The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has approved $126,000,000 in refunds to be sent to 969,173 Fortnite players as part of a settlement over allegations that Epic Games tricked users into making unwanted purchases.

At the same time, the agency has reopened the claims portal for eligible Fortnite players to submit refund claims, which will be examined for the third round of refunds.

This latest development marks the second phase of the settlement the FTC reached with Epic Games in December 2022, in which the company agreed to pay $520 million to settle allegations of violating children’s privacy laws and using dark patterns to trick millions into making unintentional in-game purchases.

These so-called patterns included:

• Displaying confusing purchase prompts
• Promoting misleading offers
• Allowing underage account holders to make purchases without parental consent
• Charging players unintentionally by waking the game from sleep mode, during the loading screen, or while they attempted to preview an in-game items

These charges occurred without additional confirmation, and those attempting to dispute and reverse them had to go through a complex process that made it likely for them to give up prematurely.

In some cases, these users were blocked from accessing their very accounts before the payment was reversed.

The first round of refunds occurred in December 2024, during which $72,000,000 was distributed among 629,344 eligible Fortnite players.

The average reimbursement in the first round was $114, while in the second, the figure has been raised to $130.

As previously happened, consumers whose reimbursement claims have been approved will be given 90 days to cash their checks or 30 days if they opt to use PayPal as the redemption method.

A dedicated phone line and support email were also set up by Rust Consulting Inc., which handles the refund process.

If you have performed Fortnite purchases between January 2017 and September 2022 that fall into the category of ‘dark patterns’ as those were defined by the FTC, you are invited to submit a claim through this portal until July 9, 2025.

Claimants must be at least 18 years old to complete a claim form. However, parents or guardians can do it on their behalf.

More information about FTC refunds in general is available on this FAQ page.

Editor’s take: Multiplayer gaming is about fair fights, not shortcuts. But cheaters keep buying their wins, ruining it for everyone else. Epic Games is cracking down hard because cheating isn’t just unfair – it’s a threat to the whole game. Sorry, losers. Cheating doesn’t pay.

Epic Games recently announced a new lawsuit targeting developers of Fortnite cheating tools. The company is going after an individual who created software that lets players see through walls and use auto-aim. Epic shared the update on its ongoing battle via X, emphasizing that creating and distributing cheats violates the game’s terms of service and must be stopped.

Epic filed the lawsuit in its home state of North Carolina against Ediz Atas. Known online as “Sincey Cheats” and “Vanta Cheats,” Atas has developed, maintained, and sold Fortnite cheating software since January 2023. Epic said his products gave players an unfair advantage and breached Fortnite’s end-user license agreement. Epic is seeking damages from Atas and his partners, along with attorney’s fees and other legal costs.

An update on our fight against cheating in Fortnite

We filed a new lawsuit against an individual who developed and sold cheating software that helped players see through walls and auto aim. We’re also going after people who helped sell this software.

Creating and selling…

– Epic Games Newsroom (@EpicNewsroom) June 10, 2025

The company claims that the cheating software bypasses its anti-cheat system and undermines Fortnite’s long-term business. Honest players forced to compete against cheaters are more likely to stop playing and buying in-game content, causing damages and losses to the company.

Atas went to extreme lengths to profit from his cheating business. He even tried to block Epic’s efforts to remove videos promoting the software, posing as an Epic representative in emails to YouTube in an attempt to reverse DMCA takedown requests. According to the lawsuit, his actions forced Epic to issue tens of thousands of Fortnite bans since 2022 – over 15,000 of them in the US alone.

Atas didn’t act alone. According to the lawsuit, at least five partners helped manage the business, selling Sincey Cheats and Vanta Cheats software to Fortnite players through various websites and encrypted messaging platforms like Discord and Telegram.

Epic has recently intensified its legal fight against Fortnite cheaters, pursuing not just software developers but also esports players caught using cheats. The company has forced some players to publicly apologize and return prize money, sending a clear message: cheaters don’t get paid – at least not when Epic is involved.