If you have somehow managed to make it this long without being spoiled about the results of The Challenge 40: Battle of the Eras, your efforts are about to be rewarded big time. Almost eight months after the season premiered on MTV back in August 2024, and four months after it ended in January 2025, Paramount+ has finally set a streaming date for the landmark season of the flagship series.
Variety broke the news that The Challenge 40: Battle of the Eras will begin streaming on Paramount+ on Wednesday, April 23, 2025. The season arrives months after the winners (yes, winners!) of the season were crowned and all the dust has settled. Another season of the reality competition franchise is now airing on MTV, the latest edition of the former Paramount+ exclusive spinoff The Challenge: All Stars.
The Challenge 40: Battle of the Eras season contains 19 regular episodes that features 40 competitors divided into 10-person teams by "era." The season also includes the must-watch two-part reunion special hosted by Maria Menounos that gets into all the fights, feuds, backstabbing, and unforeseen twists, like the Karma Vote, that shook up the gameplay.
The Challenge 40: Battle of the Eras sets streaming release date
It's unclear why new seasons of The Challenge, especially one as huge as season 40, take so long to finally find their way to Paramount+, but it likely has something to do with streaming rights and an exclusive window for MTV. As much as we would all love to have the episodes streaming on Paramount+ the day after they air, that's not what happened this time around (or with All Stars season 5). Streaming next day would likely impact the show's ratings on MTV.
The new streaming models can be frustrating for fans because not everyone knows where and when certain shows will be available to stream. Additionally, everyone doesn't have access to MTV and can't watch the episodes live or on demand. In order to stream episodes online, you have to have access through some sort of cable provider. It's confusing, and if you elect to just wait until the season's available on Paramount+, you run the risk of getting spoiled.
Hopefully things become much more clear in the future, but the good news is The Challenge season 40 will finally join the other available seasons on Paramount+ (petition for the show's first nine seasons to be added to the streamer, please!). Not only was season 40 the biggest in terms of contestants but also in length. Each episode aired for an hour and a half on MTV, which amounted to over an hour in length for each episode. That's a sizable binge-watch for Challenge fans!
As previously mentioned, Battle of the Eras categorized the players into teams based on the era in which they joined the cast of the beloved franchise. Eventually, the contestants played the game as individuals and the final challenge result in one of the most unexpected season endings in Challenge history. The Karma Vote moved some players around the leaderboard and impacted the results. The twist had a certain franchise veteran complaining after the fact.
If you're someone like me who enjoys revisiting past seasons of The Challenge (I may or may not have watched The Gauntlet 2 multiple times), Battle of the Eras is definitely a season that's worth checking out again. There's so much to unpack and so many perspectives to consider. It's also probably the last time we'll see some of these competitors play the game, unless by chance they pop up on another season or All Stars. Get your watch list ready for the craziest season yet!
The Challenge 40: Battle of the Eras begins streaming on Paramount+ on April 23.