What Is the Fortnite Lawsuit?
The Fortnite lawsuit refers to two linked FTC enforcement actions against Epic Games, Inc., the maker of Fortnite, not a single private class action or federal MDL. The first is United States v. Epic Games, Inc., No. 5:22-CV-00518-BO, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, which resolved allegations that Epic violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). The second is a separate FTC administrative order, In the Matter of Epic Games, Inc., Docket No. C-4790, which resolved allegations that Epic used deceptive "dark pattern" interface designs to charge players for purchases they did not intend to make.
Both matters were announced together on December 19, 2022 and together required Epic to pay $520 million, the FTC's largest gaming-related settlement and its largest administrative order on record at the time. Epic Games neither admitted nor denied the FTC's allegations, except for the facts needed to establish the court's jurisdiction, while agreeing to both orders.
Epic Games, Inc. is the sole defendant in both actions. The company agreed to the orders' injunctive terms, which require obtaining affirmative express consent before charging users and bar locking players out of purchased content over a disputed charge, without admitting liability.
“This Court has jurisdiction over this matter. The Complaint charges that Defendant violated the COPPA Rule and the FTC Act by developing and operating an Internet-enabled video game with unfair default information sharing settings for Children and Teens.”
Source: United States v. Epic Games, Inc., No. 5:22-CV-00518-BO (E.D.N.C.), Stipulated Order for Permanent Injunction and Civil Penalty Judgment, Document 3-1, Findings 1-2 (Dec. 19, 2022)
Why Are People Filing Fortnite Lawsuits?
The FTC filed the Fortnite lawsuit because it alleged Epic Games used deceptive account settings and purchase flows to harm both children's privacy and all players' wallets. On the privacy side, the FTC's complaint alleged Fortnite shipped with voice and text chat enabled by default for children and teens, without providing the notice to parents or obtaining the verifiable parental consent COPPA requires before collecting personal information from users under 13.
On the billing side, a separate FTC complaint alleged Epic used counterintuitive, inconsistent, and confusing button configurations, widely referred to as "dark patterns," that led players, including children, to incur unwanted charges with the press of a single button, and that Epic locked some players out of accounts they had already paid for after they disputed an unauthorized charge with their bank or card issuer. Epic Games disputes neither admits nor denies these allegations in the orders it agreed to.
What Injuries Are Included in the Fortnite Lawsuit?
The Fortnite lawsuit centers on two distinct types of harm the FTC alleged, one a privacy violation involving children's personal information and one a financial harm from unwanted charges affecting players of any age. Both are defined in plain language below. Epic Games has not been found liable in a contested proceeding and agreed to both orders without admitting the underlying allegations.
Children's Privacy Violations
A COPPA violation is a failure to follow the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, the federal law that requires online services to notify parents and get their verifiable consent before collecting personal information from children under 13.
The FTC alleged Epic collected personal information, including voice and text chat data, from child and teen Fortnite players without providing the direct notice to parents or obtaining the verifiable parental consent COPPA requires. The complaint further alleged Epic's default settings, not an opt-in choice a parent had to make, enabled that data collection for young players from the moment they started playing.
Unwanted In-Game Charges
An unwanted charge, in this context, is a purchase a consumer did not intend to make, caused by a confusing or manipulative purchase interface rather than a clear, deliberate choice to buy something.
The FTC alleged Epic's purchase flow let players, including children using a parent's saved payment method, rack up charges for in-game items through stray button presses during active gameplay, without a confirmation step that would have let them catch and cancel an accidental purchase. According to the FTC, more than one million Fortnite players lodged complaints about unauthorized charges before the agency acted.
Wrongful Account Lockouts
An account lockout, for purposes of this case, means Epic suspending or restricting access to a player's own purchased content and progress, not merely declining a refund request.
The FTC separately alleged that Epic locked some players out of their own Fortnite accounts, including content and virtual currency they had already paid for, after those players disputed unauthorized charges directly with their bank or credit card company rather than through Epic. The settlement's injunctive terms specifically bar Epic from continuing this practice going forward.
Who Qualifies for the Fortnite Lawsuit?
You may qualify if:
- You were charged in Fortnite's in-game currency (V-Bucks) for items you did not want, through Epic's counterintuitive or confusing purchase interface
- You are a parent whose child made unauthorized purchases in Fortnite using your payment method without your knowledge or consent
- You had your Fortnite account locked or otherwise restricted after disputing a charge with your bank or credit card company
- You filed a valid claim with the FTC before the July 9, 2025 final deadline
You may not qualify if:
- You did not file a claim before the July 9, 2025 final deadline, which has already passed with no new claims being accepted
- Your only complaint is about Fortnite's gameplay, in-game content, or general dissatisfaction with the game, unrelated to an unwanted charge or a locked account
- Epic Games itself, its officers, directors, and the presiding officials in either FTC matter and their immediate families, excluded from the refund program by its own terms
The refund program is closed to new claims as of this writing. This eligibility summary describes who was historically covered by the FTC's refund program, not an open opportunity to file. If you already filed a claim and have questions about a pending payment, contact the FTC's refund administrator rather than submitting a new claim; only a qualified attorney reviewing your specific records can advise on any separate legal options outside this closed program.
What Is the Current Status of the Fortnite Lawsuit?
The current status of the Fortnite lawsuit is closed to new claims, with both FTC orders fully in effect and a final round of consumer refund payments still outstanding. Neither the North Carolina federal court order nor the FTC's own administrative order is under further litigation as of this writing; both were finalized in 2023, and the FTC has since been administering the resulting refund program.
United States v. Epic Games, Inc. (COPPA Order)
The Department of Justice, acting on the FTC's referral, filed this case in the Eastern District of North Carolina on December 19, 2022, and the parties simultaneously filed a stipulated order resolving it, which the court entered shortly after.
| Court | U.S. District Court, Eastern District of North Carolina, Western Division |
| Case Number | 5:22-CV-00518-BO |
| Filed | December 19, 2022 |
| Civil Penalty | $275 million |
| Legal Basis | Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and Section 5 of the FTC Act |
In the Matter of Epic Games, Inc. (Billing Order)
The FTC filed this matter as a separate administrative proceeding rather than a federal-court case, and it became final after the public comment period closed in March 2023.
| Forum | Federal Trade Commission, administrative proceeding |
| Docket Number | C-4790 |
| Announced | December 19, 2022, Final: March 2023 |
| Refund Fund | $245 million |
| Legal Basis | Section 5 of the FTC Act (unfair billing practices) |
How Much Is the Fortnite Lawsuit Refund Worth?
The FTC does not set a fixed per-person refund amount; each approved claimant's payment depends on the total number of valid claims filed against the $245 million fund. As of this writing, the FTC has distributed roughly $198 million of that fund across two rounds, a first round of about $72 million in December 2024 and a second round of $126 million (969,173 payments) in June 2025, with a third and final round covering the reopened claims window still pending sometime in 2026.
This figure describes the total consumer-refund fund the FTC is distributing, not a guaranteed individual payout; a payment amount can only be confirmed by the FTC or its refund administrator, not estimated in advance from the fund total alone.
Refund payments go out by check or PayPal, matching the payment method a claimant selected during the claims process; checks must be cashed within 90 days and PayPal payments accepted within 30 days of issuance.
Fortnite Lawsuit Updates
Here is the current status of the Fortnite lawsuit, updated as new payment rounds and case developments are confirmed. Both underlying FTC orders are final, and the case has moved into the refund-administration phase described below.
Full Fortnite Lawsuit Timeline
Third Refund Round Still Pending
The FTC says it expects to send a third and final round of Fortnite refund payments sometime in 2026, covering claims filed during the reopened window and validated after review, though it has not announced an exact payment date as of this writing.
Final Claims Deadline Passes
July 9, 2025 was the last day to file a new Fortnite refund claim with the FTC, and the agency has confirmed it is not accepting any further claims after that date.
FTC Sends Second Refund Round
In June 2025, the FTC sent 969,173 payments totaling more than $126 million to Fortnite players who were charged for unwanted purchases and filed a valid claim by the February 14, 2025 checkpoint.
FTC Sends First Refund Round
In December 2024, the FTC issued its first round of Fortnite refund payments, roughly $72 million, to players who filed valid claims in the initial claims window.
Billing Order Becomes Final
The FTC's $245 million administrative order against Epic Games over dark-patterns billing practices became final in March 2023, after the public comment period on the proposed order closed with no changes to its terms.
Epic Games Agrees to $520 Million in Combined Penalties
The FTC announced on December 19, 2022 that Epic Games agreed to pay a combined $520 million, a $275 million civil penalty for COPPA violations in federal court and a $245 million refund fund in a separate administrative order for unfair billing practices.
How to File a Fortnite Lawsuit
To file a Fortnite lawsuit, start with the 4 steps below.
- Check the FTC's official Fortnite refund page: ftc.gov/fortnite is the FTC's own, authoritative source on refund status, since the agency administers this program directly rather than through a private settlement website.
- Confirm the claims deadline has passed: July 9, 2025 was the final deadline to file a new claim, so anyone who did not submit one by that date cannot start a new claim in this program.
- Look up an existing claim's status: If you already filed a claim, the FTC's refund page and its refund administrator, reachable at 1-833-915-0880, can confirm whether your claim was validated and where it stands in the remaining 2026 payment round.
- Watch for the third payment round: The FTC has said it expects to issue a final round of payments sometime in 2026 after reviewing and validating all remaining claims, so an approved claimant who has not yet been paid should expect that payment to arrive in this round.
Fortnite Lawsuit is no longer accepting new claims. The final deadline to file a new refund claim passed on July 9, 2025, and the FTC is not accepting new claims. The FTC has said it expects to send a third round of refund payments, covering claims already filed and validated, sometime in 2026.
What Did Epic Games Say About the Fortnite Lawsuit?
Epic Games neither admitted nor denied the FTC's allegations while agreeing to both the COPPA order and the billing order to resolve the matters. Under both orders, Epic did not concede the underlying allegations were true, only the facts necessary to establish the court's jurisdiction in the federal case.
At the time of the settlement, Epic Games said in its own public statement that no developer creates a game with the intention of ending up here, and that it had accepted the settlement because it wanted Epic to be at the forefront of consumer protection and privacy. The company has since implemented the changes to its purchase-confirmation and parental-consent flows the orders require.
Is the FTC Fortnite Lawsuit the Same as Other Fortnite Lawsuits?
No. Epic Games faces more than one legally distinct piece of litigation over Fortnite, and "Fortnite lawsuit" alone does not identify which one a source is discussing. Only the FTC's two enforcement actions described above are the subject of this article; three other real, separate cases turned up in research and are summarized here strictly for disambiguation.
Separately, parents in Quebec and elsewhere have sued Epic Games alleging Fortnite was intentionally designed to be addictive to children. A Quebec Superior Court judge authorized that case as a proposed class action in December 2022, and Epic's attempt to appeal that authorization was denied in February 2023. In the United States, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation denied a request to consolidate similar video-game-addiction lawsuits into an MDL in June 2024, so those U.S. cases are proceeding individually rather than as one federal case.
Epic Games also sued Apple in a separate federal antitrust case, Epic Games, Inc. v. Apple Inc., over Apple's App Store commission structure and removal of Fortnite from the App Store in 2020. That case produced a mostly Apple-favorable ruling with one narrower injunction requiring Apple to let developers link to outside payment options, an outcome distinct from either FTC order described above.
Separately again, choreographer Kyle Hanagami sued Epic Games alleging a Fortnite emote copied his copyrighted dance choreography. The Ninth Circuit revived that case in November 2023 after a lower court had dismissed it, sending it back for further proceedings unrelated to the FTC's privacy and billing allegations.
| Case | What It's About | Forum | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| FTC v. Epic Games (this page) | Children's privacy (COPPA) and unwanted in-game charges | E.D.N.C. federal court and FTC administrative order | $520M settlement, refunds closed, final payment round pending |
| Quebec/U.S. addiction lawsuits (unrelated) | Alleged intentional design of Fortnite to addict children | Quebec Superior Court and individual U.S. state/federal courts | Ongoing, no MDL consolidation, no settlement reported |
| Epic Games v. Apple (unrelated) | App Store commission structure and app removal, antitrust | N.D. Cal. federal court | Resolved, mostly favoring Apple with one narrow injunction |
| Hanagami v. Epic Games (unrelated) | Alleged choreography copyright infringement over a Fortnite emote | Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals | Revived on appeal, remanded for further proceedings |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Fortnite lawsuit about?
The Fortnite lawsuit refers to two linked FTC enforcement actions against Epic Games, alleging the company violated children's online privacy law and used deceptive purchase-interface designs that charged players for items they did not intend to buy.
Is the Fortnite lawsuit a class action?
No, it is not a private class action or a federal MDL. It is a federal court order, United States v. Epic Games, Inc., and a separate FTC administrative order, together resolving government enforcement allegations, not a certified consumer class.
Has the Fortnite lawsuit settled?
Yes, Epic Games agreed to pay $520 million total, a $275 million COPPA civil penalty and a $245 million consumer refund fund, and both orders became final in 2023.
Can I still file a claim in the Fortnite lawsuit?
No, the final deadline to file a new refund claim was July 9, 2025, and the FTC confirms it is not accepting any further claims; a valid claim filed before that date can still receive a payment in the pending 2026 round.
How much money will Fortnite lawsuit claimants get?
The FTC has not set a fixed per-person amount; it has distributed roughly $198 million of the $245 million fund across two rounds so far, with each claimant's payment depending on the total number of valid claims, and a third round still pending sometime in 2026.
Is the Fortnite lawsuit the same as the Fortnite addiction lawsuit?
No, the FTC's privacy and billing settlement covered on this page is a separate, distinct matter from the video-game-addiction lawsuits parents have filed against Epic Games in Quebec and the United States, which involve different allegations and different courts.