Troubleshooting Epic Games Launcher Update Issues
Been there myself—opening the Epic Games Launcher only to find it stuck on “Updating” or refusing to update altogether. Sometimes, the games don’t sync properly either, or the launcher gets caught in a weird loop. Very frustrating, especially if you’re eager to jump in and play. After a bit of trial and error and some late-night troubleshooting, here’s what finally helped me sort it out.
Forcing the Epic Games Launcher to Close
First things first — if the launcher’s not responding, you’ll need to force it to quit. Yep, just end the process and restart. It sounds straightforward, but often it’s the quickest way to clear whatever’s hanging up. If clicking “Update” does nothing or the app’s frozen on the loading screen, killing it forcibly is the way to go.
How to Force Close on Windows
Press Ctrl + Shift + Escape to open the Task Manager directly — no fiddling around, which is a relief. In the Task Manager, look for “Epic Games Launcher” under the Processes tab. On some versions of Windows, it may be listed as EpicGamesLauncher.exe. Right-click on it and select “End Task.”
If you see multiple instances or it seems like nothing’s happening, check the “Details” tab (particularly on Windows 10/11). Sometimes, related background processes keep running silently, and ending all of them can do the trick. It took me a few goes to realise I needed to kill all related processes — don’t leave any hanging!
And if the GUI won’t close, you can also do a quick command-line kill: open Command Prompt as an administrator and run taskkill /IM "EpicGamesLauncher.exe" /F. It’s a bit more techy, but worth a try if everything else fails. That finally sorted it for me when the launcher just refused to shut down.
Reopening the Launcher
Once it’s closed, reopen the launcher as usual. Sometimes, a quick restart of your PC helps if the process was stuck in limbo. If it still won’t update, try force quitting and restarting a couple of times, or give your computer a full reboot. Not the sleekest fix, but it often does the trick.
Checking Epic’s Server Status
If restarting the launcher doesn’t work and it still won’t update, double-check whether Epic’s servers are online. Sometimes, the issue isn’t on your end but with their servers being down or overloaded. I usually check the Epic Games Server Status page or visit Downdetector.com. If there’s a big outage, the graphs there will tell you — if there’s a spike or warning, that’s probably why your updates are stalled. Patience might be the only option while they sort it out.
Manually Triggering Game Updates
Sometimes, the launcher is running fine, but a particular game gets stuck in update purgatory. Happens to me after a server hiccup or if the launcher gets into that strange state where it refuses to check for new files. In those cases, a manual nudge can fix it.
How to Force Updates Manually
Open the Epic Launcher, go to Library. Find the game that’s not updating. Click the three dots (ellipsis) next to it — sometimes labelled “Manage” or “More Options.” In the menu, ensure Auto-Update is turned on. Maybe it was disabled after a crash or recent update, and toggling it back on can sort it out.
If auto-updates are already enabled but the game’s still stuck, try verifying the game files. Do this by clicking the three dots again and selecting Verify (or sometimes called “Check for Updates”). It’s a quick scan that compares your local files to the server, fixing mismatches—usually by re-downloading certain files or the whole game.
Why Manually Updating Can Help
This step often breaks the update deadlock. Toggling auto-updated or verifying files prompts the launcher to check for updates that the automatic system might’ve missed—especially after server outages or crashes. It took a few tries for me, but patience and a bit of fiddling usually do the trick. Remember, verifying files rather than just waiting can get things moving again.
Honestly, if none of these tips work, uninstalling and reinstalling the launcher might help clear stubborn issues. Or do a full Windows restart, including checking for pending Windows Updates (Settings > Windows Update)—sometimes, missing updates cause odd behaviour.
Also, don’t forget to check your firewall or antivirus settings. Windows Defender or third-party firewalls can block parts of the launcher’s traffic, preventing updates. I’ve had to add Epic Games Launcher as an exception in my firewall settings before, which sorted out a lot of headaches.
Hopefully, this helps — it took me ages to figure it out! Good luck, and here’s hoping this saves someone a weekend of frustration.