The event was won by Győző Kulcsár of Hungary, the nation's first medal in the men's individual épée.

[2] Seven of the eight quarterfinalists from the 1964 Games returned: gold medalist Grigory Kriss of the Soviet Union, silver medalist Bill Hoskyns of Great Britain, fourth-place finisher Gianluigi Saccaro of Italy, fifth-place finisher Bogdan Gonsior of Poland, sixth-place finisher Claude Bourquard of France, and seventh-place finishers Orvar Lindwall of Sweden and Franz Rompza of the United Team of Germany (now competing for West Germany).

Hoskyns (1958) was a former World Champion, as were Roland Losert of Austria (1963) and Zoltán Nemere of Hungary (1965); Kriss would win in 1971.

The two-time reigning World Champion (1966 and 1967) was Aleksey Nikanchikov of the Soviet Union.

The 1968 tournament continued to use a mix of pool play and knockout rounds, but with substantial changes from 1964.