Epic Games Launcher is pretty annoying. Not only it takes time to launch but it keeps on running in the background when you are playing the game. I don’t know if you have ever noticed but the launcher keeps using system resources like RAM and a little bit of CPU. This is obviously no good for a low-end PC or an old laptop. However, you don’t need to worry as we have written 5 ways on How to launch Fortnite without Epic Games launcher.
How to Launch Fortnite without Epic Games Launcher
- Head over to Program Files\Epic Games\Fortnite\FortniteGame\Binaries\Win64
- locate a file name ‘FortniteClient-Win64-Shipping.exe‘
- Right-click on that file and create a shortcut
- Place that shortcut on the Desktop
- Open Fortnite using that shortcut.
If you use this method you will be able to launch Fortnite without Epic Games Launcher. This method can also be used for other Epic Games as well like Control, Horizon zero dawn, etc. However, if you encounter any issue while launching the game, you can try going to the properties of the FortniteClient-Win64-Shipping.exe file and running the game with different compatibility settings. Try using Compatibility mode for Windows 7.
Other ways
There is another way to do this and it seems to be the most straight forward way but there is a catch. Well, you can just Uninstall the Launcher by executing the uninstall.exe file from the Launchers program files. However, when a new update or a new season arrives, Fortnite will not run properly on your computer. In that case, you will again have to install the launcher and update the game.
If you want to prevent Epic Games launcher from running in the background while you are playing a game, you can do it manually. Every time you start the game just minimize it and close the launcher from the taskbar. This won’t close the game as most people will expect.
No, we are not finished yet, there is one more way and it also works on most of the other Epic Games but there are exceptions. Just open the game files, locate the (game).exe file and create a shortcut in the same folder, Open the properties of the shortcut, and in the target field add ‘-EpicPortal’ at the end. See the screenshot below.
According to the source, this trick will not work on these below-listed games. You can still try this method and check if it works for you.
- Sinking City
- Farming Simulator 19
- Kingdom Come Deliverance
- Metro Exodus
- Just Cause 4
- Beyond Two Souls
- Detroit Become Human
- Heavy Rain
- Zombie Army 4
- Grand Theft Auto 5
- Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
- Borderlands: 2
- Crashlands
- Borderlands: 3
- Man Eater
- Snowrunner
- Ark season pass
Additional way
One more way that definitely works with Fortnite is when you open the game, right-click on the Fortnite icon from the taskbar and select ‘Pin to Taskbar’ that’s it. You can now launch the game directly from there and you won’t need the Epic Games launcher for that.