- By Supratik Das
- Fri, 27 Jun 2025 03:56 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Players who have made unwanted in-game purchases on Fortnite might be eligible for a portion of millions of dollars in refunds, but the deadline to collect is approaching. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has reopened the claims process for Fortnite gamers who were deceived by in-game charges. Affected users now have until July 9, 2025, to file their refund claims.
On Wednesday, the FTC confirmed that it is making 969,173 payments totaling more than 126 million USD to consumers who made valid claims prior to the previous deadline of February 14. The average refund per individual is approximately 130 USD. This second payment is part of a 245 million USD settlement with the developer of Fortnite, Epic Games, which agreed to compensate after facing accusations of employing so-called "dark patterns" to deceive players, even children, into unwanted purchases. The FTC added that Epic Games enabled users to buy in-game items with one button and facilitated easy spending by kids on their parents' money without requiring their permission. Some purchases were even activated by waking the game up from sleep mode or pressing a button to preview an item.
The company also claimed Fortnite would occasionally lock accounts when gamers complained to their credit card companies about disputed charges, preventing them from accessing content they paid for. Epic Games stated it settled to be "at the forefront of consumer protection" and pledged to revise its payment systems to protect against unauthorized charges.
Who Is Eligible For A Fortnite Refund?
According to the FTC, a person may be eligible for a refund if any of the following apply:
• You paid in-game currency for unsolicited items from January 2017 to September 2022
• Any players who used their parents' cards to make purchases without consent from January 2017 to November 2018
• If the account got locked after a complaint of charges from January 2017 to September 2022
How To File A Fortnite Refund Claim
Eligible claimants must be 18 years or older, or a parent/guardian must file on behalf of a minor. To apply:
1. Visit the official FTC refund site: www.ftc.gov/Fortnite
2. Submit claim using claim number or Epic Account ID.
3. If filed after February 14, do not need to reapply.
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Those who opt for a check refund must cash it out within 90 days, whereas those opting for PayPal have to accept the payment within 30 days. For any other inquiries, claimants must visit the FTC's FAQ page or call the refund processor at 1-833-915-0880. This refund is one of the biggest settlement payments in US gaming history. In addition, Epic Games paid a 275 million USD fine for child online privacy rule violations under the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
