Fortnite players on PC will need to update a few security settings to play in any tournaments starting on February 19, 2026. Many multiplayer games have started requiring specific hardware and settings to enable anti-cheat measures, but it remains something of a controversial practice among fans. Now, Fortnite, which has a history of being tough on cheaters, joins the ranks of titles with these requirements.
Cheaters are understandably a big concern for Epic Games, and the team behind the massively popular live-service shooter has not been shy about calling these players out. Epic has forced multiple Fortnite cheaters to issue a public apology in addition to permanently blocking their accounts. Despite these very public actions against cheating, people still try to sneak past the game’s safeguards and hack their way to victory, but Fortnite is just as proactive in stopping them. As part of that effort, the game is now rolling out even more technical defenses.
Fortnite Is Giving Banned Players a ‘Second Chance’
Epic Games confirms all Fortnite players who were previously banned will be given a “second chance” as the studio updates its ban policy.
Fortnite Tournaments Will Require Secure Boot, TPM, and IOMMU on February 19
On February 10, Epic Games announced it will start requiring all Fortnite players on PC to enable Secure Boot, TPM, and IOMMU to play in-game tournaments starting on February 19. Secure Boot and TPM are fairly common among multiplayer security requirements, as they ensure only trusted software can load upon startup and prevent tampering with sensitive files. IOMMU may be less familiar to some gamers, but it’s another often-built-in feature that restricts what different devices can access and how they can use certain files. Requiring all three is a big step against cheaters, especially considering how Fortnite already has one of the best anti-cheat systems built into the game.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
These hardware requirements should be recognizable to players of other shooters. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Battlefield 6, just to name two, require TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot and these decisions have not always proved popular. Back in August 2025, Battlefield 6′s Technical Director responded to controversy over its anti-cheat requirements, saying he wished the team didn’t have to require Secure Boot, but that cheating had become a big enough problem that it was no longer optional. At the same time, he admitted that it did create a barrier for some players, as these settings are not available on all hardware and are not always enabled by default. Epic Games has addressed this in Fortnite by providing instructions on how to enable each of the three required security features on the game’s website.
Thankfully, most Fortnite players on PC should be able to keep playing the game without upgrading their hardware. Many Windows 11 devices already have these settings built into their OS, so users just have to enable them. While that may have once been a bigger obstacle, Windows 11 became Microsoft’s most-used operating system last year, ending Windows 10’s long reign, ahead of it losing support in October 2025. Epic Games’ announcement also claims roughly 95% of Fortnite PC players run Windows 11, so the adjustment should be relatively straightforward for most of the player base.
These additional requirements aren’t the end of Epic’s actions against cheating, either. As highlighted in the official announcement, the company has filed lawsuits against Fortnite cheaters in the past. Some of these cases have resulted in out-of-court settlements, and in others, the legal system has ruled in Epic Games’ favor, requiring cheaters to pay as much as $175,000. As competitive gaming keeps growing and cash prizes for tournaments balloon, it’s inevitable that people will continue to try to cheat in Fortnite. Thankfully, for those who play by the book, Epic will keep cracking down on this activity.
- Released
-
September 26, 2017
- ESRB
-
T for Teen – Diverse Content: Discretion Advised, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
