Warframe’s Nightwave system launched in February 2019 with Wolf of Saturn Six and has since shipped 19 distinct Nightwave seasons — three story-driven Series, three Intermissions, Nora’s Choice, and the Nora’s Mix volumes and interims that now define the cadence. The 14th, Nora’s Mix: Time Tempests, ended August 12, 2026 after a 126-day run, handing off to the interim Amir’s Shockwave. Digital Extremes runs Nightwave without a fixed calendar: durations have swung from 81 days (Series 1) to 257 days (Series 3: Glassmaker). This is the complete history with verified dates and the stats most lists miss.
- Total Nightwaves
- 19
- Shortest
- Series 1 · 81 days
- Longest
- Series 3: Glassmaker · 257 days
- Average
- ~148 days
Next Warframe season
| Season | Start | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Next season (unannounced) | — | Not announced |
For the live end-date timer see the Warframe hub. Dates above come from the same data and refresh with it.
All Warframe Nightwave Seasons: Complete Dates Table
Every Warframe Nightwave season since the system replaced the old Alert grind in February 2019, newest first. Durations are end-to-end day counts based on official Digital Extremes announcements.
| Season # | Name | Start Date | End Date | Duration (Days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Nora’s Mix: Amir’s Shockwave Current | Aug 12, 2026 | Open | Open |
| 14 | Nora’s Mix: Time Tempests | Apr 8, 2026 | Aug 12, 2026 | 126 |
| 13 | Nora’s Mix: Dreams of the Dead | Oct 27, 2025 | Apr 8, 2026 | 163 |
| 12 | Nora’s Mix Vol. 9 | May 21, 2025 | Oct 27, 2025 | 159 |
| 11 | Nora’s Mix Vol. 8 | Feb 6, 2025 | May 21, 2025 | 104 |
| 10 | Nora’s Mix Vol. 7 | Sep 3, 2024 | Feb 6, 2025 | 157 |
| 9 | Nora’s Mix Vol. 6 | May 15, 2024 | Sep 3, 2024 | 111 |
| 8 | Nora’s Mix Vol. 5 | Nov 29, 2023 | May 15, 2024 | 168 |
| 7 | Nora’s Mix Vol. 4 | May 24, 2023 | Nov 22, 2023 | 182 |
| 6 | Nora’s Mix Vol. 3 | Nov 30, 2022 | May 18, 2023 | 169 |
| 5 | Nora’s Mix Vol. 2 | Jul 17, 2022 | Nov 23, 2022 | 129 |
| 4 | Nora’s Mix Vol. 1 | Mar 17, 2022 | Jul 17, 2022 | 122 |
| 3 | Nora’s Choice | Aug 4, 2021 | Mar 13, 2022 | 221 |
| — | Intermission III | Feb 1, 2021 | Jul 28, 2021 | 177 |
| 2 | Series 3: The Glassmaker | May 12, 2020 | Jan 24, 2021 | 257 |
| — | Intermission II | Oct 21, 2019 | May 3, 2020 | 195 |
| — | Series 2: The Emissary | Jul 6, 2019 | Oct 13, 2019 | 99 |
| — | Intermission I | May 19, 2019 | Jul 6, 2019 | 48 |
| 1 | Series 1: The Wolf of Saturn Six | Feb 27, 2019 | May 19, 2019 | 81 |
A note on numbering: Digital Extremes does not assign sequential numbers to Nightwave seasons publicly. The “Season #” column above counts the 15 numbered Nora’s Mix-style entries the in-game UI now recognizes — the three pre-2022 Intermissions slot in chronologically but aren’t part of that numbering. Including Intermissions, the total Nightwave count is 19.
Season Duration Analysis
Across the 18 completed Nightwaves the average length is roughly 148 days — about 5 months — but that single number hides three very different eras. The 2019 launch year produced the shortest seasons in Nightwave history: Series 1 ran just 81 days and Series 2 only 99, both tightly scripted story Series with weekly episode drops. Series 3: Glassmaker stretched to 257 days — the longest Nightwave ever — and effectively ended the era of strict 8-to-10-week stories.
From late 2020 onward, Nightwave became an interim system. Intermission II ran 195 days, Intermission III ran 177 days, and Nora’s Choice — the bridge season Digital Extremes shipped while pivoting to the Nora’s Mix format — lasted 221 days spanning August 2021 to March 2022. The Nora’s Mix era (Vol. 1 through Vol. 9) has averaged about 144 days per season, with Vol. 8 the shortest at 104 days and Vol. 4 the longest at 182 days. The five most recent completed seasons (Vol. 7 through Time Tempests) average about 142 days — close to the cadence Digital Extremes appears to be settling into, though the studio still anchors end dates to content readiness rather than a fixed calendar. Time Tempests itself ran 126 days (April 8 – August 12, 2026). The current Amir’s Shockwave countdown tracks the exact remaining time once an end date is confirmed.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Warframe Nightwave seasons have there been?
There have been 19 Warframe Nightwaves since the system launched on February 27, 2019 — three story-driven Series (Wolf of Saturn Six, The Emissary, The Glassmaker), three Intermissions, Nora’s Choice, and the Nora’s Mix volumes and interims through Time Tempests and the current Amir’s Shockwave. The open interval is shown in the table; live timing is maintained on the Warframe Nightwave timer.
How long does a Warframe Nightwave usually last?
Recent Warframe Nightwaves have run 104 to 182 days — the five most recent completed seasons, Vol. 7 through Time Tempests, average about 142 days. Older entries varied more widely: Series 1 lasted just 81 days, while Series 3: Glassmaker stretched to 257 days, the longest Nightwave ever.
What was the longest Warframe Nightwave?
Series 3: The Glassmaker is the longest Nightwave in Warframe history at 257 days (May 12, 2020 to January 24, 2021). It was the final story-driven Series Digital Extremes has shipped to date — every Nightwave since has been an interim Intermission or Nora’s Mix volume.
Is Warframe Nightwave free?
Yes. Nightwave is completely free — there is no paid pass to purchase. All standard tiers of Amir’s Shockwave rewards (plus the Prestige Ranks above them) are earned by completing free daily and weekly challenges, no Platinum or real-money spend required.
For more season trackers across live-service games, browse the SeasonTimer blog — including the complete Apex Legends season history and every Diablo 4 season.
Sources: Digital Extremes’ official news posts at warframe.com/news, in-game Nightwave UI, and the Warframe Wiki (wiki.warframe.com/w/Nightwave). Last updated August 13, 2026.