If you can’t add a friend on Epic Games, the cause is usually one of six things: you’re trying from the wrong place, your friend list is full, a request limit or an existing pending invite is blocking the request, the other player has blocked you on an external platform, the recipient’s privacy setting is set to no one, or a child account needs a parental PIN. Epic’s support documentation covers each case, and most can be ruled out in a few minutes.
Use a supported place to send the request
Epic friend adding works through the Epic Games Launcher and the Epic Games Mobile App. It is not available directly from the Epic Games Store website. If you are trying to add someone from a browser, switch to one of the two supported apps.
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Adding a friend in the Epic Games Launcher
- Open the Epic Games Launcher and sign in.
- Open the Friends List.
- Choose Add friend.
- Search for the player’s Epic Games Display name. Epic’s help article notes that a partial word can help you find the right name.
- Select the correct profile and send the request.
Adding a friend in the Epic Games Mobile App
Open the Social section of the app and use the Add friend control. The search works the same way: enter the display name, confirm the profile, and send the request.
Check whether a request limit or pending invite is blocking you
Epic’s invite-troubleshooting article lists several states that stop invites from being sent or received. Each one needs a different response, so identify which applies before you resend anything.
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#1 Best Overall
- Redeemable on accounts in the United States and in U.S. Dollars.
- Gift card must be redeemed at EpicGames.com/redeem. This gift card WILL NOT work if redeemed directly on a console device (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, etc.)
- If you play Fortnite experiences on a console device, you need to link your Epic Games account to your console account(s) so items purchased at Fortnite.com/item-shop appear across all of your linked accounts
- Requires internet connection, valid Epic account and prior acceptance of the terms
- Redemption: Online
| Blocker | Who it affects | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Recipient has 500 incoming requests | The person you are trying to add | Wait. The request can succeed later once their queue drops. Resending repeatedly will not help. |
| Sender has 500 or more pending outgoing requests | You | Cancel older outgoing requests. Epic’s cancel-request guidance is linked from the same troubleshooting article. |
| A request is already pending | Either player | Do not send a duplicate. Check your pending requests and wait for a response, or cancel the existing one. |
| Blocked on an external platform | Either player | The block exists on another platform, so Epic’s support articles do not describe an in-Epic fix. Contact the other player directly, or follow the platform’s own process. |
Check the 1,000-friend limit
Epic states that most accounts can have up to 1,000 friends. When your list is at that count, you need to remove or edit existing friends before a new one can be added.
Accounts that were already above 1,000 friends are handled differently. For those lists, Epic’s capped-list article says the limit is fixed at the number of friends the account had on August 19, 2020. The account has to be brought below 1,000 before the standard 1,000 limit applies going forward. If your list is over 1,000 and you have not reduced it, expect new requests to fail until you do.
Rank #2
- Redeemable on accounts in the United States and in U.S. Dollars.
- Gift card must be redeemed at EpicGames.com/redeem. This gift card WILL NOT work if redeemed directly on a console device (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, etc.)
- If you play Fortnite experiences on a console device, you need to link your Epic Games account to your console account(s) so items purchased at Fortnite.com/item-shop appear across all of your linked accounts
- Requires internet connection, valid Epic account and prior acceptance of the terms
- Redemption: Online
Check the recipient’s friend-request privacy setting
A player can stop all incoming friend requests. You cannot change this for someone else, so if their setting blocks you, the only way to add them is for them to change it. The current menu paths in Epic’s help pages are:
- Epic Games Launcher: Friends List, then the profile icon, then Communication settings, then Friend requests, then Nobody.
- Fortnite: Settings, then Account and Privacy, then Social Privacy, then Friend Invite permission, then No One. Apply the change afterward.
Menu labels can change between updates, so if a label differs slightly, look for the friend-request or friend-invite option in the same section.
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- Redeemable on accounts in the United States and in U.S. Dollars.
- Gift card must be redeemed at EpicGames.com/redeem. This gift card WILL NOT work if redeemed directly on a console device (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, etc.)
- If you play Fortnite experiences on a console device, you need to link your Epic Games account to your console account(s) so items purchased at Fortnite.com/item-shop appear across all of your linked accounts
- Requires internet connection, valid Epic account and prior acceptance of the terms
- Redemption: Online
Child accounts and the parental PIN
On a child account, adding or sending friend requests can require a PIN that the parent or guardian sets. Epic’s parental-controls article describes this requirement.
- If the PIN is known: enter it when prompted and retry the request.
- If the PIN is unknown: reset it using Epic’s PIN reset flow. The parent or guardian must complete this.
- To stop repeated prompts: in Fortnite, the parent or guardian can open Parental Control settings and switch off “Require PIN to add Epic friends.” Only the parent or guardian should make this change, because it removes a safeguard they set.
Rocket League uses a different flow
In Rocket League, friend adding is done inside the game rather than through the Launcher. Open the Friends List, choose Add Epic Friend, and enter the other player’s Epic ID. Note that this uses the Epic ID, not the display name used in the Launcher search. Child accounts may also need a parent or guardian PIN to send and accept requests.
Rank #4
- An Epic Games account is required to redeem an Epic Games Store Card code
- If playing on a console platform (PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, Nintendo Switch or Mobile) you need to link your Epic Games account to that gaming platform (one time) to redeem your gift card code
- The 16 digit code on the back of the card WILL NOT work if redeemed directly through your gaming platform (PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, Nintendo Switch, Mobile, etc.)
- Note: Nintendo devices do not support Fortnite Shared Wallet, so V-Bucks purchased using your account balance will not show up on your Nintendo device. However, if you purchase items in the web Item Shop — or another platform where you play Fortnite — those items will be available in your Locker across all platforms.
- Redemption: Online
Troubleshooting order
- Confirm you are using the Launcher, the mobile app, or the in-game flow for your game.
- Confirm you have the right name: display name in the Launcher and mobile app, Epic ID in Rocket League.
- Check your own friend count against the 1,000 limit.
- Check for pending requests and your outgoing request count.
- Ask the other player to check their privacy setting and incoming request queue.
- If the account is a child account, check the PIN requirement with the parent or guardian.
If none of these explain the failure, the restriction is most likely an external-platform block, which only the other player can address.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- An Epic Games account is required to redeem an Epic Games Store Card code
- If playing on a console platform (PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, Nintendo Switch or Mobile) you need to link your Epic Games account to that gaming platform (one time) to redeem your gift card code
- The 16 digit code on the back of the card WILL NOT work if redeemed directly through your gaming platform (PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, Nintendo Switch, Mobile, etc.)
- Note: Nintendo devices do not support Fortnite Shared Wallet, so V-Bucks purchased using your account balance will not show up on your Nintendo device. However, if you purchase items in the web Item Shop — or another platform where you play Fortnite — those items will be available in your Locker across all platforms.
- Redemption: Online
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