Fortnite is coming back to iOS in the US
From EU to U.S., Fortnite’s return marks a turning point for app store control.
As someone with over a thousand hours on Fortnite, this news feels long overdue. Fortnite is officially coming back to iOS in the U.S., after four years in the wilderness. That means U.S. players can finally squad up from their iPhones again, just as they used to.
If you’ve been around since the drama started, you’ll remember Fortnite got booted from the App Store back in 2020 after they tried to bypass Apple’s 30% commission by sneaking in their own payment system. That kicked off a massive legal battle.
Fast forward to today: thanks to a 2021 court ruling that prevented Apple from blocking links to outside payment methods, and Apple being called out for violating that ruling earlier this year, Epic finally found a crack in the walled garden. Via a post on X, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney revealed that the popular game is set to reappear on the U.S. App Store next week.
We will return Fortnite to the US iOS App Store next week.
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) April 30, 2025
Epic puts forth a peace proposal: If Apple extends the court's friction-free, Apple-tax-free framework worldwide, we'll return Fortnite to the App Store worldwide and drop current and future litigation on the topic. https://t.co/bIRTePm0Tv
This is just in time for the new season (confirmed to be Star Wars-themed) that drops this Saturday, May 2.
Besides, a similar rollout already happened in the EU a couple of months back, allowing EU players to download Fortnite on their iPhones via the Epic Games Store, thanks to the Digital Markets Act forcing Apple to allow alternative app stores.
Henry Chikwem
It's not just Fortnite that’s had beef with Apple. Spotify, Xbox’s cloud gaming service, and even Netflix have all clashed with Apple over the same issue: the App Store’s tight grip on how apps can monetise. They’ve either pulled features, created workarounds, or pushed legal pressure, but Fortnite’s return might be the most visible sign that the tide is finally turning.
To be clear, Fortnite never really went anywhere—it stayed massive on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch, pulling over 250 million active players and peaking at 14 million concurrent players. But for mobile gamers, especially the casual crowd or those who only have their phones with them, this return changes things.
This isn’t just about one game coming back. It’s about Apple losing some control and developers finally getting some leverage. So, whether you will be checking out the OG Battle Royale gamemode to relive nostalgia or just following the bigger tech battles, this is one to watch.
