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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minute“Epic Games Forums Hacked Again” refers to two historical forum compromises: one in July 2015 and a second in August 2016. The later incident was reported to affect about 808,000 accounts. The incidents involved legacy forums, not a newly confirmed breach in 2026.
What happened in the two Epic forum breaches?
Epic’s 2015 forum notification, reproduced by Game Informer, said the forums had been compromised and warned that unauthorized access may have included usernames, email addresses, passwords, and dates of birth. Epic took the forums offline while it investigated.
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In 2016, Epic’s vBulletin forums were compromised again. Epic’s current account-security guidance says: “In 2016, Epic’s vBulletin forums were compromised, revealing forum login credentials, which we then reset.” Contemporary security reporting attributed the intrusion to SQL injection against an outdated vBulletin installation.
The repeat incident involved legacy forum communities for Infinity Blade, UDK, earlier Unreal Tournament games, and archived Gears of War forums. The 2015 notification described a compromise of the Epic Games forums at forums.epicgames.com; it did not identify the 2016 communities individually.
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- Redeemable on accounts in the United States and in U.S. Dollars.
- Gift card must be redeemed at EpicGames.com/redeem. This gift card WILL NOT work if redeemed directly on a console device (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, etc.)
- If you play Fortnite experiences on a console device, you need to link your Epic Games account to your console account(s) so items purchased at Fortnite.com/item-shop appear across all of your linked accounts
- Requires internet connection, valid Epic account and prior acceptance of the terms
- Redemption: Online
How did the 2015 and 2016 incidents differ?
The 2015 details below come from Epic’s notification reproduced by Game Informer. The 2016 scope and attack-method details come from contemporary security reporting; Help Net Security and Trend Micro both reported the account estimate shown in the table.
| Incident | Communities and date | Reported exposed information | Attack method | Reported scale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Epic Games forums; July 2015 | The notice said usernames, email addresses, passwords, and dates of birth may have been accessed. It did not specify additional account or forum-activity data. | Not stated (2015 notice reproduced by Game Informer). | Not stated (2015 notice reproduced by Game Informer). |
| 2016 | Legacy forums for Infinity Blade, UDK, earlier Unreal Tournament games, and archived Gears of War forums; August 2016 | Reporting listed usernames, hashed and salted passwords, email addresses, IP addresses, birthdates, join dates, full post and comment history, and Facebook access tokens for users who logged in with Facebook. | SQL injection against an outdated vBulletin installation, according to contemporary security reporting. | Approximately 808,000 accounts, according to Help Net Security’s 2016 report; Trend Micro’s 2016 breach roundup listed the same estimate for Epic Games Forums on August 23, 2016. |
The 2015 notice described possible access to basic login and profile fields. The 2016 report described a broader set of account metadata and forum activity, as well as tokens for users of Facebook login. These are reported scopes, not proof that every listed field was taken for every account.
Rank #2
- Redeemable on accounts in the United States and in U.S. Dollars.
- Gift card must be redeemed at EpicGames.com/redeem. This gift card WILL NOT work if redeemed directly on a console device (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, etc.)
- If you play Fortnite experiences on a console device, you need to link your Epic Games account to your console account(s) so items purchased at Fortnite.com/item-shop appear across all of your linked accounts
- Requires internet connection, valid Epic account and prior acceptance of the terms
- Redemption: Online
What should you do if an Epic account may be compromised?
For a current Epic account-access problem, Epic’s support guidance recommends securing the email account first, then resetting the Epic password and enabling two-factor authentication. If access remains lost, try signing in through a linked account and submit an account-recovery request.
- Secure the email account. Change its password, enable two-factor authentication if available, and review its recovery and sign-in settings. This protects the inbox used to reset other accounts.
- Reset the Epic password. Use Epic’s password-reset process and choose a password not used on another service.
- Enable two-factor authentication. Add a second sign-in check to reduce the chance that a stolen password alone will be enough to access the account.
- Try a linked sign-in. If you cannot use the Epic login, try an account linked to Epic, such as the platform or social account you previously connected.
- Request account recovery. If those steps do not restore access, submit Epic’s account-recovery request and follow its verification process.
Why password reuse mattered in these breaches
Someone who reused a forum password on another site increased the risk beyond the forums: the same credential could potentially be tried against other services. Epic advised affected users to change reused passwords elsewhere. Use a distinct password for each account and turn on two-factor authentication wherever it is offered.
Rank #3
- Redeemable on accounts in the United States and in U.S. Dollars.
- Gift card must be redeemed at EpicGames.com/redeem. This gift card WILL NOT work if redeemed directly on a console device (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, etc.)
- If you play Fortnite experiences on a console device, you need to link your Epic Games account to your console account(s) so items purchased at Fortnite.com/item-shop appear across all of your linked accounts
- Requires internet connection, valid Epic account and prior acceptance of the terms
- Redemption: Online
For organizations teaching account-security basics, the practical lesson is to pair unique passwords with multifactor authentication and a clear recovery plan; a security-awareness or account-protection training partner may help reinforce those habits.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What Epic says it does about account security now
Epic’s current security guidance says it blocks credentials found in public breaches, monitors accounts for signs of compromise, requires password resets when it suspects compromise, and operates a HackerOne bug-bounty program. Those current measures do not change the historical nature of the 2015 and 2016 forum incidents.
Quick Recap
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- An Epic Games account is required to redeem an Epic Games Store Card code
- If playing on a console platform (PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, Nintendo Switch or Mobile) you need to link your Epic Games account to that gaming platform (one time) to redeem your gift card code
- The 16 digit code on the back of the card WILL NOT work if redeemed directly through your gaming platform (PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, Nintendo Switch, Mobile, etc.)
- Note: Nintendo devices do not support Fortnite Shared Wallet, so V-Bucks purchased using your account balance will not show up on your Nintendo device. However, if you purchase items in the web Item Shop — or another platform where you play Fortnite — those items will be available in your Locker across all platforms.
- Redemption: Online
Rank #4
- An Epic Games account is required to redeem an Epic Games Store Card code
- If playing on a console platform (PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, Nintendo Switch or Mobile) you need to link your Epic Games account to that gaming platform (one time) to redeem your gift card code
- The 16 digit code on the back of the card WILL NOT work if redeemed directly through your gaming platform (PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, Nintendo Switch, Mobile, etc.)
- Note: Nintendo devices do not support Fortnite Shared Wallet, so V-Bucks purchased using your account balance will not show up on your Nintendo device. However, if you purchase items in the web Item Shop — or another platform where you play Fortnite — those items will be available in your Locker across all platforms.
- Redemption: Online
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
