{
  "id": 9355501,
  "title": "Those weird PC noises you've heard are coming from the Epic Games Launcher",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/those-weird-pc-noises-youve-heard-are-coming-from-the-epic-games",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-23T15:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "TechRadar",
    "slug": "techradar",
    "url": "https://www.techradar.com/computing/windows/hearing-odd-sounds-on-pc-but-cant-trace-their-source-epic-games-launcher-could-be-the-culprit-and-epic-wont-let-you-turn-them-off-for-now"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A peculiar phenomenon has been plaguing PC users recently - random, inexplicable sounds emanating from their devices. These unusual noises, discovered by TweakTown on X, were traced back to the Epic Games Launcher, a platform primarily used for playing Fortnite games. The sounds, representing various actions within game parties, such as users leaving, activating or deactivating push-to-talk, and receiving messages, have been playing at random intervals, even when the launcher is not visibly active. Epic has acknowledged the issue, confirming that the launcher was playing the sounds more frequently than necessary. In response, the company is updating the Epic Games Launcher to limit which events produce sound when the application is in the background, thereby reducing the frequency of the mysterious chimes. However, users have requested a complete toggle option to turn off the chimes entirely, but Epic has yet to prioritize this feature. A temporary workaround involves deleting the files located in the Epic Games Launcher's SocialChimes directory; however, this may be overwritten during future updates. The issue has left many PC users puzzled and frustrated, but at least it provides a potential solution while Epic works on a more comprehensive fix.",
  "summary": "Epic Games Launcher has been playing odd 'party chimes' randomly, and Epic isn't letting users turn them off.",
  "key_points": [
    "Random noises from Epic Games Launcher perplex PC users",
    "Sounds from Epic Games Launcher play randomly, even inactive",
    "Epic updating launcher to limit sound events, no toggle option yet"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}