Fortnite will become the top free game in the US app store

Epic Games has done well with its recent promise by reverting Fortnite to the US iPhone and iPad after a federal court injunction forced Apple to change its App Store rules on payments and fees. Almost five years after deletion, the game is back with a major change. Still, Fortnite is only available from the App Store in one region, and there are several reasons why you can delete it again.

Payment Battle Royale

Players are first presented with payment options before purchasing in-game currency, known as V-Bucks. When you purchase V-Bucks on Fortnite, you have two options: the Epic Games store and the Apple in-app purchase system. The Apple version is familiar, fully integrated and already configured.

The Epic Games Store button opens in your browser instead of staying in the app, but you get an epic reward bonus of 20% to use. Even if the flow isn’t that smooth, if you’re making regular purchases of epic game stores, it’s even better value. You will not be allowed to present this choice before a court injunction, particularly in marketing incentives.

Fortnite has been absent from the App Store since 2020 after the epic game took the app’s direct payment options for v-Bucks to purposefully violate Apple’s rules. The move was a calculated protest against Apple’s 30% fees on in-app purchases, sparking a long-standing antitrust battle between the two companies.

EPIC claimed victory after a federal judge determined that Apple could no longer block developers from linking or advertising to external payment methods. The ruling also banned Apple from applying a 27% fee for out-of-app purchases launched through in-app links.

Fortnite is on the App Store, but its fate remains uncertain

Fortnite wasn’t just approved after the standard app review process. And it’s far from there. Instead, Epic submitted the app a week after Apple’s forced policy changes, and then began to raise questions in court about Apple’s limping. The app suddenly got approved when it seemed like Apple executives had to explain themselves to the judge. Within 24 hours, Fortnite is the top free game in the US app store.

But this is not the end. Apple is suing rulings that forced changes to these App Stores. Apple also sought a stay that would allow them to return to the old rules while the appeal was being made. If given, Fortnite’s fate will soon return.

If Apple is allowed to stay or wins the appeal, force Epic walks or Apple to launch again. For epics, Fortnite in the App Store is subject to payment choice. For now, Fortnite’s return has been totally put together by court pressure and nothing has been resolved.

Only in the US, not on Mac yet

Currently, Fortnite is back in the US app store. Even in the EU, EPIC uses its own stores and alternative distribution options made possible by digital market laws.

If you are outside the US or EU, cloud gaming is still the best option for iOS. Nvidia Geforce offers free tiers (with time limits and ads) and paid options that run between $10 and $20 per month, depending on your performance level. Xbox Cloud Gaming is another option and there are others, but none of them offer the native app experience that comes with app store distribution.

Even in the US, Fortnite players may discover that the game is available in the App Store, but it requires more RAM than it actually runs. Apple’s latest A16 11-inch iPad $299 (Reg. $349) is a safe budget upgrade option.

Cloud gaming does not have that limit. If your device is able to stream video and process the controller, you can play Fortnite through a service like GeForce, regardless of RAM. Native apps have advantages, but only if the hardware can actually run the game.

Apart from that, Fortnite for Mac has been offline since 2020. The decision was part of Epic’s protests against Apple’s policies. And, technically nothing stopped today, but that didn’t happen.