Epic Games Store Launches on iPhone in EU, Brings Fortnite Back to iOS

After a four-year absence, Fortnite is making its return to iPhones – but only for users in the European Union. This comeback is part of the broader launch of the Epic Games Store for iPhone, which went live today in the EU.

epic games store
The return of Fortnite to iOS comes as a result of the EU's Digital Markets Act, which has forced Apple to allow third-party app marketplaces on its platform. Users in the EU can now download the Epic Games Store by visiting Epic's website on their iPhones.

Fortnite's availability is undoubtedly the headline feature of the Epic Games Store launch. The popular battle royale game was removed from the App Store in 2020 following a dispute between Epic and Apple over in-app purchase systems. Prior to that, Fortnite on iOS made more than $700 million over two years, while Apple collected more than $100 million in revenue from the 30 percent cut that it took from Fortnite in-app purchases.

Otherwise, the current game catalog in the iOS Epic Games Store is limited, featuring only a handful of Epic's own titles such as Fortnite and Rocket League Sideswipe. However, the company says it plans to expand the library over time and is in discussions with third-party mobile developers.

Going forward, Epic will have to deal with navigating Apple's new fee structure, including a "Core Technology Fee" of €0.50 per install per year after the first million installs. This fee applies to both the Epic Games Store itself and the games within it, effectively doubling the charge for popular titles like Fortnite. The EU commission is currently investigating whether Apple's new fee structure complies with the Digital Markets Act.

The Epic Games Store is only available on iPhones running iOS 17.4 or later, while iPad users will have to wait until the release of iPadOS 18 to access the store on their devices. Epic says it plans to expand the availability of its store to other regions where regulations permit, with Japan slated for a 2025 launch. The company has set a goal of reaching 100 million mobile downloads of its store by the end of the year, made up of combined game installs across both iOS and Android.

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Will Bring Biggest Design Overhaul Since iOS 7

Monday March 10, 2025 12:17 pm PDT by
Apple is planning for a major design overhaul of the iPhone, iPad, and Mac interfaces with the introduction of iOS 19, iPadOS 19, and macOS 16 later this year, reports Bloomberg. The update will "fundamentally change" the look of Apple's operating system, introducing a more consistent cross-platform experience. Apple plans to update the style of icons, menus, apps, windows, and system...
ios 18 4 carplay

Apple Upgrades CarPlay in Two Ways

Wednesday March 12, 2025 6:05 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 18.4 update for the iPhone includes a smaller but meaningful improvement for Apple's in-car iPhone mirroring system CarPlay. Specifically, CarPlay now shows a third row of icons, up from two rows previously. However, this change is only visible in vehicles with a larger center display. For example, a MacRumors Forums member noticed the change in a Toyota Tundra with a...
Apple One Apps Feature 2

Apple One's Best Plan Now Includes Two More Perks For Free

Monday March 10, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
Apple One allows you to subscribe to up to six Apple services for one discounted monthly price. There are three Apple One tiers: Individual, Family, and Premier. Over the last month, the highest-end ‌Apple One‌ Premier plan has gained two additional perks. Here is what Apple One Premier already included, for $37.95 per month:Apple Music Apple TV+ Apple Arcade Apple News+ Apple Fitness+...
airpods pro 2 gradient

AirPods Pro 3 Launch Now Just Months Away: Here's What We Know

Tuesday March 11, 2025 3:26 am PDT by
Despite being released over two years ago, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 continue to dominate the wireless earbud market. However, with the AirPods Pro 3 expected to launch in 2025, anyone thinking of buying Apple's premium earbuds may be wondering if the next generation is worth holding out for. Apart from their audio and noise-canceling performance, which are generally regarded as excellent for...
iOS 18

12 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.4

Monday March 10, 2025 9:28 am PDT by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.4 in early April, bringing further refinements to Apple Intelligence features, a neat new capability to iPhone 15 Pro devices, new emoji, and more. While not quite as packed with new features as Apple's preceding iOS 18 point releases, iOS 18.4 still introduces enhancements that aim to make your iPhone smarter and more intuitive. Below, we've listed 12 new...
iphone 17 mockups idevicehelp

Video Shows iPhone 17 Mockups Based on 'Internal Documents'

Monday March 10, 2025 4:41 am PDT by
YouTuber iDeviceHelp on Friday posted a video that shows off mockups of Apple's forthcoming iPhone 17 models that are purportedly based on "internal documents." We're sharing the video here since it was made in collaboration with leaker Majin Bu, who last month published similar iPhone 17 renders that were widely corroborated by separate leakers with links to Apple's Chinese supply chain....
iOS 18

iOS 18.3.2 Update Coming Soon for iPhones

Monday March 10, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple employees are internally testing iOS 18.3.2 for iPhones, according to our website's visitor logs, which have been a reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions. The software update should be released in the next week or two. iOS 18.3.2 will be a minor update that addresses software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. Don't expect any new features. iOS 18.3.2 will be an interim...
Apple Maps vs Google Maps Feature

iOS 18.4 Adds a Highly-Requested Setting to iPhones — But Not in U.S.

Wednesday March 12, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
iPhones are finally getting a much-requested setting, but availability is limited. The upcoming iOS 18.4 update introduces an option to set a default navigation app, other than Apple Maps, but unfortunately this new setting is limited to users in the EU. There, you can now set an app like Google Maps or Waze as your default navigation app on the iPhone by opening the Settings app and tapping ...
iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.3.2 With Bug Fixes

Tuesday March 11, 2025 10:33 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.3.2 and iPadOS 18.3.2, minor updates for the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that came out last September. iOS 18.3.2 and iOS 18.3.2 come a month after Apple released iOS 18.3.1 and iPadOS 18.3.1. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. According to Apple's release...

Top Rated Comments

WarmWinterHat Avatar
8 months ago

Epic is a company that markets to the bottom of society.

Congrats on winning I guess, Sweeney. Your company will be irrelevant in 5 years!
I'm not a gamer by any definition and have never played anything produced by Epic, and even I know this a dumb take.
Score: 40 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Nugat Trailers Avatar
8 months ago
Do the Macrumors editors know that other games exist beyond Epic and Fortnite?
Score: 36 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Ctrlos Avatar
8 months ago

Innovations will happen outside of the the EU.
The only thing that causes innovation is competition. Apple should be looking to make the App Store more enticing to developers rather than beating them with a stick for leaving.

You only need look at the stagnation in OS development caused by the iOS/Android duopoly to see what I mean. Their last big competitor was Windows Phone. This caused Apple to drop skeuomorphism and Android to finally tidy up what was a very messy OS. They were shaken by a competitor and we all benefited. Every OS 'innovation' from them both in the last decade has just been whatever they could pick from the carcass of WebOS.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ashdelacroix Avatar
8 months ago
Apple wanted to take a 30% cut. Many found that greedy. Now they are forced to host third-party app stores. Apple won't regret the billions it has made in the meantime, but it means their platform has become regulated in ways that make future innovations in exclusivity all but impossible.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ZigmundFreud Avatar
8 months ago
In other news, Epic Game Store charge mobile app developers 30% of their apps purchase price to be sold through their game store, causing the EU policy gurus to enforce Epic to allow games stores within their games store.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WarmWinterHat Avatar
8 months ago

Innovations will happen outside of the the EU.
They haven't been for a while now. Why would now be any different?

Smartphone "innovation" is all but dead, Apple isn't innovating, Google isn't innovating, Samsung isn't innovating.. Oh AI? wooohoo..there are a dozen apps you can download today that will do the same thing.. :rolleyes:

And on iOS, no innovation by 3rd parties unless you bow before Apple and kiss the ring.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)