In 2020, Epic Games instigated the mother of all battle royale matches against tech behemoths Apple and Google, the result of which still affects mobile Fortnite players. That year, Epic Games added a direct payment option to Fortnite's mobile versions that set up Apple and Google to potentially lose money (the companies take a 30% cut from in-app sales). The result? Apple and Google retaliated by blocking the game from their app stores, and Epic Games responded with lawsuits.
This means that you can no longer download Fortnite from the big two app stores. However, you can leverage clever methods to sidestep these blocks. Android users have a much easier time of it, since they can sideload the app from other sources. Apple fans can play Fortnite on their mobile devices, too, but they must be OK with streaming the action to their handsets.
Fortnite's availability on other platforms remains unchanged (with the exception of macOS, which is no longer supported). The Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC still support Fortnite, and they may be the best course of action for gamers hoping to avoid this messy mobile malarkey. However, if you're dead set on playing Fortnite on mobile, follow these steps.
How to Play Fortnite on Android
Before Fortnite arrived on the Google Play Store, Epic Games required you to sideload the game onto your device. Now that Google has removed it from its app store, the sideloadable version is once again relevant, particularly if you want Fortnite's latest version. Installing Fortnite as an Android user isn't particularly challenging, regardless of the phone or tablet you use. Here's how to do it:
- Head to Fortnite's Android install page. On non-Android devices, this page shows a QR code you can scan with your phone. On Android devices, this page includes a download link for the Epic Games app. Select that download link.
- A security prompt that reads This type of file can harm your device. Do you still want to keep the .apk? will appear. Tap OK to dismiss the prompt, and then open the .apk file.
- Your browser will display a message: For your security, your phone is not allowed to install unknown apps from this source. Select the Settings option on this pop-up.
- On the Install unknown apps page, toggle the Allow from this source option. Then, navigate back to the browser and hit the Install option. Once the installation completes, click the Open option on the resultant pop-up.
- In the Epic Games app, tap the Fortnite thumbnail and then Install.
- A pop-up similar to the one in the third step will display. Tap Settings to give the Epic Games app permission to install apps. After toggling that setting, return to the Epic Games app and tap Install.
- Tap Open once the installation completes.
- You may need to approve permissions and tap through a prompt that warns you that the app was built for an older Android version. Then you can sign into your Epic account (or create a new one) and start playing.
- Go back into your phone's settings and revoke both your browser's and the Epic Games app's ability to install unknown apps.
We cannot stress enough the importance of revoking the ability to install unknown apps, particularly for your mobile browser. You never know what a website will try to download onto your device if that capability is left unchecked. We recommend you install an Android antivirus app to protect your device from malware and other harmful downloads. If you don't feel comfortable with these steps from a security standpoint, there are plenty of other excellent Android games you download from the Google Play Store.
For Samsung device owners, Epic Games created a designated portal that can be used to download the Epic Games App via the Samsung Galaxy Store. This lets you skip the steps detailed above.
How to Play Fortnite on iOS
Apple's Fortnite removal has more drastic consequences than Google's similar action, because you can't directly install the game. If you already have Fortnite installed on your phone, you can continue to play it, but you won't be able to access the new season updates. If you previously had the game installed, but deleted it for some reason, you may be able to reclaim it. Head to the App Store > Purchased > My Purchases to check for the game.
Game streaming is an option to consider if you absolutely must get your hands on Fortnite via your iPhone or iPad. Both Nvidia's Geforce Now and Xbox Cloud Gaming let you stream games from your respective libraries onto the device of your choice via a web browser. This may not be the solution you were hoping for, but it is an alternative worth considering.
To stream Fortnite, you need either an Nvidia Geforce Now or Xbox Live account. If you do not have a Geforce Now account, you can sign up here. Once you decide which service to use, the streaming process is fairly similar for both.
- Navigate to either the Geforce Now Play or the Xbox Play page via your Safari browser.
- Navigate to the Fortnite page via search, or by finding the appropriate panel on the page.
- Select Play.
- You will be prompted to select the Share button on the toolbar at the bottom of your iOS device. Do so.
- Swipe up and select Add to Home Screen from the Share menu.
- Launch Geforce Now or Xbox Cloud Gaming. This will create an icon for the respective app on your Home Screen.
- Tap the icon, and sign in. You should be good to go at this point!
Another method you can try, though we do not recommend it, is to purchase an iPhone with Fortnite already installed. Head to eBay, for example, and search for "iPhone with Fortnite installed." Again, we advise against shelling out hundreds of dollars to buy an iPhone with Fortnite already installed, because that is quite frankly a ridiculous price to pay for a game that is free on so many other platforms. If you cannot fathom giving up on your mobile Fortnite dreams, consider buying a cheap Android phone instead.
For Apple-sanctioned mobile games, check out our roundup of the best Apple Arcade games.
What Is Fortnite's Future on Mobile?
Epic Games is still locked in litigation, which means the future of Fortnite on mobile is anyone's guess. Android players can better weather this storm, because of the option to sideload the game. No one knows how any of these companies will emerge from this standoff, but it is worth noting that Apple has taken fire over its App Store payment policies from many other companies, including Facebook, Microsoft, Netflix, and Spotify.
You can play Fortnite for free on nearly every other gaming platform, so your options are hardly limited. Once you have it loaded up on your device of choice, check out our collection of Fortnite gameplay tips.