Fortnite returns to iOS after Apple pulled it in 2020

If you missed playing Fortnite on the iPhone, there’s good news: Nvidia is working on a way to bring the game back to iOS. 

The company will offer Fortnite on iOS through Nvidia’s game streaming service GeForce Now, which can operate via the Safari browser. “Starting next week, Fortnite on GeForce Now will launch in a limited-time closed beta for mobile,” Nvidia announced in a Thursday blog post.

In 2020, Apple pulled Fortnite from the iOS App Store after its developer, Epic Games, broke the rules by adding a direct payment option inside the multiplayer title. The kerfuffle sparked an antitrust battle in the courts, which has thus far largely ruled in favor for Apple, although the case is still going through the appeals process.  

In the meantime, Apple has denied an Epic Games's attempt to reinstate Fortnite in the App Store. As a result, users who previously had Fortnite installed on their iPhones have been unable to receive game updates for the past 16 months. 

However, it seems Epic Games has now found another a way to bring back the multiplayer title to iOS through GeForce Now, which uses the cloud to stream games to iOS' Safari browser.

The Fornite version available to play on iOS will also include touch controls. Interested GeForce Now users can apply for the closed beta through a waitlist. “Members will be admitted to the beta in batches over the coming weeks,” the company added. 

The beta hopes to test Nvidia's server capacity, graphics delivery, along with the game’s touch controls. Participating GeForce Now members will also be able to stream the game on Android devices. But unlike iOS, Fortnite is still available on Android through app side-loading.  

In the future, Nvidia plans on enabling other touch control-friendly games through GeForce Now, which has mainly been targeting laptop and desktop users. 

“While PC games in the GeForce Now library are best experienced on mobile with a gamepad, the introduction of touch controls built by the GeForce Now team offers more options for players, starting with Fortnite,” Nvidia said. 

GeForce Now has a free membership, but the experience caps your cloud gaming sessions to one hour before you have to sign off and rejoin a server. A paid membership, which starts at $9.99 a month, gives you longer gameplay sessions and better graphics quality. An internet speed of at least 15Mbps is also required to run GeForce Now.