If you or someone in your household has played Fortnite in the last few years, you might be owed a little money—and I mean real money, not V-Bucks.
Epic Games, the company behind Fortnite, has agreed to pay out $126 million to settle allegations that players were unfairly charged for in-game purchases. And now, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is mailing out nearly a million refunds—but you have to act fast.
Why you could be owed money
This all goes back to how Fortnite handled purchases. The FTC found that the game sometimes charged players for items they didn’t intend to buy. Even worse, some children racked up charges without their parents’ permission — and when families disputed those charges, some accounts were even locked, meaning users couldn’t access items they had already paid for.
That’s why Epic is settling — and you may qualify for a piece of the payout.
You’re eligible if…
You can file a claim if any one of the following applies to you:
- You were charged for unwanted in-game items between January 2017 and September 2022.
- Your child made purchases using your credit card without your knowledge between January 2017 and November 2018.
- Your account was locked after you complained to your credit card company about wrongful charges.
If any of this sounds familiar, it’s worth checking. The deadline to submit a claim is July 9, 2025. But if you already filed by the earlier deadline of February 14, 2024, your claim is being processed.
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How the payments work
The FTC is sending out 969,173 payments, either through PayPal or paper checks, depending on what you selected during the claims process.
If you’re getting paid via PayPal, make sure to accept the money within 30 days — otherwise it’ll expire. For paper checks, you’ll need to cash them within 90 days.
You must be at least 18 to file a claim, or a parent or guardian must do it for you. The process is straightforward—just a form—and no proof of purchase is required if you qualify under one of the listed situations.
One last thing
Time is running out for this opportunity. If you think you might qualify—or know someone who might—don’t wait. That refund check could be worth a lot more than you think.
And this isn’t the only settlement making headlines. There’s a $4.5 million privacy case and a $10 million class action involving deceptive ads, both still open to claimants. You don’t need receipts—just the right timing.
So yeah, if Fortnite ever burned a hole in your wallet, this is your chance to get something back. Just don’t miss that July 9 deadline.
