Players of Epic Games, Inc.’s popular video game Fortnite could be eligible for a refund from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
“The Federal Trade Commission is sending refunds totaling more than $126 million to players of the popular video game Fortnite who were charged for unwanted purchases while playing the game,” the FTC said in a statement on Wednesday. This latest round of payments come after $72 million was issued out to players in the first round of refunds, sent in December 2024.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]The deadline for additional claims has been extended, allowing further eligible consumers, who have not yet submitted a claim, the chance to request a refund.
The FTC’s action against Epic involves “two separate record-breaking settlements.” In December 2022, it was announced that Epic would have to pay $245 million in refunds for “tricking users into making unwanted charges.” The FTC alleged that the gaming company “used dark patterns to trick players into making unwanted purchases and let children rack up unauthorized charges without any parental involvement.” The FTC further alleged that Fortnite‘s “counterintuitive, inconsistent, and confusing button configuration” aided in these unwanted purchases.
It was also announced that Epic would be required to pay a $275 million penalty for “violating” the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.
Epic issued a statement regarding the settlement in December 2022. “The video game industry is a place of fast-moving innovation, where player expectations are high and new ideas are paramount,” the statement read. “Statutes written decades ago don’t specify how gaming ecosystems should operate. The laws have not changed, but their application has evolved and long-standing industry practices are no longer enough.”
The company went on to say: “Over the past few years, we’ve been making changes to ensure our ecosystem meets the expectations of our players and regulators, which we hope will be a helpful guide for others in our industry.”
Here’s what you need to know about whether you’re eligible to file a claim and how you can go about doing that.
Who is eligible to file a claim?
If you filed a claim after Feb. 14, 2025, you don’t need to do anything else right now, per the FTC’s instruction, as they are “still reviewing claims filed after that date and will provide more information soon.”
For those who haven’t already filed, Fortnite players who were charged for “unwanted purchases” may be eligible to seek a refund.
The first eligible party is someone who was charged “in-game currency” for items they did not want, between January 2017 and September 2022. The second is a parent whose child made charges in Fortnite using their credit card, without their knowledge, between January 2017 and November 2018. The third is a player who was locked out of their account when they complained to their credit card company about “wrongful charges” between January 2017 and September 2022.
Players of all ages are eligible for the refund, but the FTC stipulates that those under 18 must have a parent or guardian fill out the claimant form on their behalf.
The refund is also currently only available to players in the United States.
When is the deadline to make a claim and apply for a refund?
The FTC has reopened the claiming process for eligible people to submit a refund request. People now have until July 9 to file a claim.
How can you apply for a refund?
Eligible persons can apply for a refund via the official Fortnite refund website, using either a claim number sent to their email address or their Epic Games account ID.
In December 2024, the FTC said the average refund amount that an individual would receive was $114, but it now says that the amount of each refund depends on multiple factors, including how many people file a claim.
When can you expect to receive payment?
The next round of refunds are expected to be sent to players in 2026, after all claims are validated.
Claimants can reach a representative through the email admin@fortniterefund.com or by calling number 1-833-915-0880, if they have questions about their payment status.
The refunds are due to be sent by check or via PayPal from the FTC. It’s recommended that successful claimants cash checks within 90 days and redeem the PayPal payment within 30 days.
