sales end the moment they do. Different pressure, same conclusion: buy early.

Because USJ shows set prices only after you pick a date in its store, the quickest way to compare what’s available for your date is to check the current Express Pass options on Klook — one of the agencies on USJ’s official travel partner list, with the Halloween Express Pass 4 sets listed in English with live prices. One flag: the Lights Out 3+1 bundle is an official-store item, so if Lights Out is your priority, start there instead.

And if your date is showing sold out there, it’s worth checking a second storefront before you give up on it — availability and final prices can differ between sellers. GetYourGuide, another major booking marketplace, also lists USJ tickets and Express Passes individually. Compare the full package name and checkout price against the official store before you pay.

How to Buy USJ Halloween Tickets and Express Passes

There are two decisions here, and most guides only cover the second one. Where to buy matters. When you buy matters more, and this year there’s an official reason why.

Waiting now has a price attached

From September 1, 2026, USJ updated how Studio Pass pricing works. Prices are now re-examined and adjusted by date after tickets go on sale, according to demand. If you’ve already bought, you don’t pay the difference.

You don’t have to take my word for what that means in practice, because USJ answers it in its own FAQ. Asked when the best time to buy is, the park’s answer is that prices may be raised, so it recommends purchasing early. That’s the park telling you not to wait — and I can’t remember seeing USJ put it that plainly before.

Express Passes aren’t part of this change, but not because their prices are fixed. USJ has priced them by demand since 2018, so nothing shifts there either way. What moves an Express Pass is supply: the park caps how many it sells per date, states outright that Lights Out tickets are limited in number, and ends same-day sales the moment a pass sells out.

One thing to weigh on the other side before you rush: USJ doesn’t allow cancellations after purchase. Date changes are possible only if the ticket is unused and meets the park’s conditions, and cancellation insurance is offered on some tickets. If your itinerary is still moving, check availability but hold off buying until your date is firm. Once it is, confirm the Studio Pass and the exact Express Pass for the same date, then buy them as close together as possible.

Buying from USJ, or through a travel partner

Start with the source. USJ sells everything itself through its official web ticket store, which runs a full English version. That’s where the Halloween set prices live, and it’s the reference point for every other price you’ll see.

The official store is the best place to start. If your card is declined or checkout doesn’t work smoothly, use one of the travel agencies listed on USJ’s official site as a backup — that way you don’t have to give up your date. Avoid unofficial resale marketplaces entirely, because USJ invalidates QR codes from resold tickets.

USJ publishes its travel agency list, and Klook and Trip.com both appear on it. Klook lists USJ tickets and Express Passes with an English checkout and QR-code entry — you scan at the gate rather than exchanging a voucher for a paper ticket first.

One myth worth addressing: going through a travel partner doesn’t automatically cost you extra. Comparing the same 1-Day Studio Pass in August 2026, the major sellers sat close to the official ¥8,400 once converted. But prices, exchange rates, promotions and availability all move, so compare the exact package name, date, final checkout price and cancellation terms before you pay. And buy from an official partner rather than a resale marketplace — USJ invalidates QR codes from resold tickets.

Neither route is wrong. If the official store works for your card, use it. If it doesn’t, you don’t have to give up your date.

Check both, then buy both

USJ tickets are generally non-refundable, so the order matters less than this rule: confirm everything for the same date before paying for anything. The mistake that hurts is buying park admission, then discovering the pass that made the date work for you has sold out.

1. Check Studio Pass availability for your planned date — but don’t stop there.
2. Check the exact Express Pass set and its time slots for that same date. If a pass is essential to your plan, confirm it before completing a non-refundable Studio Pass purchase.
3. Buy both as close together as possible, checking the date on every ticket before you pay.
4. Add a separate Lights Out ticket only if you need one. The official 3+1 bundle already includes Lights Out entry for that guest.
5. Set up the official USJ app before your trip — download it and register your Studio Pass. The free timed entry tickets for Resident Evil and Witches of House 18 (and Factory of Fear on busy days) are requested after you enter the park, so do that as early in your day as you can. They run out.

One date that works differently: September 25

The All Night event runs from 22:00 to 5:00 the following morning, once, on September 25. It needs its own ticket, sold through Lawson Ticket, and nobody under 18 can attend or even buy one.

There are three versions, and the difference between them is not the hour they end — it’s what you can get into.

Ticket	Price	Park entry from	Super Nintendo World
All Night Pass (basic)	¥14,000	15:00	Not after 21:00
Full-time + Super Nintendo World entry	¥17,000	12:00	Yes, from 22:00 (last entry 2:10)
Special Show Pass (viewing tickets for both shows included)	¥17,000	15:00	Not after 21:00

So if Super Nintendo World at two in the morning is the fantasy, only one of these three delivers it — and it’s also the one that gets you in three hours earlier. Worth the extra ¥3,000 if that’s your night.

Holders of the other two versions may still be able to enter a lottery for one special-show viewing ticket — capacity and application deadlines apply, so check the official All Night page before booking.

One more thing that catches people: a regular Studio Pass for September 25 only lets you stay until 21:00. After that the park clears for All Night ticket holders. If you were planning a normal visit that day, plan on a short evening.

Everything about your entry ticket, meanwhile, is dated and demand-priced. If your date and itinerary are confirmed, waiting offers little advantage: USJ itself says prices may rise after release, and the limited passes sell out first. Tickets are non-refundable, though — so buy early once you’re sure, not before. When you are, you can check current Studio Pass prices for your dates here.

How to Plan Your USJ Halloween Day

Three things are worth sorting out before you go, and only one of them is money.

Add up what the day actually costs

Guides tend to quote one number at a time, which makes a USJ day look cheaper than it is. Here’s the whole stack, using USJ’s own starting prices.

Item	From
1-Day Studio Pass, adult	¥8,400
1-Day Studio Pass, child (4–11)	¥5,500
Halloween-only Express Pass sets	¥11,800
Standard autumn Express Pass sets	¥14,800 – ¥21,800
Lights Out ticket, if not bundled	¥1,900
HHN Academy special viewing area	¥2,100

So one adult combining a Studio Pass with a Halloween-only Express Pass starts at about ¥20,200 before food. Choose a standard autumn set instead and the total starts higher. Every figure in that table is a starting price, not a quote for every date.

A family of four — two adults and two children aged 4 to 11 — starts at ¥27,800 for Studio Passes alone, before any pass on top. If one of your children is 12, count them at the adult fare: under USJ’s published age rules, “child” means 4 to 11. That’s the number I’d want in front of me before deciding whether an Express Pass makes sense, and it’s the reason my honest answer for horror-averse families earlier was “spend the difference on lunch.”

If you’re slotting USJ into a longer trip and want to see how it lands against everything else, I’ve broken down a complete ten-day Japan itinerary with the full cost breakdown, USJ included.

Dress for a twelve-hour day outdoors

Park hours vary by date — in September and October they often run from around 8:00 or 9:00 until 21:00 or 22:00, but check the official calendar for your own date. If you’re doing the horror event, you’re there for most of that — outdoors, through the warmest and the coolest parts of the day, in a single outfit you chose at breakfast.

USJ makes one specific request during Halloween Horror Nights: sneakers rather than sandals or mules, for safety, because performers work the crowded streets. It’s the only clothing instruction the park issues all season, so I’d take it seriously.

Beyond that, autumn in Japan is genuinely hard to pack for, and October is the month that catches people out most — hot afternoons, cool evenings, and a rainy stretch that doesn’t respect anyone’s plans. I’ve written the whole thing up separately in my guide to what to wear in Japan in October, with the actual layering that works.

A cheaper way in, if you only want one half of the day

This is the tip I’d give a friend, and I’ve never seen it in an English guide.

USJ sells a Twilight Pass valid from 15:00, starting at ¥5,900 for an adult. The zombies come out at 18:00. So if the horror event is the entire reason you’re going — you’re not fussed about Mario Kart, you want the streets after dark — you can walk in at three, have three hours to eat and get your bearings, and be in position before anything starts. That’s roughly ¥2,500 less than a full day for the part you actually came for.

It works in reverse too. Families avoiding the horror get the better end of a full-day pass: arrive at opening, take the trick-or-treating, do the rides while the park is still itself, and leave around six with the day used properly rather than cut short.

Check the Twilight Pass is available for your date before you build a plan on it — USJ varies what’s on sale by day. But when it lines up, it’s the single easiest way to spend less on this season.

USJ Halloween 2026: Frequently Asked Questions

Which Express Pass is best for USJ Halloween?

During Halloween, the set matters more than the number. If you want the horror attractions, choose one of the Halloween Sets (from ¥11,800) rather than a higher-numbered standard pass — a Pass 7 built around Minecart and the usual selection won’t get you into the mazes, and costs considerably more. If you’re here for the regular rides, the normal logic applies and the number is what counts.

Do you need an Express Pass for Halloween Horror Nights?

Not for the street event itself. Street Zombies and Zombie de Dance are included with your Studio Pass and run from 18:00. The indoor attractions use different entry systems: Lights Out needs a separate paid ticket or the official 3+1 bundle; Resident Evil and Witches of House 18 use free app-issued timed entry tickets; and Factory of Fear may require one when the park is busy. Several of these are also covered by the Halloween Express Pass sets — which is what saves you the queues if you’re packing horror and regular rides into one day.

Is Halloween Horror Nights included in the Studio Pass?

Partly. The street shows and the general Halloween atmosphere are included with your Studio Pass. Lights Out: Nightmare Isolation needs its own paid ticket from ¥1,900. Resident Evil Requiem: The Dive and Witches of House 18 don’t cost extra, but they do require free timed entry tickets issued through the official USJ app after you enter the park.

What time does Halloween Horror Nights start each day?

Street Zombies and Zombie de Dance run from 18:00 until the park closes, every day of the event. The indoor horror attractions open much earlier — from 10:00, or 9:00 for Witches of House 18 — but each one needs either a paid ticket or an app-issued timed entry ticket, so you can’t walk into one unintentionally.

Can children go to Halloween Horror Nights?

There’s no fixed age cutoff for the street shows, but USJ states the event isn’t recommended for guests aged five or under, and that guests aged 12 or under require parental consent. The indoor attractions have separate rules: Lights Out doesn’t admit guests 17 or under; Resident Evil Requiem: The Dive and Factory of Fear don’t admit guests 14 or under or junior high school students; and Witches of House 18 doesn’t admit guests 12 or under or elementary school students.

Is USJ worth it without an Express Pass?

In most of the year, yes — arrive at opening, go midweek, accept four or five attractions, and you’ll have a good day. Halloween makes that harder rather than impossible, because the season adds attractions without adding hours. If you’re visiting on an October weekend without a pass, decide in advance what you’re willing to miss.

Do you need to book Lights Out: Nightmare Isolation in advance?

Yes, if you’re set on it. USJ sells a limited number of tickets, it’s R-18 with a waiver signed on the day, and guaranteed entry is also included in the official Express Pass 3+1 — Halloween Set & Lights Out. It runs from 10:00 to park close, so it isn’t only an evening option.

What’s the difference between USJ Express Pass 4 and 7?

The number is how many attractions the pass covers, but each numbered pass comes in named versions covering different rides, which is where most of the confusion comes from. I’ve broken down what each one includes, and which is worth the money, in my full USJ Express Pass guide.

Is USJ crowded in October?

Yes. October is one of the busiest times of the year at USJ, especially on weekends, during the October 10–12 three-day weekend, and on Saturday, October 31. Crowds can also grow toward evening as the zombies and other nighttime horror entertainment begin around 6:00 p.m. Arriving at park opening on a weekday gives you the best chance of lighter crowds, while an Express Pass becomes more valuable on the busiest dates.

Final Thoughts: A Season Worth Planning For

USJ’s Halloween season is the park at its most ambitious — a second lineup stacked on top of the first. The broader autumn event runs September 10 to November 8, Halloween Horror Nights runs September 11 to November 8, and the street zombies arrive at 18:00 on event days. Whether that sounds like the best day of your trip or the part you’ll be planning around, it rewards the same thing: deciding before you arrive.

So decide the three things that matter. Whether your date falls in the season at all. Whether anyone in your group runs into the age restrictions — or, like me, simply doesn’t do zombies. And whether your day needs an Express Pass, remembering that in autumn the set matters more than the number, that the Halloween sets start cheaper than the standard ones, and that USJ itself now recommends buying early rather than waiting.

Everything else is detail, and the details are above whenever you need them.

Check USJ ticket prices for your dates →

Now I’m curious about your side of the world — is Halloween a big event where you live? And be honest: would you line up for the R-18 maze, or would you be walking the Safe Route with me? Tell me in the comments below. I read every single one!

I hope this guide has answered one of your questions and helped you feel a little closer to Japan. May your Japan journey be filled with wonderful discoveries and memories you’ll treasure for years to come.

See you in the next guide.