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It is quite infuriating not to be able to play your favorite game due to an unexpected ban. You may have binged the entire last night playing Fortnite, but when you have tried to access the game the second day, all you get is an error that either reads:
“This account has been banned.”
Or
“You were removed from the match due to…”
In both cases, it means that Fortnite has banned you from accessing the game either temporarily or permanently. The nature of the ban depends on the severity of your recent activity.
So, what factors can lead you to a ban on Fortnite, and for how long does the Battle Bus stay inaccessible? Continue reading to find answers to all your questions regarding the Fortnite ban.
3 Common Types of Fortnite Bans
Epic Games reserves the right to ban you from accessing and playing Fortnite if it finds you violating its Terms of Service. Bans are necessary for filtering out hackers, and other toxic players so that you can enjoy a safe and fun gaming experience.
But sometimes, even innocent players somehow get entangled in the sweep and face temporary or permanent bans. It may either be due to an unintentional service violation or a silly mistake by the gaming platform itself.
Regardless, you may experience either of the following bans while playing Fortnite:
Hardware ID Ban (HWID)
It is not every day that Epic Games would resort to a hardware ID ban for any player. But when it does, it would note your system’s component’s IDs (GPU or SSD) to render you unable to access or play Fortnite on your current system.
When you get banned for hacking in Fortnite they also ban the id of the components(graphics card, cpu, ssd).
— DaizGM (@Daiz_GM) May 24, 2021
In this scenario, your account will remain accessible, but due to the hardware ID ban, you cannot use your system to play the game.
Account Ban
In this type of ban, Epic Games would note your IP, username, and account to ban you from accessing the game. This type of ban is common, and it may happen due to a lot of reasons, such as cheating.
IP Ban
An IP address ban is as common as an account ban. Here, Epic Games would note your ISP-provided IP address and put it on a blacklist to keep you banned for a certain time limit. In this case, you can access your account if you reconnect to the Fortnite gaming server from a different IP address.
How to Get Around a Fortnite Ban
Do not worry if your Fortnite account, IP, or hardware ID is banned. Stay patient, and you will soon be able to get to rejoin the game as soon as the ban period expires.
But if patience is not your greatest virtue, you may try out the following methods to get around the ban and start playing without wasting a minute.
1. How to Get Your IP Unbanned in Fortnite with a VPN
Getting around the Fortnite account IP ban is a piece of cake for VPN users. A VPN spoofs the public IP address of the user along with the location. Once your IP is changed, you can log back into your account and join the Battle Bus for an unending binge-gaming session.
But there are a few considerations that you should keep in mind while using a VPN to get around an IP ban on any game. For starters, VPNs usually use a shared IP network which means you may share your VPN IP address with dozens or hundreds of other users of that VPN service.
When Epic Games notices that multiple accounts are accessing Fortnite using the same IP address, it would consider it as an alternate account and bans the user. In such a scenario, it is always recommended to sign up for a VPN service provider that offers a dedicated IP address.
A dedicated IP address or a static IP remains the same even if you reconnect your VPN. It belongs only to you. But it comes with an added cost apart from the cost of the VPN provider. No matter what, it is worth it. Fortunately for you, PureVPN offers dedicated IP addresses of different locations, such as the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Singapore, etc. Here is how you can unban your IP to re-access and play Fortnite:
- Sign up for the PureVPN premium plan
- Get PureVPN Dedicated IP add-on
- Download and install PureVPN on your desired device, or manually install it
- Configure the Dedicated IP address as mentioned on the PureVPN Support page
- Connect PureVPN using your new Dedicated IP address
- Enjoy Fortnite
2. How to Get Unbanned from Fortnite HWID Ban
Unfortunately, there is no easy way out of a permanent HWID ban. Once Epic Games bans your system’s HWID, you cannot play the game on the said system anymore. The only way to quench your thirst for Fortnite, you need to buy a secondary gaming system, install the game on that system, and play.
With that said, there are a few ways you can “try” to unban Fortnite HWID or GUID ban, such as HWID spoofer or changing HWID or GUID through your operating system’s Registry Editor. You can even find tutorials on YouTube on the same. However, these are some complicated methods, and if you mess up with these settings, you may end up with a broken system. So, do not try unless you know what you are doing, and you are prepared to face the consequences.
3. How to Get Your Fortnite Account Unbanned
Account bans are common on Fortnite to curb gamers who either repeatedly violate Epic Games’ Terms of Services or are found involved in activities like cheating. These offenses can lead to warnings or even permanent bans.
In case of a permanent ban, you will lose your profile, all your ratings, points, and even friends. In that event, you will have to create a new account and start leveling up from zero. Recently, Epic Games has also started cracking down on “Fortnite wagers.” The step has been taken to discourage people, especially underage players, from gambling. Gamers have been placing a wager on subscribers, and in fact, it has also been reported that some players paid to play with their favorite professional players.
Fortnite and Epic Games are finally cracking down on underage pros participating in wagers. Most often these are 18+ at least, surprised it took this long for them to react. pic.twitter.com/ALANp2UpI5
— Jake Lucky (@JakeSucky) March 25, 2021
Regardless, some gamers create alternate Fortnite accounts to play the game if one of their other accounts faces temporary or permanent bans. Fortnite even discourages these alt accounts and bans players who use multiple accounts. However, players who use alt accounts by using VPN or proxy services tend to evade Epic Games’ account bans.
Why Does Fortnite Ban Players?
As we have discussed earlier, there can be multiple reasons behind the account, IP address, or HWID bans. Also, it depends on the severity of the action of the players that whether they should be banned temporarily or permanently.
Regardless, here are some common reasons Fortnite players often face bans:
- Toxic behavior is discouraged and shunned whether you are playing online games or engaging in any online community or on social media posts. Toxicity on the internet may include racism, abusing, swearing, threats, insults, and harassment, to name a few.
- Using alternate accounts is also prohibited on Epic Games as it would allow some players to enjoy an unfair advantage over others, such as getting around an account ban. Similarly, Epic Games also prohibit players from sharing their accounts with their friends or family.
- Placing wagers on Fortnite games is also now prohibited due to increasing cases of gambling among underage players.
- Cheating via third-party tools and services can also result in a temporary to permanent ban.
How Long Does Fortnite Ban Players?
In the case of temporary bans, your account or IP can be banned for up to 30 days. This means that you cannot access or join the Battle Bu for an entire month unless you use a VPN service. If you believe you are innocent and you have not done any such activity that violates Epic Games Terms of Service and the platform banned by mistake, you can always appeal against the ban.
How to Appeal Fortnite Against a Ban
If you don’t wish to resort to a VPN or believe that the ban was just a mistake, you can request Epic Games to revisit the case and revise their decision. Here is how you can do that:
- Go to the Contact Us page of Epic Games
- Log in to your account
- Type your Display Name
- Type your Fortnite email address
- Select your preferred gaming device or console
- State the problem
- Submit your response
Once your case is submitted, wait until you hear back from the Epic Games’ representatives regarding the same.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is a ban on Fortnite?
When players are caught breaking the Code of conduct or rules of a tournament they will be temporarily banned from Fortnite. The temporary ban lasts up to 30 days, and after that time has passed you can board The Battle Bus again!
In which countries is Fortnite banned?
Fortnite is not available to residents in China, Iran, and Iraq due to the game’s restrictions. However, you can still play Fortnite from any region if you have a VPN even from these countries where banned by the US like Cuba or North Korea.
PureVPN
June 20, 2023
10 months ago
