Epic Games Launcher 500 Error | Step-By-Step Guide To Fixing

A “500 Error” in the Epic Games Launcher typically means “Internal Server Error.” This often happens when the Epic servers are overloaded (common during big game updates or free giveaways) or when your local launcher’s data cache has become corrupted.

Here is the step-by-step guide to fixing it, ordered from the easiest solution to the most effective.

1. The “Wait and See” (Check Server Status)

Before troubleshooting your PC, check if the problem is on their end.

• Visit the Epic Games Public Status Page.

• Look for “Epic Games Store” or “Launcher.”

• If it says “Degraded Performance” or “Under Maintenance”: You cannot fix this. You must wait for them to fix their servers.

• If it says “Operational”: Proceed to step 2.

2. Fully Restart the Launcher (Do not skip this)

Clicking the “X” often just minimizes the launcher to your system tray. You need to kill it completely to force a fresh server connection.

• Right-click the Epic Games icon in your system tray (bottom right of your screen, near the clock).

• Select Exit.

• Wait a few seconds, then re-open the launcher.

3. Clear the Launcher Web Cache (Most Likely Fix)

If the servers are up, this is the most common solution. It removes temporary data that may be “stuck” on an error state.

1. Close the Epic Games Launcher completely (as in Step 2).

2. Press Windows Key + R on your keyboard.

3. Type %localappdata% and press Enter.

4. Open the folder EpicGamesLauncher.

5. Open the folder Saved.

6. Locate the webcache folder (or webcache_4147, webcache_4430, etc.).

7. Delete the entire webcache folder.

8. Restart your computer and launch Epic Games.

   (Note: The launcher will regenerate this folder fresh when you sign back in).

4. Adjust Network Settings

Sometimes your ISP’s DNS lookup fails to connect to Epic’s specific login servers.

• Flush DNS:

  1. Press Windows Key and type cmd.

  2. Right-click Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator.

  3. Type ipconfig /flushdns and press Enter.

• Disable Proxy/VPN:

  • If you use a VPN or proxy, turn it off, as Epic’s security systems often block these connections, resulting in server errors.

5. Run as Administrator

• Right-click your Epic Games Launcher shortcut.

• Select Run as Administrator.

• This ensures the launcher has permission to write new cache files if the old ones were locked.

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