- Fortnite is now available again on iPhones and iPads in the U.S. after a nearly five-year ban.
- The comeback follows a key court ruling in the Epic Games vs. Apple case over in-app payments.
- Players get 20% back in Epic Rewards when using Epic’s payment system on supported platforms.
The war is (finally) over—well, for now. After 1,740 days (nearly five years), Fortnite has made its return on iOS in the U.S. That’s right—Apple users can finally drop back into the island. Epic has confirmed that the iconic battle royale is now available on the Apple App Store, AltStore, and Epic Games Store.
Fortnite was originally removed from the App Store in 2020. It has been an ongoing war between Epic Games and Apple since Epic added its own payment method within the Fortnite app on iOS devices. The first step toward victory royale for Epic was when Fortnite returned to iOS devices in the EU region.
However, following a major court ruling in the Epic Games vs Apple case, where Apple was ordered not to take a cut from purchases made outside its platform, Fortnite has returned. The official confirmation came out right after Epic Games decided to take Apple back to court.
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney confirmed plans to relaunch the game, submitting it to Apple on May 9 through the company’s EU developer account. Although Apple briefly blocked the app’s return to avoid complications in other regions, a judge pressured both sides to settle the dispute and resolved the issue. So, after a quick worldwide iOS takedown, Fortnite is ‘so’ back!
How to Download Fortnite on iOS Devices
On May 21, Fortnite officially reappeared on the App Store. Epic and Apple jointly confirmed that all related issues had been settled. Players can now download a small launcher from the App Store and install the full game, roughly 13GB, for play. To download Fortnite on iOS in the U.S., you must go to the official App Store link and download the game.
Fortnite works on iPhones that have at least 4GB of RAM and are running iOS 17.6 or later. iPhone 11 and newer models support Fortnite as long as they run iOS 17.6 or later. However, the iPhone SE (2nd generation), also known as the iPhone SE (2020), doesn’t support the game because it only has 3GB of RAM. You can check out the detailed list of supported iPhones and iPads here.
To sweeten the comeback, Epic introduced a new promotion. Players using Epic’s own payment system in Fortnite, Rocket League, or Fall Guys across multiple platforms (including iOS) will earn 20% back in Epic Rewards. These can be used on future purchases.
The iOS version now also highlights the 20% bonus during V-Bucks purchases. Alongside the relaunch, Fortnite recently kicked off a new Star Wars-themed season on May 2. This gives the returning players even more reason to jump back in.
Are you one of the iOS users who wanted a return of Fortnite on Apple devices in the U.S.? How excited are you to jump in the battle bus? Do tell us in the comments.
