Epic Games has temporarily removed the Dumb Ways to Die Fortnite item gift bundle after players discovered a way to claim 800 V-Bucks for free. The issue arose when users exploited the Epic Games Store mobile app by claiming the free Dumb Ways to Die game on both iOS and Android, which led to duplicate grants of the bundle and the bonus currency.
Dumb Ways to Die is free to claim through the Epic Games Store mobile app, and that claim normally also grants the corresponding Fortnite item gift bundle. If a player already owned the bundle before the promotion they would be given 800 V-Bucks as a make-good. The exploit let some players receive both the bundle and the 800 V-Bucks even when they did not previously own the item, prompting Epic to step in.
We've temporarily disabled the Dumb Ways To Die Fortnite item gift bundle to prevent an issue with players in Fortnite receiving duplicate cosmetics and V-Bucks. The bundle will be available again on January 22nd at 11am ET.
Fortnite players who redeemed multiple free copies and…
— Fortnite Status (@FortniteStatus) January 16, 2026
According to the Fortnite Status support account, “We’ve temporarily disabled the Dumb Ways to Die Fortnite item gift bundle to prevent an issue with players in Fortnite receiving duplicate cosmetics and V-Bucks. Fortnite players who received multiple free copies and incorrectly received 800 V-Bucks will have the V-Bucks removed in the coming days.” The post also states the bundle will return on Thursday January 22 at 8am PT / 11am ET / 4pm GMT / 5pm CET.
The exploit specifically relied on claiming the free Epic Games Store entry for Dumb Ways to Die on both mobile store platforms, which caused the store to grant both the in-game bundle and the 800 V-Bucks that should only apply as a make-good for existing owners. Epic’s temporary removal is intended to stop duplicate cosmetics and currency from being issued while the team fixes the underlying issue.
Players who legitimately received 800 V-Bucks because they already owned the bundle prior to this offer should not be affected, but Epic advises users to keep an eye on their balances. The original free claim and promotion details are posted on the Epic Games Store news page.
Follow updates through the Epic Games Store announcement and watch your Fortnite V-Bucks balance if you claimed Dumb Ways to Die on mobile during this window.
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