Fortnite makes comeback on Apple devices thanks to Microsoft

After a long hiatus, Fortnite is back on the iPhone, thanks in no small part to Microsoft. Fortnite hasn’t been playable on the iPhone and other iOS devices since 2020 when the company took on Apple and Google over their high app store fees.

Now, Microsoft is making the popular battle royale playable on just about any device with a screen through its Xbox Cloud Gaming service. Epic Games' partnership with Microsoft also makes Fortnite the first free-to-play game on Xbox Cloud Gaming.

The software giant says that users will only need a Microsoft account and internet access to play Fortnite on iOS, iPadOS, Android, or Windows devices. Fortnite will be playable through a web browser through the Xbox Cloud Gaming service and will have support for gamepads as well as touch controls. If you live in one of the 26 countries where the service is available, you can click here to begin playing.

Fortnite was removed from the two app stores of Apple and Google back in 2020. The ban of the game on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store made it more difficult for users to access it. But while the game had an all-out ban on the Apple App Store, Android users could still access the game using third-party app stores or directly download the APK free through the Epic Games website.

However, this is the first time since the ban that Apple users will be able to access the game. Microsoft also said that it would bring more free-to-play titles to the Xbox Cloud Gaming service. Fortnite is also available on Nvidia’s GeForce Now gaming service, although GeForce Now is only available in closed beta.