DMA setup for Fortnite: what the build needs
Fortnite runs Easy Anti-Cheat, and Epic now enforces Secure Boot, TPM and IOMMU for tournament play. What that means for a DMA build, and the order to start a session in.
Short answer
Fortnite runs Easy Anti-Cheat, so a DMA build keeps the reader on a second PC and only the card in the game machine. Epic now requires Secure Boot, TPM and IOMMU for PC tournament play, and IOMMU is aimed directly at PCIe memory-reading hardware. For Fortnite, this store sells an external cheat (/products/fortnite-external) and a DMA cheat with Streck, Direct and Blurred builds (/products/fortnite-dma).
On this page9
- Which anti-cheat does Fortnite use?
- Which BIOS features does Epic require?
- Why IOMMU is a real conflict for a DMA build
- What hardware does a Fortnite build need?
- In what order should you start everything?
- Pre-match checklist for Fortnite
- Common Fortnite problems and their usual causes
- Common questions about Fortnite builds
- Is a Fortnite build working right now?
Which anti-cheat does Fortnite use?
Fortnite uses Easy Anti-Cheat, which Epic has owned outright since buying Kamu in 2018. EAC loads a kernel-mode driver on the game PC and runs as long as the game does, watching process memory, module integrity and loaded drivers. Epic also layers server-side statistical and machine-learning detection on top, which analyses the match data on its own, whatever the client reports. The reason DMA architecture exists on an EAC title is that the driver can only inspect the machine it is loaded on. A DMA build therefore puts the software that reads memory on a different machine.
Which BIOS features does Epic require?
Epic required TPM and Secure Boot for higher-tier PC tournaments from 27 February 2025. From 19 February 2026 the requirement covers every PC tournament and includes IOMMU, although casual play was not part of that announcement. Read the third row carefully before you spend money.
| Feature | What it does | Effect on a DMA build |
|---|---|---|
| Secure Boot | Checks that only signed boot components load, so nothing unsigned starts before Windows. | No direct effect on the card. It constrains what else can be running on the game PC, and it is a prerequisite for the other two being trusted. |
| TPM | Attests the boot state and supplies a hardware-backed identity the platform can key bans to. | No direct effect on the card. It makes hardware identity harder to change, which is the spoofer question, not the DMA question. |
| IOMMU (VT-d / AMD-Vi) | Makes the platform mediate which regions of system memory a PCIe device may touch. | This is the one aimed at this hardware class. Epic named PCIe add-in boards explicitly when it announced the requirement. |
These are tournament requirements as announced, not launch requirements for every player. Because this kind of scope tends to widen, check the current rules on Epic's own competitive rules page before you plan around them.
Warning
Why IOMMU is a real conflict for a DMA build
Most DMA guides say to leave virtualisation and IOMMU off on the game PC, because an enforcing IOMMU changes what a PCIe device may read. Epic now requires IOMMU on for PC tournament play, and no configuration trick reconciles those two positions. If you play Fortnite tournaments, do not read any of this as a shopping list: it explains why the architecture is under pressure on this title. Ask about the current state before buying, and do not accept a seller's assurance that this is handled.
What hardware does a Fortnite build need?
A radar or ESP build for Fortnite needs a card in the game PC, firmware flashed for that card and a second PC running the reader. To see the output, a second monitor is the cheap answer, while a fuser puts the overlay on your main screen instead. Reading memory produces information, never motion, so anything that assists aim needs a separate input device the game PC accepts as a real USB mouse. Fortnite builds tend toward the full stack for that reason. A listing that mentions aim without an input device is an incomplete stack, and you will pay for the missing part later.
In what order should you start everything?
The order is not arbitrary, because the game PC powers the card and enumerates it. The second PC's reader can only attach to something that already exists, and EAC evaluates the game PC's state when the game starts.
- Boot the game PC first and let Windows reach the desktop
- Boot the second PC and confirm the card enumerates before you open anything
- Start the reader on the second PC and confirm it attaches to the card
- Launch the Epic Games Launcher, then Fortnite, and let EAC finish loading
- Attach to the game process from the second PC only once you are past the loading screen
- If you run a fuser, set the game to borderless windowed, because a display-mode switch resyncs the video path mid-match
Pre-match checklist for Fortnite
- You checked the status board row for this title today, not last week
- Fortnite has not patched since the row was published, counting both client patches and the server-side hotfixes Epic ships between them
- The card is in its data port and the reader attached before the game launched
- If you play tournaments, you have read Epic's current PC security requirements yourself
- The game is in borderless windowed if a fuser is in the video path
- The input device, if you run one, is recognised by the game PC as a mouse before the match starts
- You have a plan for the next patch: stop playing rather than retry an old build against a new client
Common Fortnite problems and their usual causes
These setup faults are listed in the order they turn up in support tickets, and none of them is fixed by buying a bigger card.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Reader attaches, overlay stays empty in-match | The reader attached before the game finished loading, or the build predates the current client | Detach, get into the match and re-attach. If the overlay is still empty, check the status board for this title before anything else |
| Everything worked yesterday, nothing works after a Fortnite update | The client moved, which is the expected result of a patch and not a fault in your hardware | Stop playing, check the status board and wait for a published build rather than retrying the old one |
| Fuser goes black when the game starts or when you alt-tab | Exclusive fullscreen forces a display-mode change and the video path resyncs | Switch the game to borderless windowed and set the same resolution and refresh rate on both machines |
| Input device is ignored in-game but works on the desktop | The device enumerated after the game had already claimed input, or the game PC is filtering it | Connect the device before launching and restart the game, then confirm it appears as a standard mouse in Device Manager on the game PC |
| Game refuses to launch after you changed BIOS settings | Epic's PC requirements or your own platform integrity settings are no longer satisfied | Put the BIOS back the way it was, confirm the game launches, then change one setting at a time |
Common questions about Fortnite builds
Does Fortnite require Secure Boot and TPM for everyone?
As announced, no: the requirement covers PC tournament play. Epic required TPM and Secure Boot for higher-tier tournaments from 27 February 2025. From 19 February 2026 the set covers all PC tournaments and includes IOMMU. Requirement scopes widen over time, so check Epic's current rules yourself.
Does a DMA build install anything on the Fortnite PC?
The architecture exists so that it does not. The game PC gets a PCIe card and the drivers Windows chooses for it, while the reader software lives on the second machine. If someone tells you to install a driver on your Fortnite PC for a DMA build, that removes the reason you bought DMA.
Is a Fortnite DMA build safe from bans?
No build on any title is safe from bans, and anyone telling you otherwise is selling something. EAC runs a kernel driver on the game PC, Epic runs server-side behavioural analysis on each match, and Epic has also taken legal action against sellers. The risk is real and changes weekly, and how you play is part of it.
How often does Fortnite break a build?
Expect breakage on client patches, and expect those patches often, with server-side hotfixes shipped between them as well. Plan around a title that changes frequently, and read the status board before each session rather than after a problem.
Can I run radar only, without an input device?
Yes. Reading memory gives you information such as position, direction and loot, and a radar on a second screen needs no input device at all. It is the cheapest complete build and the one with the fewest moving parts.
Info
Is a Fortnite build working right now?
Anti-cheat architecture changes over months, while build state changes over hours. What EAC is, what Epic requires and what the stack needs are stable, but current build state is shown only on the live status board. The board shows when a status was published and when the game itself last patched. A status published before the game's latest patch is a stale row, not a confirmation that the build works.
Sources
The EAC notes and tournament rules come from bench work rather than a published source, and Epic keeps widening those rules, so the dates go out of date.
Read next
- DMA setup for Apex Legends: EAC and the season cycle
- DMA setup for Rust: EAC and the monthly wipe cycle
- What are DMA cheats and how do they work
- BIOS settings for DMA on the game PC
- How to read the build status board
- Battlefield 6: an anti-cheat that starts before the game does
- DMA setup for Dead by Daylight: EAC, anti-cheat trials and 4v1 play
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