Epic Games Launcher
Epic Games Launcher is an app for buying, downloading, updating and playing games from the Epic Games Store. It’s made by Epic Games, based in the United States.
Criminals have used its name in fake downloads or scams, so get it only from store.epicgames.com.
What it is
People use Epic Games Launcher to manage their game library and install and open games. It also installs Unreal Engine, a tool used to make games and other 3D projects.
The launcher downloads and writes game files to install and update them. Epic's privacy policy says its services collect usage information, crash reports, device details and IP addresses to operate and improve those services.
Epic distributes the genuine launcher through its own website. It provides parental controls for children's accounts. A newer launcher is available as a preview; Epic says some features may not work as expected.
Who makes it
Epic Games is an American games and software company founded in 1991 and based in Cary, North Carolina. Its legal name is Epic Games, Inc.. Its website is epicgames.com.
Is it the real one?
Every Mac app carries a signature from the developer who made it. Apple checks who the developer is before handing out the certificate, and macOS refuses to open an app whose signature has been tampered with.
The real Epic Games Launcher is signed by Epic Games International, S.a.r.l., Apple team ID 96DBZ92D3Y. A copy signed by anyone else isn’t from Epic Games. HARD’s Mac app checks this for you; to check by hand, open Terminal and run codesign -dv "/Applications/Epic Games Launcher.app", and look for that TeamIdentifier.
Its bundle ID, the name macOS knows it by, is com.epicgames.EpicGamesLauncher. Download it only from store.epicgames.com, not from an ad or a link someone sends you.
Fakes. A June 2024 Critical Start report documented criminals copying Epic Games Launcher download pages as part of malware campaigns using misleading adverts and search results.
What it connects to
In normal use, Epic Games Launcher talks to these places on the internet. A firewall that asks before apps connect, like the one in HARD’s Mac app, will show them.
| Address | Why |
|---|---|
accounts.epicgames.com | Account sign-in |
launcher-public-service-prod06.ol.epicgames.com | Launcher services |
store.epicgames.com | Game store |
download.epicgames.com | Game and software downloads |
epicgames-download1.akamaized.net | Download delivery |
friends-public-service-prod06.ol.epicgames.com | Friends features |
tracking.epicgames.com | Usage tracking |
Security record
Problems with Epic Games Launcher or Epic Games in the last three years, newest first. Keeping the app up to date covers the ones that were fixed.
| When | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| A Windows flaw let a local attacker gain higher system privileges during installation through the Microsoft Store (CVE-2025-61973); Cisco Talos confirmed it had been patched by 22 January. | ↗ | |
| Incorrect folder permissions in the Windows installer let a local attacker gain system privileges (CVE-2024-11872); Epic fixed it in version 17.2.0. | ↗ |
References
- About Epic Games epicgames.com
- Epic Games Launcher — Fleet software catalogue fleetdm.com
- Download the Epic Games Launcher store.epicgames.com
- Academic Installation of Unreal Engine dev.epicgames.com
- Epic Games Privacy Policy legal.epicgames.com
- Epic Games Launcher Preview launcher.epicgames.com
- Update the Epic Games Launcher epicgames.com
- Epic Games Launcher release notes launcher.epicgames.com
- Which domains need to be whitelisted to reach the Epic servers? epicgames.com
- Critical Start: New FakeBat Variant, June 2024 criticalstart.com
- Cisco Talos: Epic Games Store installation vulnerability talosintelligence.com
- Cisco Talos: Foxit, Epic Games Store, MedDreams vulnerabilities blog.talosintelligence.com
- Zero Day Initiative: Epic Games Launcher incorrect default permissions zerodayinitiative.com
- Heise: Epic Games Launcher security vulnerability and update heise.de
- The signature on a real installed copy, read by HARD with
codesign.