- Fortnite players must enable Secure Boot, TPM, and IOMMU in their BIOS to participate in competitive matches.
- The addition of IOMMU specifically blocks external devices like the Cronus Zen that manipulate memory and recoil.
- Players who don’t meet these standards will be barred from participating in competitions.
Epic Games is enhancing the competitive integrity of Fortnite with new, stronger security requirements for all PC-based tournaments, effective February 19, 2026. Designed to make the playing field fairer for all competitors, this policy requires Secure Boot, TPM, and IOMMU to be enabled on participating systems. With this, Epic aims to ensure that skill, not cheating, determines the outcome, ultimately giving the more dedicated players greater confidence in every tournament.
Epic Gaming has previously required a system compatible with the TPM 2.0 module and Secure Boot enabled for certain “high-level” tournaments. An account level of 350 or higher is required for these tournaments, which is typically the only level that grants access to cash prizes. This requirement became effective on February 27, 2025. They’ve now chosen to tighten security further.
Epic Games’ most major move here is to include IOMMU as the third necessary component to safeguard Fortnite from cheats. This tool is essential for preventing the introduction of hardware-based cheats. IOMMU enables the operating system to govern how hardware devices access memory, thereby protecting the game’s memory from cheat hardware. Of course, this includes blocking devices such as the Cronus Zen.
It’s worth noting that Electronic Arts began prohibiting the use of this controller in Battlefield 6 last October, citing that it changes gameplay and gives players a competitive advantage.
Currently, the IOMMU requirement only applies to PC users participating in sanctioned competitions. In practice, if you want to enter a tournament but do not meet the eligibility requirements, the game will block you from participating. For now, these accounts will not be banned; they will be unable to participate in the tournament until all three security elements are enabled.
Furthermore, Epic Games is attempting to allay concerns about these protective mechanisms. They claim that if your computer is compatible with Windows 11, you probably already meet the requirements or can activate it without altering any hardware. In fact, 95% of Fortnite gamers on PC already use Windows 11.
Secure Boot and TPM aim to enhance boot integrity and make it harder for certain forms of malware or cheats to bypass Fortnite’s anti-cheat system before it engages. Epic Games defines Secure Boot as a measure that prevents malicious malware from inserting itself into the boot process.
However, IOMMU provides an entirely different approach, restricting “cheats” that rely on hardware memory access. According to Epic, IOMMU protects game memory against hardware hacks. Controllers like the Cronus Zen are especially disruptive in shooters like Fortnite.
They can assist with everything from targeting other players to reducing weapon recoil. To enable IOMMU, the user must enter the BIOS and select the option labeled Intel VT-d or AMD-Vi, depending on the user’s hardware.
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Sajjad Hussain is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Tech4Gamers.com. Apart from the Tech and Gaming scene, Sajjad is a Seasonal banker who has delivered multi-million dollar projects as an IT Project Manager and works as a freelancer to provide professional services to corporate giants and emerging startups in the IT space.
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