How to update your Epic Games Launcher and enable automatic game updates

The Epic Games Launcher is an indispensable tool for gamers, offering access to hundreds of games and the ability to manage them with ease. Updating the launcher and the games you play is essential to ensuring you have the latest features, bug fixes, and security patches. However, the process of updating the launcher and games may not be immediately clear to some users.

In this article, we will delve into the steps required to update your Epic Games Launcher and enable automatic game updates. We will provide a step-by-step guide for both PC and Mac users, and offer tips for ensuring your games stay up to date.

How to Update Your Epic Games Launcher

The Epic Games Launcher is designed to be self-updating, which means it will automatically update itself whenever a new version is available. There is no need to manually check for updates or download and install them yourself. However, there are a few ways to force the launcher to update if you want to make sure you have the latest version.

graph TD A[Start] --> B(Update Epic Games Launcher) B --> C{Automatic update} C --> D[Enable automatic updates for games] C --> E[Manually update games] D --> F{Game update available?} F -- Yes --> G[Auto-update game] F -- No --> H[Manual update required]

Method 1: Restart the Epic Games Launcher

One way to update the Epic Games Launcher is to restart it. When you restart the launcher, it will automatically check for updates and install them if any are available. Here's how to do it:

Click on the Epic Games Launcher icon to open it.
If you are using a Mac, right-click on the icon and select "Quit." If you are using a PC, click the small upward-pointing arrow in the taskbar's right-hand corner, then right-click the Epic Games Launcher icon and select "Exit."
Wait a few moments to ensure the launcher has completely shut down.
Launch the Epic Games Launcher again.

When the launcher restarts, it will automatically check for updates. If there are any available, it will download and install them.

Method 2: Uninstall and Reinstall the Epic Games Launcher

If the above method doesn't work, you can try uninstalling and reinstalling the Epic Games Launcher. This will ensure you have the latest version of the launcher installed on your computer.

Here's how to uninstall the Epic Games Launcher:

On a PC, go to "Add or Remove Programs" in the Control Panel. On a Mac, drag the Epic Games Launcher icon to the Trash.
Follow the prompts to uninstall the launcher.

Here's how to reinstall the Epic Games Launcher:

Go to the Epic Games website and download the latest version of the launcher.
Follow the prompts to install the launcher.

Once the Epic Games Launcher is installed, it will automatically check for updates and install them if any are available.

How to Enable Automatic Game Updates

Enabling automatic game updates is essential to ensure that the games you play are always up to date with the latest features, bug fixes, and security patches. Here's how to do it:

Launch the Epic Games Launcher.
Click on "Settings" in the left-hand navigation window.
Scroll down to the "Manage Games" area and ensure that "Allow Auto-Updates" is checked.
Expand the menu for each game whose automatic updates you want to enable.
Ensure that the "Auto-update" option is checked for those games.
Once you have enabled automatic game updates, the Epic Games Launcher will automatically download and install updates for your games whenever they become available.

FAQS

Q: How do I know if a game needs to be updated? A: The Epic Games Launcher will notify you when an update is available for any game that you have installed.

Q: What happens if I don't enable automatic updates for my games? A: If you don't enable automatic updates, you'll have to manually check for updates and download them yourself. This can be time-consuming and frustrating.

Q: Can I update the Epic Games Launcher from within the app? A: No, you can only update the Epic Games Launcher by restarting it when an update is available.

Q: Do I need to keep the Epic Games Launcher open for games to update? A: No, the Epic Games Launcher will automatically update games even if it's closed.