Enter the ‘Spooky Swamp,’ Rivian’s costume theme for Halloween 2025 [Video]

BOO! It’s Halloween 2025 and Rivian is helping its owners get in the spirit.

Did I scare you?

We are now ten days away from Halloween 2025 and Rivian is rolling out a fun little software update that converts your R1S or R1T into a unique theme it calls “vehicle costumes.”

While most of the year is dedicated to more robust updates that fix bugs and introduce new features (which we also cover), Halloween offers the Rivian team an opportunity to be creative, enabling its EV owners to get a little spooky and festive with a unique theme.

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Last year’s “costume” was themed after both Knight Rider and Back to the Future options, transforming the dash displays while delivering unique light and sound displays on the exterior.

As I reported last week, Rivian began teasing its 2025 Halloween theme on social media with a brief video, saying something was “bubbling.” I surmised by the moss on the vehicles front end and its proximity to water, that this year’s vehicle costume would have something to do with the swamp.

That was correct.

In fact, I was fortunate enough to get access to Rivian’s 2025 Halloween theme a little early and I filmed all the sights and sounds for you in a video below. Behold, Spooky Swamp!

Rivian’s Halloween 2025 theme emerges from the swamp

Per Rivian, this year’s vehicle costume for Halloween 2025 was inspired by “Bayou Country” — the newest chapter in the American automaker’s “Real Adventures” campaign.

As you’ll see in the video, Rivian’s 2025 Halloween update delivers a number of selectable options, altering the colors and sounds both inside and out of the vehicle. Everything is activated from the Rivian app while your R1S or R1T is in park.

Here are the four exterior displays to choose from:

• Swamp Gas
• Player Piano
• Bayou Blast
• Scary Spirit

Furthermore, you can choose to activate these exterior displays manually, or via motion sensor in front of the vehicle.

Another creepy option this year is “spooky overhead lights” which, occasionally flashes your EV’s interior lights like you’re in a horror film. Very creepy.

Inside the Rivian cabin, you’ll find even more immersive Halloween ambiance for 2025, including four unique background tracks, providing a soundtrack to pumpkin-filled bayou animations across both display screens. Here are the four tracks, which I play for you in my video below.

• Bayou Blues
• Swampy Ambiance
• Cajun Crawl
• Ghostly Gloom

Last but not least, you can activate a slew of creepy sound effects while creepin’ out in the cabin. All with a simple tap. Here are those effects (these are not official names, just what I call them):

• Alligator growl
• Snake
• Skeleton Laugh
• Creaky Haunted House
• Frog
• Thunderstorm

Last but not least, as promised, is my video, shot for you to experience Rivian’s 2025 Halloween theme, regardless of whether you own or lease one. Note that I did deploy my own fog machine (yes I have a fog machine lying around the house, why don’t you?) So not all of the visual effects you see come with the Rivian update.

Happy Halloween!