Crash/Freeze Fortnite

Game Security Violation & Application Hang - Fortnite Fix Guide

📅 Published: 2026-02-06 🔄 Updated: 2026-02-06 👥 Reports: 3 ⚡ Severity: 🟢 Low

🎯 Quick Answer

Perform a clean reinstall of the Epic Games Launcher and Fortnite to resolve conflicting anti-cheat files and corrupted game data causing the security violation and hang.

SECTION 1: OVERVIEW

The "Game Security Violation" and "Application Hang Detected" errors constitute a dual-failure state in Fortnite on Windows. The security violation is a hard stop triggered by the Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC) or BattleEye service when it detects a system state it cannot validate as secure. The application hang indicates the game process has become unresponsive, typically during match initialization or gameplay, failing to return control to the operating system. This issue primarily affects the Windows PC version of Fortnite across multiple game client builds, with no known prevalence on console platforms. The frequency classification is occasional, often correlating with specific game or system updates. The severity is game-breaking, as it results in an immediate application crash and potential matchmaking penalties. The exact error messages present in the failure are "Application Hang Detected" and "Game Security Violation".

SECTION 2: SYMPTOMS

The system exhibits a sequence of failure modes. The initial symptom is game process unresponsiveness, characterized by a frozen display and no response to input. This triggers an "Application Hang Detected" dialog window. Upon forced termination or timeout, a secondary "Game Security Violation" window from the anti-cheat service appears. The crash may generate a separate Epic Games crash reporter dialog. In some instances, the process fails to terminate cleanly, leaving residual Fortnite or anti-cheat processes running in the background, which blocks subsequent launches. The errors occur during match loading or within the first minutes of gameplay.

SECTION 3: COMMON CAUSES

Category: Software Conflict Specific technical explanation: Third-party application hooks interfering with the game or anti-cheat memory space. This includes overlay software (Discord, Xbox Game Bar), RGB peripheral controllers (Razer Synapse, iCUE), screen recorders, or system monitoring tools. Why this causes the problem: Anti-cheat services monitor for unauthorized code injection. Benign software using similar injection methods for overlays triggers a false-positive security violation. Category: Configuration Error Specific technical explanation: Corrupted or outdated Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC) service installation located in C:\Program Files (x86)\EasyAntiCheat or BattleEye service files. Why this causes the problem: The anti-cheat module fails a self-integrity check or cannot establish a secure handshake with the game client, resulting in a violation error. Category: Game Bug Specific technical explanation: Mismatched or corrupted game file versions between the Fortnite client and its required dependencies, often following an incomplete update via the Epic Games Launcher. Why this causes the problem: The game executable attempts to call a function from a DLL that is missing or has an unexpected checksum, causing a hang that the anti-cheat then interprets as malicious activity. Category: Software Conflict Specific technical explanation: Outdated, corrupted, or incompatible graphics driver, specifically NVIDIA GeForce Game Ready Driver versions 531.x or AMD Adrenalin Edition versions 23.x, which contain known stability issues. Why this causes the problem: Driver-level faults cause the DirectX 12 renderer to hang. The anti-cheat service detects the suspended game thread as a potential tampering attempt. Category: Configuration Error Specific technical explanation: Incorrect system date, time, or timezone settings. Why this causes the problem: Anti-cheat services use system time for certificate validation and security token expiry. A significant time discrepancy invalidates these tokens, causing a violation. Category: Hardware Issue Specific technical explanation: Faulty RAM or an overclocked CPU/GPU operating outside stable parameters. Why this causes the problem: Memory corruption or calculation errors during gameplay introduce data inconsistencies that the anti-cheat system flags as a security breach. Category: Software Conflict Specific technical explanation: Conflicting security software (antivirus, firewall) quarantining or blocking essential Fortnite or Easy Anti-Cheat files like FortniteClient-Win64-Shipping.exe or EasyAntiCheat.sys. Why this causes the problem: Real-time scanning intercepts file reads/writes, and firewall rules block the anti-cheat service's network communication, simulating tampering behavior.

SECTION 4: SOLUTIONS

Solution 1: Verify Game Files and Repair Anti-Cheat

Difficulty: Easy Time Required: 10-15 minutes Success Rate: High Prerequisites: Epic Games Launcher installed, active internet connection. Steps:

Launch the Epic Games Launcher and navigate to your Library.
Locate Fortnite, click the three dots (...) below the game title, and select Manage.
In the Manage menu, click the Verify button. This initiates a scan and repair of all game files.
After verification, close the Epic Games Launcher completely via the system tray.
Navigate to the Fortnite Easy Anti-Cheat installation folder: C:\Program Files (x86)\Epic Games\Fortnite\FortniteGame\Binaries\Win64\EasyAntiCheat.
Right-click the EasyAntiCheat_Setup.exe file and select Run as administrator.
In the setup window, select Fortnite from the dropdown menu and click Repair Service. Wait for completion.
Restart the computer and launch Fortnite.

Technical Explanation: This process replaces missing or corrupted .pak game asset files and ensures the Easy Anti-Cheat service files and kernel driver (EasyAntiCheat.sys) have correct permissions and integrity. Verification: Launch Fortnite and complete a full match without the security violation dialog appearing. Check the Windows Event Viewer for absence of Error Code 1000 or 1002 from the FortniteClient-Win64-Shipping.exe application.

Solution 2: Perform a Clean Graphics Driver Reinstall

Difficulty: Medium Time Required: 20 minutes Success Rate: High Prerequisites: Administrator access, internet connection to download driver. Steps:

Download the latest graphics driver from NVIDIA (https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx) or AMD (https://www.amd.com/en/support).
Download Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) from https://www.guru3d.com/download/display-driver-uninstaller-download/.
Boot Windows into Safe Mode. Access this by pressing Windows Key + R, typing msconfig, going to the Boot tab, checking Safe boot, selecting Minimal, and clicking OK. Restart.
In Safe Mode, run DDU as administrator. Select your GPU vendor (NVIDIA/AMD/Intel) and click Clean and restart.
After the restart, install the previously downloaded graphics driver package. Select Custom (Advanced) installation and check Perform a clean installation.
Complete the installation and restart the system normally.

Technical Explanation: DDU removes all remnants of previous driver installations, including registry entries and leftover files, which are a common source of DirectX 12 instability that leads to application hangs. Verification: Open the DirectX Diagnostic Tool (dxdiag) and confirm the Driver Model is WDDM 3.0 or higher and no errors are listed on the Display tab. The hang error should not recur.

Solution 3: Temporarily Disable Conflicting Software

Difficulty: Easy Time Required: 5 minutes Success Rate: Medium Prerequisites: Knowledge of running applications. Steps:

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
End tasks for the following common conflict applications: Discord.exe, Overwolf.exe, Razer Synapse 3.exe, Corsair iCUE.exe, MSI Afterburner.exe, RivaTunerStatisticsServer.exe, NVIDIA GeForce Experience.exe.
Press Windows Key + G to check if Xbox Game Bar is active. If so, open its Settings (cog icon) and disable it.
For security software, add exclusions to Windows Security. Open Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Manage settings. Under Exclusions, add the following folders:

- C:\Program Files\Epic Games - C:\Program Files (x86)\EasyAntiCheat - C:\Program Files (x86)\BattlEye

Launch Fortnite. If successful, re-enable applications one by one to identify the specific conflict.

Technical Explanation: This eliminates software that uses DLL injection or kernel hooks, allowing the anti-cheat to initialize without detecting potential false positives, isolating the conflicting process. Verification: Fortnite launches and runs without the violation error while the software is disabled. The conflict is identified when the error returns upon re-enabling a specific application.

Solution 4: Reset Network and Time Services

Difficulty: Medium Time Required: 10 minutes Success Rate: Medium Prerequisites: Administrator access. Steps:

Right-click the Windows clock in the taskbar and select Adjust date and time.
Ensure Set time automatically and Set time zone automatically are toggled ON. Click Sync now.
Press Windows Key + R, type cmd, then press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open Command Prompt as administrator.
Execute the following commands in order, pressing Enter after each:

w32tm /resync netsh winsock reset netsh int ip reset ipconfig /release ipconfig /renew ipconfig /flushdns

Restart the computer after executing all commands.

Technical Explanation: Synchronizing time ensures anti-cheat security certificates are valid. Resetting the Windows Socket (Winsock) catalog and TCP/IP stack clears network corruption that can disrupt the anti-cheat's secure communication with its validation servers. Verification: The system time is correct to within one second of an internet time server. The anti-cheat violation related to network authentication does not occur.

Solution 5: Execute a Clean Boot and Test

Difficulty: Advanced Time Required: 15 minutes Success Rate: High Prerequisites: Administrator access. Steps:

Press Windows Key + R, type msconfig, and press Enter to open System Configuration.
Navigate to the Services tab. Check Hide all Microsoft services, then click Disable all.
Go to the Startup tab and click Open Task Manager. Disable every startup item in Task Manager.
Close Task Manager, click OK in System Configuration, and restart the computer.
After booting into the clean environment, launch only the Epic Games Launcher and Fortnite.
If the error does not occur, return to msconfig and re-enable services and startup items in groups of 5, restarting and testing Fortnite each time, to isolate the conflicting service.

Technical Explanation: A clean boot starts Windows with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs, providing a controlled environment to isolate the exact background service or driver causing the conflict with the anti-cheat system. Verification: Fortnite operates without error in the clean boot state. The problematic service is identified through systematic re-enablement when the error recurs.

Solution 6: Perform a Full Clean Reinstall of Epic Games Launcher and Fortnite

Difficulty: Medium Time Required: 30-60 minutes Success Rate: High Prerequisites: Administrator access, bandwidth to re-download Fortnite. Steps:

Uninstall Fortnite via Windows Settings > Apps > Apps & features.
Uninstall the Epic Games Launcher via the same method.
Manually delete any remaining folders:

- C:\Program Files\Epic Games - C:\Program Files (x86)\Epic Games - C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Local\EpicGamesLauncher - C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Roaming\Epic Games

Press Windows Key + R, type regedit, and press Enter. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE and delete any Epic Games or EpicGamesLauncher keys. (Exercise caution in the registry).
Restart the computer.
Download the latest Epic Games Launcher installer from epicgames.com and install it as administrator.
Log in, install Fortnite to a default directory, and launch it.

Technical Explanation: This removes all layered configuration files, cached updates, and registry entries that may have become desynchronized, ensuring a pristine installation of both the launcher framework and game client with fresh anti-cheat integration. Verification: A successful launch and completion of multiple matches confirms the corruption was in the previous installation artifacts. New log files are generated in %LOCALAPPDATA%\FortniteGame\Saved\Logs without crash reports.

SECTION 5: PREVENTION

Maintain system stability by updating graphics drivers within two weeks of a stable release from the manufacturer, not using beta drivers for primary gameplay. Configure Windows Update to install automatically. Before major Fortnite seasons, perform a game file verification via the Epic Games Launcher. Establish a standard exclusion list in security software for the Epic Games and anti-cheat directories. Avoid modifying game files or using unsupported cosmetic injectors. Monitor system temperatures using hardware tools to ensure thermal