FTC Launches Second Round of Refunds in Epic Games Case, Nearly $200 Million Already Paid

Sagar Mankar
15 hours ago
2 min read

Hands exchanging money and a receipt over a wooden table with scissors, a coffee cup, and a blue square with an "F" on it. — Image: Canva

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has started issuing a second round of refunds to Fortnite players as part of its ongoing case against Epic Games. This follows a major settlement over allegations that Epic allowed players—especially children—to make in-game purchases without proper consent or understanding.

This refund effort stems from a lawsuit filed in March 2023, where the FTC claimed Epic Games used manipulative design techniques—also known as "dark patterns"—to encourage unintentional purchases in Fortnite. These practices allegedly led to thousands of unauthorized charges, and even caused some players to get locked out of their accounts when they tried to dispute those charges.

The first wave of refunds began in December 2024 and distributed $72 million to affected users. Now, with this second round underway, the FTC is preparing to send out close to one million payments worth more than $126 million to Fortnite gamers. In total, Epic was ordered to return $245 million, and so far, around $198 million has already been paid out.

So, who's eligible to get a piece of this massive refund pie? According to the FTC, players can claim a refund if:

They were charged for in-game items like outfits or loot without wanting them.
A child made unauthorized purchases using their credit card between January 2017 and November 2018.
Their account was locked after disputing a charge between January 2017 and September 2022.

If you fall into one of these categories, there's still time to submit a claim—but don’t wait too long. The deadline is July 9, 2025, and all details can be found on the official FTC refund page.

Epic Games has since made several changes to Fortnite’s purchasing system. The company now requires clearer consent before purchases and can no longer lock accounts over payment disputes—key conditions set by the FTC to protect players moving forward.

While this is the second wave of payments, the FTC is expected to carry out one final round to wrap things up completely. If you think you’re eligible but haven’t submitted your claim yet, it’s worth checking the site.