child-time

How to limit Fortnite time on a Windows PC

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A Fortnite match is “only 20 minutes” — until it's the fifth one. On a PC you can set rules that hold without standing over your child: how many minutes of Fortnite a day, at what hours, and when the computer goes to sleep.

🎬 Video: Limits and sleep mode

A daily limit, hours when the computer rests, and allowed hours for a specific game.

Step 1. Install child-time and let your child play once

Install child-time on your child's computer (5-minute guide). Rules are set per app, and the app list in the dashboard shows what your child has actually opened — so Fortnite appears there after one session with child-time installed. It may be listed as “Fortnite” or by its file name, FortniteClient-Win64-Shipping.

Step 2. Set a Fortnite rule

  1. In the parent dashboard open Kids & limits and tap “⏸ App” next to your child.
  2. Pick Fortnite from the list.
  3. Choose “After a daily minute limit” (for example 60 minutes a day), “Only outside allowed hours” (for example only 5–7 pm on school days), or “Always” to pause it for now.

When the limit is used up, the Fortnite window is minimized if your child opens it, and they see why. Homework apps and everything else keep working.

Set the rule on the game, not the launcher. Fortnite starts from the Epic Games Launcher, but the game itself runs as a separate app. A rule on the launcher only affects the launcher window — put the rule on Fortnite.

Step 3. Add a total limit and a bedtime

A per-game rule is easy to sidestep by switching games, so add a daily limit for the whole computer with “+ Limit” and night hours with “😴 Sleep mode”. Your child sees a timer and gets warnings at 15, 5 and 1 minute left — enough to finish the match instead of quitting mid-game.

Step 4. Make extra time something they earn

Create tasks like “Homework done → +20 minutes”. Your child marks the task done on their PC, you approve it on your phone, and the minutes are added to today's time. They can also send a “more time” request from the timer, and you answer with one tap.

Good to know: child-time sees which apps run and for how long — it doesn't read Fortnite chat or control purchases. For those, use Epic's own parental controls in your Epic account. Give your child a standard (non-administrator) Windows account for the strongest setup.

Related guides: How to limit YouTube time on a Windows PC · Homework before video games: how to make the rule stick · How kids get around screen time limits on Windows — and how to close the gaps

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