Epic Games Mandates Secure Boot and TPM for Fortnite Tournaments

Epic Games has taken a significant step in securing its competitive Fortnite ecosystem by implementing mandatory security requirements for tournament participants. The move, which requires players to enable Secure Boot and Trusted Platform Module (TPM) technology on their PCs, represents the company's latest effort to combat cheating in its popular battle royale game.

The Security Mandate Explained

The new requirements specifically target players participating in official Fortnite tournaments, particularly those at the highest competitive levels. Epic first announced these measures nearly a year ago for FNCS events requiring account level 350 or higher, but has now expanded the mandate to encompass all Fortnite tournaments.

For the vast majority of Fortnite's player base—those who engage with the game casually—these changes will have no impact. The requirements only apply to players who wish to compete in official tournaments, leaving the millions of casual players unaffected by the new security measures.

Technical Requirements and Implementation

Players looking to participate in competitive Fortnite events will need to ensure their systems meet specific security standards:

• Secure Boot: A security standard that ensures a device boots using only software that is trusted by the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)
• TPM (Trusted Platform Module): A dedicated microcontroller designed to secure hardware by integrating cryptographic keys into devices
• Virtualization-based Security (VBS): A Windows security feature that uses virtualization to provide isolation for sensitive system processes

These features are officially required for Windows 11, though Microsoft's implementation allows for workarounds. However, for competitive Fortnite play, the requirements are strictly enforced without exceptions.

The Cheating Problem Epic Aims to Solve

The implementation of these security measures addresses a sophisticated cheating problem that has plagued competitive gaming. The primary target is cheat software that operates at the kernel level or even as a hypervisor, making it extremely difficult for traditional anti-cheat systems to detect.

These advanced cheats, often referred to as "ring 0" or "ring -1" cheats, embed themselves deep within the system architecture. They can:

• Operate at the kernel level, giving them complete control over system operations
• Function as hypervisors, creating virtual machines that hide their presence
• Bypass traditional anti-cheat detection methods entirely

Epic's approach is based on the principle that systems with these security features disabled are more susceptible to hosting such advanced cheat software. By requiring these security measures, Epic creates a more secure environment that makes it significantly harder for these sophisticated cheats to operate.

How to Check and Enable Security Features

Players can verify their system's readiness for tournament play through Steam's system information tool, which ironically provides a straightforward way to check security status. To access this:

1. Open Steam
2. Navigate to Help > System Information
3. Review the Secure Boot status and other relevant security features

The actual process of enabling these features typically involves accessing the system's UEFI/BIOS settings:

• Secure Boot: Usually found under "Boot" or "Security" settings
• TPM: Often located in "Advanced" or "Security" sections
• VT-d/IOMMU: Found in CPU or chipset configuration menus

Most modern gaming PCs manufactured within the last five years should have the necessary hardware capabilities. The process typically involves enabling "Trusted Computing," "IOMMU" (or "VT-d" on Intel systems), and Secure Boot in the UEFI setup.

Industry Context and Competitive Gaming Security

Fortnite's approach aligns with security measures already implemented by other major competitive titles. Games like Valorant and Battlefield 6 require these security features for all players, not just those participating in tournaments. However, Fortnite's massive player base—reportedly over 230 million monthly active users—makes Epic's measured approach noteworthy.

The decision to limit these requirements to tournament play reflects Epic's awareness of the potential backlash from suddenly imposing strict security measures on its entire player base. This graduated approach allows the company to address the most critical security concerns in competitive play while avoiding disruption to casual gaming experiences.

Legal and Technical Enforcement

Epic's commitment to maintaining fair competitive play extends beyond technical measures. The company has pursued aggressive legal action against cheat developers and sellers, filing multiple lawsuits and reaching settlements with individuals who create and distribute cheating software.

This multi-pronged approach—combining technical security measures, legal action, and community enforcement—demonstrates Epic's serious stance on maintaining the integrity of competitive Fortnite.

What This Means for Players

For competitive Fortnite players, the message is clear: ensure your system meets Windows 11 security requirements before attempting to participate in tournaments. The vast majority of gaming PCs capable of running Fortnite at acceptable frame rates should be able to meet these requirements with minimal configuration changes.

For casual players, the impact is essentially zero. You can continue playing Fortnite without any changes to your system configuration, regardless of your Secure Boot or TPM status.

The Broader Implications

This move by Epic Games represents a broader trend in the gaming industry toward more stringent security measures in competitive gaming. As cheat software becomes increasingly sophisticated, game developers are responding with more robust hardware-based security solutions.

The battle between cheat developers and game security teams continues to escalate, with each side developing more advanced techniques. Epic's approach of leveraging hardware security features represents a significant escalation in this ongoing conflict.

For the gaming industry as a whole, Fortnite's implementation of these requirements could serve as a model for other competitive games, particularly those with large player bases where sudden, universal implementation of strict security measures might be too disruptive.

As competitive gaming continues to grow in popularity and prize pools increase, the importance of maintaining fair play environments becomes increasingly critical. Epic's measured but firm approach to implementing these security requirements strikes a balance between maintaining competitive integrity and preserving accessibility for the broader player base.

The ultimate success of these measures will likely be measured not just in reduced cheating incidents, but in how effectively they maintain player trust in the competitive integrity of Fortnite's tournament scene.