Fortnite

Epic Games made good on its recent promise by bringing Fortnite back to the iPhone and iPad in the U.S. after a federal court injunction forced Apple to change App Store rules around payments and commissions. Nearly five years after its removal, the game returns with a major change. Still, Fortnite is only available through the App Store in one region, and there are several reasons it could be removed again.

After a nearly five-year hiatus, Fortnite is back on the App Store for iPhone and iPad users in the United States. Epic Games announced the return of the battle royale gaming app this afternoon, and you can head to the App Store now to download it.

Fortnite is also back in the Epic Games Store and AltStore in the European Union.

If there’s one constant in the lustrum-long Epic Games v. Apple lawsuit, it’s that Tim Sweeney, Epic’s CEO, tends to… get creative when it comes to publicly interpreting and promoting the company’s legal wins.

Late last Friday, Epic once again tried to spin a limited courtroom victory into a public-relations campaign. Now, it has been granted a chance to make the antics fly in court.

Last week, Epic Games resubmitted Fortnite to the App Store in the United States. This followed a court ruling that stated Apple wasn’t allowed to charge a 27% commission on payments conducted through external payment services on the U.S. App Store.

However, when it submitted the new version of Fortnite for app review, Epic Games didn’t hear back for quite some time.

If you closely follow Apple’s inner workings (and since you’re here, I’m guessing you do), you know Phil Schiller has always been known for his unrelenting and fierce protectiveness of Apple and the App Store.

This is why perhaps the most surprising aspect of Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers’s recent scathing order to Apple in the Epic Games case was how Schiller emerged as the uncompromising good cop within the circular walls of Apple Park.

But here’s the thing: outwardly, Schiller is still Schiller.

Update May 16, 2025, 8:36 a.m. PT: Apple tells Bloomberg that it did not take action to block Epic Games from releasing its Fortnite update in the European Union. Instead, the company asked it to resubmit the EU update without including the US to avoid impacting other regions.

There’s still no word on the status of Epic’s attempt to bring Fortnite back to the App Store in the US.

Last week, Epic Games announced that it had submitted Fortnite to the App Store in the United States. The move followed an injunction in which a federal judge said Apple couldn’t charge a 27% commission on out-of-app purchases initiated through in-app links.

In a new statement today, however, Epic says that Apple has “blocked” this submission…

Epic Games submitted Fortnite to the App Store for review on Friday. Now what? The version under review offers both Apple’s in-app purchase system and an external payment option via the Epic Games Store. But despite recent policy changes forced by a federal injunction, Apple isn’t legally required to approve the app. Still, rejecting Fortnite could deal Apple a blow in the court of public opinion, especially as its standing with developers continues to slip.

Update: Epic Games says it has submitted Fortnite to the U.S. App Store for review. The ball is now in Apple’s court to approve the app submission.

If Fortnite does return to the U.S. App Store this week, it won’t be before Friday. That’s according to Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, who shared an update on the long-awaited comeback today.

Epic Games‘ five year legal battle against Apple has cost the developer well over $100M in legal fees alone, and CEO Tim Sweeney says that the total cost has been north of a billion dollars.

While Sweeney thinks it was worth it, one high-profile Apple commenter has his doubts – suggesting the legal victory doesn’t necessarily mean Fortnite will be allowed back into the App Store …

Last week after a judge ordered Apple to allow apps third-party payment links at zero commission, Epic Games announced Fortnite would relaunch on the iPhone in the US. There was one potential problem though, and now that’s seemingly been resolved.

Epic Games founder and CEO Tim Sweeney has announced that the company will submit Fortnite to the iOS App Store in the U.S. next week. The move follows a court decision that ruled against Apple’s App Store practices. However, Fortnite’s return isn’t a sure thing yet…

The latest twist in the long-running legal fight between Apple and Epic Games has delivered a major blow to the company’s App Store operations. In a ruling issued Tuesday, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers found Apple in willful violation of a 2021 injunction designed to stop the company’s anticompetitive App Store practices.

According to the 80-page order, Apple “thwarted the injunction’s goals” by imposing new fees and obstacles that continued to stifle competition, despite clear instructions from the court. The judge didn’t just sanction Apple — she referred the matter to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for possible criminal contempt proceedings.

Epic Games has announced that it plans to bring Fortnite back to the iPhone and iPad in another region following a recent antitrust ruling against Apple.

Epic Games relaunched Fortnite in the EU a couple days ago, after a 4 year legal battle with Apple over the App Store’s 30% revenue cut. Apple announced changes to app distribution in the EU earlier this year, and Epic is finally taking advantage of it to bring Fortnite back to Apple platforms.

Epic Games relaunched Fortnite in the EU a couple days ago, after a 4 year legal battle with Apple over the App Store’s 30% revenue cut. Apple announced changes to app distribution in the EU earlier this year, and Epic is finally taking advantage of it to bring Fortnite back to Apple platforms.

The Epic Games Store is now available for iPhone users in the European Union, after Apple was forced to allow third-party app marketplaces as part of compliance with the EU’s Digital Markets Act.

Most notably, this means Fortnite is now once again available to download on the iPhone … if you are in the European Union. You can get the Epic Games Store by visiting this page on your device. Beyond its own store, Epic is also releasing Fortnite on AltStore PAL.

Epic Games announced today that Fortnite is coming back to the iPhone very soon in the EU. When it does, it will arrive not only in the new Epic Games Store, but also third-party mobile stores like AltStore.

Back in December, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) hit Fortnite maker Epic Games with the “largest penalty ever” for violations against children over privacy issues and tricking them into purchases. Now $245 million of the total $520 million penalty has been finalized for those who were victims of “dark patterns” that led to unwanted and unknown in-game charges. We’ll also cover how to get a refund if you believe you or your family was impacted by Epic’s practices.

It’s been more than two years since the popular game Fortnite was removed from the App Store after Epic Games updated it with a payment system that bypassed Apple’s in-app purchases. However, as Apple is now rumored to allow alternative app stores on the iPhone and iPad, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has teased that Fortnite will return to iOS soon.

Amid the ongoing legal battle between Apple and Epic Games, Fortnite is coming back to the iPhone and iPad thanks to Microsoft. The popular battle royale game is now available on Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming platform, which is supported on iPhone and iPad via Safari.