HeatGames heatgames.me HeatGames data breach: what happened and what to do
In June 2021, the now defunct gaming site HeatGames was breached, and the data later spread in a larger collection. HIBP lists 647,896 accounts. Exposed: email addresses, IP addresses, countries and salted MD5 password hashes.
View all 13,177 breaches- Breach date
- 12 Jun 2021
- Affected
- 647,896
- Data exposed
- Email addresses, Geographic locations, IP addresses, Passwords
- Verified
- Yes
- Last updated
Source: Have I Been Pwned (CC BY 4.0)
Reviewed by Anthon Wansland
Head of Product & Co-Founder
Serus is a privacy company with paid tools to find and remove your personal data. This page is free and based on official sources.
What happened
HeatGames was a gaming website that no longer operates. In June 2021 it suffered a data breach, and the data was later redistributed as part of a larger corpus of data. Have I Been Pwned (HIBP) lists 647,896 affected accounts, with the breach dated 12 June 2021 and added on 28 January 2025.
Sources checked: haveibeenpwned.com, consumer.ftc.gov, cisa.gov
Last verified against the official page:
What was exposed
HIBP lists email addresses, geographic locations, IP addresses and passwords. The passwords were stored as salted MD5 hashes, which are weak by modern standards and can be cracked.
What that lets criminals do
The main risk is credential stuffing: attackers take an email and a cracked password and try them on other sites. If you reused your HeatGames password anywhere, that account is at risk. Email addresses also feed spam and phishing.
What to do
The site is gone, so there's nobody to ask. Change the password anywhere you used the same one, and turn on two-factor login. A password manager makes it easy to give every account its own password, so one old leak can't open your other accounts.
What to do if you were in it
- 1
Change your password, and any you reused
Change your HeatGames password, and the password on every other account where you used the same or a similar one. Use a unique password for each account (see CISA's guidance).
- 2
Turn on two-factor login
Add two-factor authentication to your important accounts, starting with email. CISA recommends turning it on wherever it's offered.
- 3
Expect phishing that mentions the breach
Treat unexpected emails, texts and calls with suspicion, especially ones that mention this breach or ask you to act fast. Don't click links in them; go to the company's site yourself. The FTC explains how to spot phishing.
- 4
Check whether your email or phone is in this and other breaches
Run a free Serus scan to see which breaches include your email or phone number. Serus monitors breach databases and the dark web and alerts you when your details show up in a new leak. It can't remove data that has already leaked.
Timeline
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The breach happened
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Added to Have I Been Pwned
Frequently asked
Was I affected by the HeatGames breach?
Search your email on Have I Been Pwned or run a free Serus scan. HIBP lists 647,896 accounts.
What was exposed?
Email addresses, IP addresses, countries and salted MD5 password hashes.
Should I change my password?
Yes, anywhere you used your HeatGames password. MD5 hashes can be cracked.
Can I get my account deleted?
HeatGames no longer operates, so there's no one to contact.
Sources
Something wrong or out of date? Tell us and we'll re-check it.
