Fortnite is finally coming back to iOS, but not in the way you think

The Fortnite and Apple logos on phone screens

(Image credit: Shutterstock / adrianosiker.com)

Apple and Epic Games have long been at each other’s throats, with their years-long dispute essentially boiling down to Epic’s complaints over Apple’s App Store fees. The upshot of this is that Fortnite has been unavailable on Apple devices – but not for much longer.

Epic Games has just announced that Fortnite will be coming to iOS devices after all, but not via the App Store. Instead, Epic will distribute Fortnite using AltStore, a third-party app marketplace that launched in April.

Right now, you’ll only be able to get Fortnite this way if you’re a resident of the European Union (EU). That’s because EU regulatory pressure recently forced Apple to allow sideloading and third-party app stores for European users. So far, the company hasn’t permitted these stores to spread anywhere else.

This latest development marks an intriguing new chapter in the Apple versus Epic battle. There’s no solid launch date for Fortnite on AltStore, but it’s thought it could happen before the end of 2024.

Parachuting onto iOS

Epic says it will bring Fortnite to other mobile app stores, provided they “give all developers a great deal.” At the same time, it said it will be “ending distribution partnerships with mobile stores that serve as rent collectors.” To that effect, Epic said it will remove Fortnite from the Samsung Galaxy Store due to Samsung’s “anticompetitive decision to block side-loading by default.”

As well as that, Epic still has plans to bring its Epic Games Store to iOS devices in the EU. The Epic Games Store charges developers 12% for any payments it processes, with 0% charged on third-party payments. Apple’s App Store, on the other hand, charges a variety of fees in the EU depending on a developer’s size, the popularity of their apps, whether their apps are distributed through third-party app stores, and more.

Apple and Epic have been at loggerheads for years, with the latest legal development seeing Apple mostly coming out on top. But that hasn’t stopped Epic trying to unearth new ways of getting its apps into the hands of iOS users without going through Apple’s App Store. Now, it might have finally found a way.

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Alex Blake has been fooling around with computers since the early 1990s, and since that time he's learned a thing or two about tech. No more than two things, though. That's all his brain can hold. As well as TechRadar, Alex writes for iMore, Digital Trends and Creative Bloq, among others. He was previously commissioning editor at MacFormat magazine. That means he mostly covers the world of Apple and its latest products, but also Windows, computer peripherals, mobile apps, and much more beyond. When not writing, you can find him hiking the English countryside and gaming on his PC.