Epic Games’ Fortnite is among the most successful games ever. The game’s free-to-play battle royale mode got so popular that it topped the gaming charts last year. Although the game was released a couple years of years ago, one issue still troubling users is the black screen on the Epic Games launcher. If you are facing the same issue and are looking for an Epic Games launcher black screen fix, then you will be relieved to know that there are a few workarounds.
The black screen on the Epic Games launcher is not a new problem. Users reported the same issue last year, and now some are reporting the issue again after updating to the latest game patch. Epic Games released the v9.21 patch for Fortnite a few weeks ago.
The patch came with several new features and updates. It also reportedly triggered login issues for some users who complain about the black screen error. If you are among those who need an Epic Games launcher black screen fix, then PiunikaWeb offers a few workarounds.
The first option is to use a VPN. Download any VPN on your device, such as Touch VPN, Hola VPN or any other. Once the VPN is installed, launch the application and activate the VPN. Now open the Epic Games Launcher or Fortnite Shortcut and enter your login credentials.
Hopefully the game will launch without any issues. Remember to disconnect the VPN before playing the game, and close all the Fortnite and Epic Games Launcher windows before installing the VPN.
If this workaround does not work, then you can try changing the DNS server to the Google Public DNS. To change the DNS, go to the Control Panel. Then from the “Network and Internet” category, select “View network stats and tasks.”
Now click the Change Adapter Settings, which is on the left sidebar of the Network and Sharing window. Next right-click on the currently active network and then tap properties. Now click on “Protocol Version 4” to view its properties, and edit the preferred DNS server to 8.8.8.8. Change the alternate DNS server to 8.8.4.4. Now click “OK” to confirm the new settings and restart the PC. Fortnite should launch now.
Another workaround is to edit compatibility mode in the Epic Games Launcher Properties. However, this fix is for Windows only. To change the compatibility mode, right-click on the Epic Games Launcher then click on “Properties” and then the Compatibility tab. Now click on the “Compatibility mode” box, and then press “OK.”
If this solution does not work, then try changing the scaling from the display settings. To change the display settings, first right-click on the default window home screen. Then from “Scale and Layout,” change the limit to any other limit than the one shown. One user on Windows 8.1 noted that the black screen issue may appear if Windows is set to enlarge icons, so changing the size of all items to “smaller” fixed the issue.
“I changed mine via Control Panel, Display, Change the size of all items <- set this all the way to ‘smaller’…..Then I could see the Epic launcher screen properly. This worked on a high-DPI laptop and my 1080p HTPC,” the user said.
After tweaking the display settings, re-launch Fortnite to see if it worked or not.
Another Epic Games launcher black screen fix is to tweak the Windows Firewall, which may be blocking Fortnite. To see if the Windows Firewall is blocking the game, type “Firewall” in the search bar of your Windows home screen (Windows 8 and 10). You will now land on a page showing the “Firewall and Network Protection” system application.
Now click on the “Allow an App through firewall” and see if the Fortnite app is among those that are blocked. If the app is not unchecked, then enable the app through the firewall. Now check if the black screen issue is resolved or not.
If the black screen issue persists after trying the above workarounds, then you should register a formal complaint with Epic Games and wait for the official fix.
