Surprise! Fortnite returns to the US iPhone App Store

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Fortnite can once again be installed on iPhones and iPads in the United States, developer Epic Games announced triumphantly on Tuesday. The very popular game is back in the U.S. App Store.

The change comes almost five years after Apple banned the battle royale game in a spat with Epic over in-app payments.

Fortnite is back on iPhone! Go have fun.

Apple banned Fortnite from the App Store back in 2020, and it’s been gone ever since. As recently as last week, the iPhone maker said it had no intention of allowing Epic Games back into the U.S. version of the iPhone software marketplace any time soon.

But that changed late in the day on Tuesday. That’s when the developer wrote on X, “Fortnite is BACK on the App Store in the U.S. on iPhones and iPads… and on the Epic Games Store and AltStore in the EU!“

As Epic happily crowed, iPhone and iPad users in the United States can install and play Fortnite now from the App Store.

Fortnite 101

For those who missed out during the long years the game was blocked from iPhones located in the U.S., Fortnite Battle Royale is a free-to-play online multiplayer game developed by Epic Games in which 100 players compete against each other on a large, constantly shrinking island until only one player or team remains. Combining fast-paced combat with strategic building mechanics, players scavenge for weapons, resources and items while constructing defensive structures to outlast opponents.

Known for its colorful graphics, frequent updates and crossovers with popular media franchises, Fortnite has become a cultural phenomenon since its release in 2017, attracting millions of players worldwide across various platforms.

What the heck happened?

Understanding why Fortnite’s return to the U.S. App Store comes as such a surprise requires a bit of history. Back in 2020, Epic Games wanted players of its most-popular title to be able make in-app purchases directly from it, rather than always using Apple’s payment system. That’s against Apple’s rules for iPhone applications, however.

Epic Games went ahead and did it anyway, resulting in all Epic’s offerings getting booted from the App Store. The developer immediately sued, and a 5-year legal battle began.

Federal Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled in April that Apple must permit what Epic wanted to do all those years ago. In the wake of that decision, Epic resubmitted Fortnite to the U.S. App Store, but Apple refused to approve it.

Undeterred, Epic then asked the judge to force Apple to approve its application. Without actually ordering Apple to do anything, the judge made it clear on Monday that she agrees with Epic, and threatened to hold a hearing on Tuesday to make that point. So Apple finally approved Fortnite returning to the App Store.

Apple has yet to make an official statement on the change, but has said several times before that it’s appealing Judge Gonzalez Rogers decision.

Ed Hardy

Ed Hardy has been writing full-time about tech for 26 years, and using it for much longer than that. His intro to Apple was a Macintosh SE/30 (which he still has), but now he uses a 13-inch iPad Pro as his primary computer.

That’s because he’s a “tablet first” type of guy. Rather than use a Macbook, he connects a keyboard case to the iPad. And instead of a desktop Mac, he connects his tablet to a 27-inch display and full-size keyboard. (So don’t try to tell him that everyone has to use a Mac to be productive.)

Before coming to Cult of Mac, Ed wrote for NotebookReview, TabletPCReview and Brighthand, as well as other sites.