After five long years, Fortnite has finally returned to the iOS App Store - but it's not available everywhere yet

• Fortnite has returned to the App Store in the US after a 5-year absence
• iPhone and iPad users can now download the massively popular battle royale shooter once again
• The legal dispute between Epic Games and Apple is still ongoing

Fortnite has returned to the App Store in the US after a five-year absence, bringing one of the world’s most popular games back to iPhone and iPad.

As of right now, iPhone and iPad users can head to the iOS or iPadOS App Store and find Epic Games’ battle royale shooter and virtual experience platform available for free download.

As mentioned, Fortnite is one of the world's most-played games. Its most popular mode is a third-person shooter, which pits up to 100 players against each other on an island filled with unique locations and quirky weaponry.

Fortnite was first added to the App Store in 2018, but just two years later, Epic Games and Apple would begin a legal dispute that continues to this day.

Fortnite’s return to iPhone and iPad is a major milestone in said dispute, which revolves around the commission Apple charges on apps and in-app purchases.

In general, Epic has accused Apple of trying to form a monopoly through the App Store, while Apple has sought to protect its right to charge commission on in-app transactions. Apple charges a 30% commission on purchases made through the App Store, which extends to in-app purchases that use Apple's payment system.

The official Fortnite X account shared news of the game's return in a post that reads “Fortnite is BACK on the App Store in the U.S. on iPhones and iPads”.

According to ActivePlayer, Fortnite had been downloaded from the App Store 133 million times before it was removed – and with an estimated 500 million downloads across all platforms, it’s likely to rank amongst the most popular games of all time.

A lot has changed since Fortnite was last available on the App Store – the game has grown from a battle royale only to a Roblox-style platform for official and user-generated experiences, including tie-ins with Lego and Rocket League.

Fortnite has been available on iPhone and iPad in the EU since August 2024, but that’s because the EU's Digital Markets Act forces phone makers to support third-party storefronts – including the Epic Games Store.

And in other regions, such as Australia where Epic Games and Apple are engaged in a separate legal dispute for similar reasons, the game hasn't returned to the App Store yet.

A new chapter?

As we previously covered, Fortnite was originally removed from the App Store following a dispute between Epic Games and Apple over the way in-app purchases are handled.

Fortnite’s in-app purchases, consisting of subscriptions and the iconic V-Bucks virtual currency, are how the free game makes money from users.

In 2020, Epic Games added its own payment system to the app to circumvent the commission Apple charges on these in-app purchases – between 15% and 30% according to the Associated Press.

Apple responded by removing Fortnite from the App Store, and Epic Games suspended support for the iOS and iPadOS versions of the game soon after, and after further legal battles eventually allowed alternative payment systems to operate at a 27% commission.

After an appeal from Epic Games, Apple was ordered to stop collecting commission on alternative payment systems, and on May 19 US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers asked Apple why it was still blocking Fortnite without authorization from the court.

While Fortnite is now officially back on the App Store, the dispute between these tech titans isn’t over just yet – another hearing is scheduled to take place on May 27. We'll have the latest updates via our mobile gaming coverage.

Still, this is major news for Fortnite fans across the US, who can now get back to looting and shooting from their iPhone or iPad. Let us know if you’ll be dropping in in the comments below.

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