Survivor season 48: release date and everything we know about the reality competition

Contestants walking on the beach on Survivor season 47
Survivor (Image credit: CBS)

2025 marks 25 years of Survivor, and the reality competition show is still going strong as Survivor season 48 is once again going to be a fixture of the TV landscape, giving fans another chance to see a group of competitors attempt to outwit, outplay and outlast one another.

Fans know the basics of the game at this point, from various immunity challenges to critical votes and tribal council. But what makes this game work is the group of players each season, how they interact, the allegiances they form and the betrayals they enact. That’s what keeps viewers coming back and excited for a new batch of contestants this season.

From when Survivor season 48 is premiering to our first clues about the new cast, find out everything we know right now about the latest season of Survivor directly below.

Survivor season 48 release date

Survivor season 48 premieres on CBS on Wednesday, February 26. That makes it just about a two-month break between seasons for the reality show.

The Survivor season 48 premiere is going to be a two-hour episode. Following that it will go to a 90-minute format and be joined on Wednesdays with another popular CBS reality competition, The Amazing Race season 37.

In order to watch Survivor season 48 live, you will need access to your local CBS station. That is available through traditional pay-TV providers, a TV antenna or a live TV streaming service that carries CBS (i.e. Fubo, Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV). Paramount Plus is another option, including to watch it live if you opt for the Paramount Plus with Showtime package. Otherwise, episodes of Survivor season 48 are going to be available on-demand for all Paramount Plus subscribers the day after they air (the streamer also has all previous seasons of the show).

Survivor season 48 cast

We don’t have any concrete information about the Survivor season 48 cast at this time, but as per tradition, the Survivor season 47 finale teased the upcoming season and gave fans a first look at the new castaways. Entertainment Weekly has a little more info on the new season.

When we get the official list of Survivor season 48 competitors we’ll add it here.

Survivor season 48 host

One figure of Survivor season 48 is known, and that is host Jeff Probst. Probst has shepherded the reality show since the beginning as host and producer, and has shown little signs that he won’t continue in this role for as long as CBS will have him.

Over the course of the series run, Probst has won five Emmys for Survivor, one as a producer for the first season of Survivor and four for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program.

Survivor season 48 trailer

While a preview was included as part of the final episode of Survivor season 47, CBS has not released an official version online. So if you want to watch that you’ll need to watch the season 47 finale on-demand.

When a Survivor season 48 trailer officially becomes available online we’ll add it here.

Survivor season 48 premise

The basics of Survivor have always been that a group of contestants (or castaways as they've sometimes been referred to) attempt to be the final person not voted out by their peers to win the title of Sole Survivor and a $1 million prize. In addition to dealing with the general struggles of living in a remote location with minimal resources, they compete in challenges to try and win immunity and rewards.

That's the broad view. The specifics of the game have changed a lot over the years. The show has gone from featuring two tribes to three, from 16 contestants to 18 and from 39 days to 26 days (the latter change, which began with season 40, marks the "new era" of Survivor). There have also been tweaks like introducing hidden and fake immunity idols that players kind of find outside of challenges; side quests that can remove people's ability to vote at tribal council; or the Shot in the Dark, where players have a 1/6 chance of being ruled safe before votes are revealed at tribal council. Other wrinkles have been added to give players potential advantages or disadvantages (often involving their votes at tribal council) over the years.

At this time we don’t have any details on potential new features being introduced in Survivor season 48.

Survivor season 48 location

Survivor has settled into a permanent home on the islands of Fiji, where season 48 is once again going to take place.

The first few seasons saw the show taking place in various locations around the world, but since season 33 they have called Fiji home.

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Michael Balderston

Michael Balderston is a DC-based entertainment and assistant managing editor for What to Watch, who has previously written about the TV and movies with TV Technology, Awards Circuit and regional publications. Spending most of his time watching new movies at the theater or classics on TCM, some of Michael's favorite movies include Casablanca, Moulin Rouge!, Silence of the Lambs, Children of Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Star Wars. On the TV side he enjoys Only Murders in the Building, Yellowstone, The Boys, Game of Thrones and is always up for a Seinfeld rerun. Follow on Letterboxd.

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