Fortnite on Windows ARM: Epic Games’ Anti-Cheat Support Enables Play

The Challenges of Gaming on Snapdragon-Powered Windows PCs

Windows PCs powered by modern Snapdragon chipsets offer decent graphics capabilities; however, they fall short of being classified as true gaming machines. While these devices can handle casual gaming, a significant hurdle remains: the compatibility of anti-cheat software.

Anti-Cheat Software Hurdles

One of the primary obstacles is the necessity of kernel-level drivers, which are difficult to emulate. This limitation is particularly problematic for popular games that utilize anti-cheat systems like Easy Anti-Cheat, preventing titles such as Fortnite from functioning on Windows operating systems running on ARM architecture. Fortunately, solutions are in the works from key industry players.

Collaboration for Solutions

Epic Games has announced its initiative to port Easy Anti-Cheat to Windows on ARM. This development is crucial because numerous contemporary multiplayer games rely on this software to combat cheating. Integrating anti-cheat systems will significantly increase the library of multiplayer games available for devices like the Surface Pro 11 and Surface Laptop 7.

Hundreds of today’s multiplayer games—including Fortnite—rely on Easy Anti-Cheat to counter hacking and cheating in multiplayer PC games. In addition to releasing Windows on Snapdragon anti-cheat support for Fortnite, we will bring this support to developers through an Epic Online Services SDK release. This will enable developers using Easy Anti-Cheat to bring this compatibility to their own games. Battle-testing Windows on Snapdragon anti-cheat support with Fortnite will help ensure smooth implementations in other games. We look forward to enabling players to enjoy their favorite Epic Online Services Anti-Cheat-enabled games on the latest Windows devices powered by Snapdragon X Series.

Current Status and Future Prospects

At this juncture, specific dates for the availability of Fortnite on Windows on ARM remain unspecified. Nonetheless, Epic Games has indicated that the rollout should occur later this year.

Known Issues with Windows 11

In addition to the developments surrounding anti-cheat software, it’s important to note that there is currently a known issue with Windows 11 version 24H2 affecting Easy Anti-Cheat compatibility. This bug has prevented some gamers from upgrading their systems, although updating games to their latest versions may resolve the compatibility issue.

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