As far as I remember, Google was the first one to provide a security feature called two-factor authentication (2FA) for all the Google accounts. All the others soon followed the suit. Now almost all the online services have one or other kind of 2FA feature available. What 2FA does is that adds an additional layer of security to the login procedure. After entering the usual username and password, you also have to enter a special time based code that is either sent to your mobile phone through SMS text message, email message or is generated by an authenticator app. Since only you have this code, your account stays secure even if someone somehow manages to steal your username and password.
Epic Games Store allows you to use three different methods for two-factor authentication – authenticator app, SMS text message, or email message. When you use an authenticator app, you can launch that app on your mobile phone and it will generate a code that has to be entered on the Epic Games login screen. Similarly, with the other two methods, the code will be sent to your mobile phone as a text message or email message which has to be used for login.
Here is how you can enable two factor authentication (2FA) for Epic Games:
- Visit https://www.epicgames.com/account/password in your web browser. You may have to login using username and password.
- Scroll down and under the Two-Factor Authentication, click on any one of the three methods – Authenticator App, SMS Authentication, or Email Authentication.
- If you choose Authenticator App method, then you will have to install an app such as Google Authenticator, Authy, Microsoft Authenticator or RedHat FreeOTP on your smartphone. Using these apps, you can scan the QR code from Epic Games screen and then it will be all set. To finish the setup, you have to enter the code generated from these apps in the Epic Games settings and click on Activate.
- If you choose SMS Authentication method, then you have to enter your mobile number, then you will receive a code on your phone. You have to enter this code on Epic Games settings to verify and finish the setup.
- If you choose Email Authentication method, then you will receive a code through email message to the email address that you have been using in your Epic Games account.
After you have setup any of these 2FA methods for your Epic Games account then next time you will try to login to your account, you will have to first enter the username and password followed by the code from your mobile phone.