Epic Games and Fortnite: age checks in the UK
Players who say they are under 13 get a Cabined Account until a parent consents, proving adult status through Epic’s Kids Web Services if asked. Adults correcting a date of birth complete an age verification. No 18+ check for UK players is described.
Age check for some content or features Gaming Epic Games, Inc. verified 18 October 2026
Facts panel
Published statements are shown with their sources and the dates we checked them. Missing information and availability limits remain explicit.
- Domain
- epicgames.com
- Age check
Epic describes the under-13 consent flow for players “around the world” and an 18+ check only “in Australia”, to comply with local regulations there. No Epic page read describes an 18+ check for UK players. Kids Web Services’ developer page lists the methods available in the UK: credit card (“KWS authorizes a £0.05 charge for users in the United Kingdom”), ID scan (“In the United Kingdom, users will also be required to take a selfie”) and face scan; debit-card verification is “Worldwide except in … the United Kingdom”.
Age check for some content or features, first recorded 7 December 2022- Triggered by
- creating an account; specific features
- Applies to
- new accounts; accounts the service flags
- Notes
- Epic’s Cabined Accounts FAQ (undated, read 18 October 2026): “If a player indicates they are under 13 or their country’s age of digital consent, whichever is higher, their account will be a Cabined Account and they will be asked to provide a parent or guardian’s email address in order to receive consent to access certain features in Epic’s products.” Disabled until consent: “Communicating with other players using voice chat or free text chat”, “Purchasing items with real money”, “Downloading games that are not owned by Epic” and others. Epic’s “Why is Epic Games asking for my date of birth again?” page: “Sometimes we need to confirm your age information to make sure it is accurate.” Epic’s Parental Verification FAQ: “Verify that they are an adult of legal age: You may also be required to verify that you are an adult. Depending on your country, available methods may include placing an authorization or small refundable charge on a credit card, or checking some of your information against a public records database. If you have already been verified as an adult through our subsidiary Kids Web Services Ltd, you will not need to provide this verification information again.” Epic’s date-of-birth correction page: “If you are under 18, your verified parent or guardian needs to confirm your age. If you are 18 or older, you need to complete age verification.” Fortnite news, 7 December 2022: “Today, December 7, 2022, Epic will begin the rollout of Cabined Accounts” and “Players around the world will see a one-time request for their age when they log into Fortnite.”
- Methods
- Parental consentCredit cardPhoto IDFace scan
Credit cards only in the UK; KWS’s page lists debit-card verification as unavailable in the United Kingdom.
Available in the UK with a selfie; Epic’s own help page for adults correcting a date of birth does not list methods.
Listed by KWS as available outside the US and South Korea; Epic’s own help page for adults correcting a date of birth does not list methods.
- Vendor
- Epic Kids Web Services
- Overall record checked
- 18 October 2026. Individual methods may have later checks, shown below.
Methods and retention, one row per method
| Method | Provider | Retention, as published | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parental consent | Epic Kids Web Services |
“Once you have successfully verified your age through our Parent Verification or Age Verification service, we will store your verified status alongside your hashed email address.” Quoted from kidswebservices.com, dated 10 September 2026; checked 18 October 2026. Held by the vendor. Period as stated: Verified status kept against a hashed email address; KWS: “we never store the verification details (e.g. your card details) themselves”; other personal information “for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for”. Notes: Epic’s Parental Verification FAQ: a parent or guardian emailed by Epic reviews Epic’s privacy practices, sets the account’s parental controls and may be asked to “verify that you are an adult”. Epic’s Cabined Accounts FAQ: the player “won’t be able to access certain content or features until their parent or guardian provides consent” or “when they reach age 13 (or the age of digital consent in their region)”. Kids Web Services Ltd is named by Epic as “our subsidiary”. |
epicgames.com Primary source · checked 18 October 2026 |
| Credit card | Epic Kids Web Services (Stripe) |
“the method of verification used, e.g. ‘individual verified by payment card using Stripe’, but we never store the verification details (e.g. your card details) themselves” Quoted from kidswebservices.com, dated 10 September 2026; checked 18 October 2026. Held by the vendor. Period as stated: Card details not stored by KWS; verified status kept against a hashed email address. Notes: Epic’s Parental Verification FAQ: “placing an authorization or small refundable charge on a credit card”. Kids Web Services’ developer page: “Stripe (stripe.com) verifies credit card details.” and “For users outside the United States, KWS authorizes a small charge in the local currency but does not withdraw the money from their credit card. For example, KWS authorizes a £0.05 charge for users in the United Kingdom.” Debit cards: “Worldwide except in Belarus, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Syria, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.” Credit cards only in the UK; KWS’s page lists debit-card verification as unavailable in the United Kingdom. |
dev.epicgames.com Primary source · checked 18 October 2026 |
| Photo ID | Epic Kids Web Services (Veriff) |
No published retention period found (checked 18 October 2026). Notes: Kids Web Services’ developer page: “A user in all regions, except the Republic of Korea, can verify their age by scanning the front and back of their government-issued identification (ID) documentation.” “In the United Kingdom, users will also be required to take a selfie to confirm their identity matches their ID documentation.” “Veriff (veriff.com) verifies scanned ID documentation.” KWS’s privacy policy: “if you select ID Scan & Selfie as the method to verify your age, we will uniquely identify your image against your selected ID, which may be considered biometric data.” No deletion period for the ID or selfie is published by Epic or KWS. Available in the UK with a selfie; Epic’s own help page for adults correcting a date of birth does not list methods. |
dev.epicgames.com Primary source · checked 18 October 2026 |
| Facial age estimation (face scan) | Epic Kids Web Services (Yoti) |
No published retention period found (checked 18 October 2026). Notes: Kids Web Services’ developer page: “Face scan is available worldwide, except in the United States and the Republic of Korea.” “KWS prompts the user to hold their device’s camera in front of their face, and a machine-learning algorithm estimates their age.” “Yoti (yoti.com) provides face scan verification.” Epic’s Australia page says of the same route: “This photo is encrypted, never seen by a human and is deleted by Yoti immediately after estimation. KWS does not receive your selfie.” That statement is made for Australia; no UK equivalent was found, so no retention is recorded here. Listed by KWS as available outside the US and South Korea; Epic’s own help page for adults correcting a date of birth does not list methods. |
dev.epicgames.com Primary source · checked 18 October 2026 |
What you will see
- What happens
- When you give a date of birth under 13 (or under the age of digital consent where you live), your Epic account becomes a Cabined Account: you can still play Fortnite, Rocket League and Fall Guys, but voice and text chat, real-money purchases and some other features stay off until a parent or guardian, emailed by Epic, consents and sets Parental Controls. The parent may be asked to prove they are an adult through Epic’s Kids Web Services, by a credit-card authorisation or a public-records check. An adult correcting a wrong date of birth is asked to complete an age verification.
- How long it takes
- Not stated by the service.
- If you decline
- Epic’s Cabined Accounts FAQ: players “will still be able to play Fortnite, Rocket League, or Fall Guys with full access to previously purchased or earned content in-game, but won’t be able to access certain content or features until their parent or guardian provides consent”, or until they reach 13 or the age of digital consent in their region.
- Official help page
- epicgames.com
Questions people ask about Epic Games and Fortnite
Does Epic Games and Fortnite require age verification in the UK?
For some content or features. As of 18 October 2026, Epic Games and Fortnite asks UK users to complete an age check for creating an account and specific features, applying to new accounts and accounts the service flags. First recorded 7 December 2022. Epic describes the under-13 consent flow for players “around the world” and an 18+ check only “in Australia”, to comply with local regulations there. No Epic page read describes an 18+ check for UK players. Kids Web Services’ developer page lists the methods available in the UK: credit card (“KWS authorizes a £0.05 charge for users in the United Kingdom”), ID scan (“In the United Kingdom, users will also be required to take a selfie”) and face scan; debit-card verification is “Worldwide except in … the United Kingdom”. Credit cards only in the UK; KWS’s page lists debit-card verification as unavailable in the United Kingdom. Available in the UK with a selfie; Epic’s own help page for adults correcting a date of birth does not list methods. Listed by KWS as available outside the US and South Korea; Epic’s own help page for adults correcting a date of birth does not list methods.
Is the Epic Games and Fortnite age check a face scan?
A face scan (facial age estimation) is one of 4 recorded methods: Parental consent, Credit card (availability varies by jurisdiction), Photo ID (availability varies by jurisdiction) and Facial age estimation (face scan) (availability varies by jurisdiction). Providers named: Epic Kids Web Services, Epic Kids Web Services (Stripe), Epic Kids Web Services (Veriff) and Epic Kids Web Services (Yoti). Which methods a service offers can change; the date each was checked is shown on the page. Epic describes the under-13 consent flow for players “around the world” and an 18+ check only “in Australia”, to comply with local regulations there. No Epic page read describes an 18+ check for UK players. Kids Web Services’ developer page lists the methods available in the UK: credit card (“KWS authorizes a £0.05 charge for users in the United Kingdom”), ID scan (“In the United Kingdom, users will also be required to take a selfie”) and face scan; debit-card verification is “Worldwide except in … the United Kingdom”. Credit cards only in the UK; KWS’s page lists debit-card verification as unavailable in the United Kingdom. Available in the UK with a selfie; Epic’s own help page for adults correcting a date of birth does not list methods. Listed by KWS as available outside the US and South Korea; Epic’s own help page for adults correcting a date of birth does not list methods.
What does Epic Games and Fortnite keep after the age check?
Parental consent via Epic Kids Web Services: "Once you have successfully verified your age through our Parent Verification or Age Verification service, we will store your verified status alongside your hashed email address." (kidswebservices.com, dated 10 September 2026; checked 18 October 2026). Credit card (availability varies by jurisdiction) via Epic Kids Web Services (Stripe): "the method of verification used, e.g. ‘individual verified by payment card using Stripe’, but we never store the verification details (e.g. your card details) themselves" (kidswebservices.com, dated 10 September 2026; checked 18 October 2026). Photo ID (availability varies by jurisdiction) via Epic Kids Web Services (Veriff): No published retention period found (checked 18 October 2026). Facial age estimation (face scan) (availability varies by jurisdiction) via Epic Kids Web Services (Yoti): No published retention period found (checked 18 October 2026). Epic describes the under-13 consent flow for players “around the world” and an 18+ check only “in Australia”, to comply with local regulations there. No Epic page read describes an 18+ check for UK players. Kids Web Services’ developer page lists the methods available in the UK: credit card (“KWS authorizes a £0.05 charge for users in the United Kingdom”), ID scan (“In the United Kingdom, users will also be required to take a selfie”) and face scan; debit-card verification is “Worldwide except in … the United Kingdom”. Credit cards only in the UK; KWS’s page lists debit-card verification as unavailable in the United Kingdom. Available in the UK with a selfie; Epic’s own help page for adults correcting a date of birth does not list methods. Listed by KWS as available outside the US and South Korea; Epic’s own help page for adults correcting a date of birth does not list methods.
What if the Epic Games and Fortnite age check is not working?
This site records what the service publishes; it does not troubleshoot or offer workarounds. Epic Games and Fortnite's own help page is https://www.epicgames.com/site/cabinedaccounts. The record lists 4 methods; availability depends on the service and account: Parental consent, Credit card (availability varies by jurisdiction), Photo ID (availability varies by jurisdiction) and Facial age estimation (face scan) (availability varies by jurisdiction). If you do not complete the check, the service states: Epic’s Cabined Accounts FAQ: players “will still be able to play Fortnite, Rocket League, or Fall Guys with full access to previously purchased or earned content in-game, but won’t be able to access certain content or features until their parent or guardian provides consent”, or until they reach 13 or the age of digital consent in their region. Epic describes the under-13 consent flow for players “around the world” and an 18+ check only “in Australia”, to comply with local regulations there. No Epic page read describes an 18+ check for UK players. Kids Web Services’ developer page lists the methods available in the UK: credit card (“KWS authorizes a £0.05 charge for users in the United Kingdom”), ID scan (“In the United Kingdom, users will also be required to take a selfie”) and face scan; debit-card verification is “Worldwide except in … the United Kingdom”. Credit cards only in the UK; KWS’s page lists debit-card verification as unavailable in the United Kingdom. Available in the UK with a selfie; Epic’s own help page for adults correcting a date of birth does not list methods. Listed by KWS as available outside the US and South Korea; Epic’s own help page for adults correcting a date of birth does not list methods.
Regulator actions
No Ofcom or ICO action naming this service is recorded as of 18 October 2026.
Sources for this entry
- Epic Games: Cabined Accounts FAQ service help
- Epic Games Support: Why is Epic Games asking for my date of birth again? service help
- Epic Games Support: Parental Verification FAQ (credit-card authorisation or public-records check; Kids Web Services Ltd) service help
- Epic Games Support: How to correct the date of birth on your Epic account service help
- Epic Games Support: Why do I need to verify my age on the Epic Games Store in Australia? (Australia only) service help
- Epic Games Safety: Parental Controls (Fortnite content ratings unlocked with the Parental Controls PIN) service help
- Fortnite news: How Epic Games Cabined Accounts Work in Fortnite (7 December 2022) service policy 7 December 2022
- Kids Web Services developer documentation: Age Verification Service Verification Methods (UK availability) vendor page
- Kids Web Services Privacy Policy (last updated 10 September 2026) vendor page 10 September 2026
Changes to this record
- — seed: Record created from Epic’s own pages (Cabined Accounts FAQ; Why is Epic Games asking for my date of birth again?; Parental Verification FAQ; How to correct the date of birth on your Epic account; Why do I need to verify my age on the Epic Games Store in Australia?; Parental Controls; Fortnite news of 7 December 2022) and Kids Web Services’ verification-methods and privacy-policy pages, read 18 October 2026, with research/01 row 25 as the starting point only. The seed had Fortnite’s gate as unverified; Epic’s pages describe an under-13 parental-consent flow and no UK 18+ check. seed
Correct this entry
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