If you want to get your grubby gamer paws on all those free games coming to the Epic Games Store through the rest of the year, you’ll need to step up your security. This week, Epic announced that gamers will need to enable two-factor authentication on their accounts in order to claim the giveaways.
“Beginning today and ending on May 21, we will periodically require two-factor authentication prior to claiming free games on the Epic Games Store,” Epic announced, with an in-store notification making users aware of the change. If you try to claim a free game without 2FA enabled, you’ll be prompted to activate the feature first.
“We are making this change in an effort to encourage our players to take steps to strengthen their Epic account security,” the company said. Two-factor authentication pushes a unique code to another device after you’ve signed in with your password for additional security. You can turn on 2FA in the Password & Security section of your Epic Games Store profile, and opt to receive the extra security code via text message, email, or a dedicated authenticator app.
EpicPairing two-factor authentication with a strong, unique password greatly enhances the protection for your online accounts. You should do it for every critical service you’re signed up for, especially accounts that tie into payment methods or other sensitive data. We’ve got guides to the best password managers and the best two-factor authentication apps if you need help getting situated.
Several services reward users for activating 2FA these days, but Epic was at the forefront of the trend. It’s been offering Fortnite players the in-game Boogiedown Winner’s emote for activating two-factor authentication since summer 2018.