does epic games hardware ban

So, the other day, I was trying to play some Fortnite with my friends, but I got this weird message saying my account was banned. I was like, “What the heck?” I hadn’t done anything wrong, or so I thought. After some digging around, I started to wonder, “Does Epic Games ban your hardware?”

Turns out, yeah, they do. I found out that Epic Games, the company behind Fortnite, can ban not just your account but also your actual computer hardware. They call it a “Hardware ID ban,” or HWID ban for short. Basically, they detect and block the IDs of your computer parts, like your motherboard, graphics card, and even your hard drive. This makes it impossible to play Fortnite on your current machine, even if you make a new account. I didn’t realize it was such a thing. It felt like a big deal and I was lost.

I started looking into it more. If you do bad things in the game, like cheating or being a total jerk, Epic Games can ban your IP address and your username. That I kind of knew, but the hardware ban was news to me. It seemed like I had accidentally done something wrong and gotten my whole computer banned. I mean it was frustrating, not knowing what I did. I spent so many hours building it, it’s my baby you know?

I read that there’s a way to appeal these bans. You have to log into your Epic Games account and fill out a form asking them to lift the ban. I did that, explaining that I didn’t think I did anything wrong and asking them to reconsider. It was a long shot, but I figured it was worth a try.

What I Learned:

• Epic Games does hardware bans. They can block your computer from playing Fortnite. I had no idea it was so serious.
• There’s an appeal process. You can ask them to lift the ban, but it’s not guaranteed. It felt hopeless, but what else can you do?
• Temporary bans last up to 30 days. I guess that’s not too bad, but it still sucks. I don’t have much patience anyway.
• HWID bans can last a year or longer. I heard that you have to wait at least a year from the date of the ban, and even then, they might not lift it. Also, if you got banned for cheating, you might be in even more trouble. They can suspend any new accounts you make on that computer for four months. It sounded like it was game over for me.

While I was waiting, I thought about just using a 加速器 to change my IP address. I read that Epic Games sometimes bans IP addresses by mistake, and a 加速器 can help with that. But since my issue seemed to be a hardware ban, I wasn’t sure if that would work. I mean, I tried it, but nothing changed.

So, here I am, waiting to hear back from Epic Games. It’s been a bummer not being able to play with my friends, but I guess I’ll just have to wait and see what happens. I’ll keep you guys updated. Fingers crossed they lift the ban!