All Warframe Nightwave Seasons & Dates: Complete History

Warframe’s Nightwave system launched in February 2019 with Wolf of Saturn Six and has since shipped 18 distinct Nightwave seasons — three story-driven Series, three Intermissions, Nora’s Choice, and the nine-and-counting Nora’s Mix volumes that now define the cadence. Digital Extremes runs Nightwave without a fixed calendar: durations have swung from 81 days (Series 1) to 257 days (Series 3: Glassmaker), and the rhythm has tightened considerably since Vol. 6. This is the complete history with verified dates and the stats most lists miss.

Total Nightwaves

18

Shortest

Series 1 · 81 days

Longest

Series 3: Glassmaker · 257 days

Average

~158 days

Current

Time Tempests · live countdown →

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.

A note on numbering: Digital Extremes does not assign sequential numbers to Nightwave seasons publicly. The “Season #” column above counts the 14 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 18.

Season Duration Analysis

Across all 18 Nightwaves the average length is roughly 158 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 seasons (Vol. 6 through Dreams of the Dead) average 139 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. The current Time Tempests 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 18 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 nine Nora’s Mix volumes. 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-volume average from Vol. 6 through Dreams of the Dead is about 139 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 30 standard tiers of Time Tempests rewards (plus 150 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 July 12, 2026.