With Fortnite Returning to iOS in Europe, How Can Users in the United States Access the Game on Their Apple Devices?

Europe’s new Digital Markets Act (DMA) law that regulates digital platform services has brought some great news for Epic Games and Fortnite fans. According to this new law, Apple is compelled to allow third-party app stores on their iOS devices. Hence, gamers in the EU will finally be able to play Fortnite on their Apple devices natively.

Although the new law will allow fans to access the latest Fortnite season on their iOS devices, it is restricted to Europe at present. In fact, even Britishers will not be able to enjoy the same benefits because the United Kingdom left the EU in 2020. Similarly, due to the United States not being a part of the EU, the DMA law does to apply to people in the States, who still require a workaround to access Epic’s battle royale on their Apple devices.

Remember Fortnite on iOS?

How bout we bring that back.

Later this year Fortnite will return in Europe on iOS through the @EpicGames Store.
(shoutout DMA – an important new law in the EU making this possible). @Apple, the world is watching. pic.twitter.com/VdHWTe8i1c

— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) January 25, 2024

Nevertheless, fans in the United States need not get disheartened as they can still use a cloud gaming service to access Fortnite’s latest update on their Apple devices. Two of the most popular cloud gaming services on the market at present are Nvidia’s Geforce Now and Xbox Cloud Gaming. While Nvidia’s service is completely free, we recommend fans spend $10 per month for the Priority tier or $20 for the Ultimate Tier to get a stable experience. On the other hand, Xbox Cloud Gaming will set one back by $16.99/month, although for that price they will gain access to every single title on the Xbox Game Pass.

Why can’t US users play Fortnite natively on their iOS devices?

Epic Games and Apple have had a long-standing legal battle which started when the former accused the Cupertino-based company of charging exceptionally high fees on its native app store. Subsequently, Epic found a way for users to circumvent Apple’s payment system, which did not sit well with the tech giant. Hence, they ended up banning Fortnite and all other Epic related apps from the iOS platform.

Interestingly, even after the ban, users had access to the game if they kept it installed on their devices. However, Epic was unable to update the app accordingly, and at present, users who have the game on their devices can only access three-year-old content. Nevertheless, cloud gaming is the only workaround at present, and with Fortnite returning to Apple devices in the EU, this might be the first step towards Epic Games’ victory