After verifying UE 4.27.2 files unable to launch editor, getting LS-0013 error

Okay my UE 4.27.2 was working fine on itself, but after yesterday epic launcher update apparently I was unable to launch any of my projects (this thread here UnrealVersionSelector.exe no longer works with UE4 ) so I was trying to fix this and stupidly decided to run verification of my UE 4.27.2 engine via epic game launcher. It was doing something for a while and succefully finished the verification process BUT NOW I CAN’T EVEN RUN THE UE 4.27 EDITOR ITSELF, I’m getting LS-0013 error - unable to launch Unreal Engine. It suggests to verify the files again, but it doesn’t help. And all of this started after I verified the Unreal files in the first place!

What should I do now, help.

Update: cleared epic launcher cache, reinstalled epic launcher itself, deleted and installed again unreal 4.27.2, and it didnt help.

this is so weird, i started getting the same error yesterday when i try to regenerate my project files, i thought it was something i did. maybe it’s just a coincidence that we got the same error on the same day, idk

now, im trying to build from source and when i run Setup.bat, i get this error:

Failed to download ‘http://cdn.unrealengine.com/dependencies/UnrealEngine-14459053-db7f6ad484004c2783a21055ce44aaa5/00d84d0071516dbe62d38541d941bda3fc8243d9’: The remote server returned an error: (403) Forbidden. (WebException)

yeah.. something weird is definitely going on. I just hope they’ll fix this anytime soon…

(post deleted by author)

another update: I’ve downloaded and installed Unreal 5.5.4 (via epic launcher and I never had Unreal 5.5.4 on my computer before) and got LS-0013 error right away when tried to launch the editor.

But then I downloaded and installed Unreal 5.6.1 (once again via epic launcher and I hadnt this Unreal version on my computer before) and it launched perfectly fine.

i got these fixes by asking claude sonnet ai about your issue, i would ask an ai how to fix the issue. Epic has an ai helper on the left side of this page called Developer Assistant:

The LS-0013 error in Unreal Engine typically indicates a licensing or launcher communication issue. Here are the most common fixes:

Quick Fixes (Try in Order)

  1. Restart Epic Games Launcher

    • Fully close the Epic Games Launcher (check system tray)
    • Reopen it and wait for it to fully initialize
    • Try launching Unreal Engine again
  2. Sign Out and Sign Back In

    • Open Epic Games Launcher
    • Sign out of your account
    • Sign back in
    • Launch the engine
  3. Check Internet Connection

    • The launcher needs to verify your license online
    • Ensure you’re not behind a restrictive firewall/proxy
    • Try disabling VPN temporarily
  4. Clear Launcher Cache (Windows)

    • Close Epic Games Launcher completely
    • Navigate to: %localappdata%\EpicGamesLauncher\Saved\webcache
    • Delete the entire ‘webcache’ folder
    • Restart the launcher
  5. Run as Administrator

    • Right-click Epic Games Launcher shortcut
    • Select “Run as administrator”
    • Try launching UE again
  6. Verify Engine Installation

    • Open Epic Games Launcher
    • Go to “Unreal Engine” tab → “Library”
    • Click the dropdown next to your engine version
    • Select “Verify”
  7. Check Windows Credentials

    • Open Control Panel → Credential Manager
    • Go to “Windows Credentials”
    • Remove any Epic Games/Unreal Engine entries
    • Restart launcher and sign in again
  8. Firewall/Antivirus

    • Temporarily disable antivirus
    • Add exceptions for:
      • EpicGamesLauncher.exe
      • UnrealEditor.exe (or UE4Editor.exe)
      • Port 80, 443 (outbound)
  9. Re-associate File Types (If launching from Visual Studio)

    • Navigate to your .uproject file’s directory
    • Right-click the .uproject file
    • Select “Open with” → Choose UnrealVersionSelector.exe
    • Check “Always use this app”

    UnrealVersionSelector.exe location:
    C:\Program Files (x86)\Epic Games\Launcher\Engine\Binaries\Win64\UnrealVersionSelector.exe

    Or run this command (replace paths as needed):
    “C:\Program Files (x86)\Epic Games\Launcher\Engine\Binaries\Win64\UnrealVersionSelector.exe” /switchversion “C:\Path\To\YourProject.uproject” “4.27”

  10. Nuclear Option: Reinstall Launcher

Common Root Causes

  • Launcher offline mode → Sign out/in, check internet
  • Corrupted cache → Clear webcache folder
  • Wrong file associations → Re-run UnrealVersionSelector.exe
  • Firewall blocking → Add launcher/editor exceptions
  • Expired session → Restart launcher

Note: Try fixes 1-3 first — they resolve 80% of LS-0013 errors.