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Jonesy in Fortnite artwork from in game

How To Fix Fortnite ‘Servers Offline’ Error in Epic Game Launcher

There is a fix.

Fortnite servers aren’t invincible and often they can be subject to planned, and unplanned shutdowns. If you’re seeing that servers are offline typically it means an update is on the way, but other times it can be due to a bug.

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Fortnite ‘Servers Offline’ Bug, Explained

The loading screen in Fortnite Chapter 5. This image is part of an article about how to redeem a Fortnite gift card.

The “Servers Offline” bug is caused by multiple versions of the game being made available via the Epic Games Launcher. There are two ways to get around the issue, one that can fix it, and the other that should work in the meantime if you want to get in-game right away.

A temporary fix for the problem is to launch Fortnite from a desktop shortcut. This should work to boot up the game correctly as the error is tied to the Epic Games Launcher and appears to be happening when players attempt to launch the game using the app.

How To Fix The Fortnite ‘Servers Offline’ Bug

To completely fix the error you must check if there are multiple versions of Fortnite in your launcher. If there is then uninstall the extra copy, and verify the files for the original game which will make sure it’s ready to run.

To verify your Fortnite file in the Epic Games Launcher do the following:

  1. Find Fortnite in the Epic Games Launcher Library
  2. Choose the three dots to open up a new menu
  3. Pick manage from this menu
  4. Select the verify option
  5. Once it is complete your files will be verified and ready to go!

If you’ve tried all of the above and are still seeing the Servers Offline error then it could be one of the two things. Servers might genuinely just be offline and you can check this by looking at the game’s server status. Alternatively, the issue could be persisting so at that point we would suggest launching a support ticket so the devs are aware.


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Author
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Ryan Galloway
Ryan is a Senior Staff Writer for The Escapist who has been working at GAMURS since 2020. He covers a wide variety of topics between anime and gaming and boasts a degree in Journalism from Murdoch University. Email: [email protected]