Fortnite fans can now play on iPhone & iPad with touch controls using GeForce NOW

Fortnite (Image credit: Epic Games)

What you need to know

Fortnite with touch controls is now available via GeForce NOW.
iPhone and iPad gamers can play for free via Safari.

Fortnite fans now have a new way to play the battle royales game on their iPhone and iPad with touch controls after Nvidia GeForce NOW opened the game up to everyone. The move means that gamers on Apple's mobile platforms can play Fortnite in the cloud without needing to hook up a controller.

Nvidia isn't the first to do this, of course. Xbox already beat it to the punch but who doesn't like a spot of competition? The new GeForce NOW version is playable via a Safari web app as you'd expect, and just like Microsoft's offering there is no need to spend a penny — although you do need to create an Nvidia NOW account and link your Epic Games account to it.

Nvidia already allowed some people to play Fortnite with touch controls, but this is the first time everyone has been allowed in. Previously, only those selected to be part of the company's beta program got to play without a controller.

Nvidia announced the new access via press release, saying that the previous beta saw more than 500,000 gamers stream over four million sessions of the game.

The closed beta gave the GeForce NOW team the opportunity to test and learn, which resulted in optimized on-screen touch controls and game menus, with gameplay that feels intuitive. The end result is a touch experience for gamers to enjoy.

Fortnite On Geforce Now With Touch Overlay (Image credit: Nvidia)

While people can play for free, there are limitations. Game sessions are limited to an hour with those who want to play for longer needing to upgrade to GeForce NOW Premium.

Curious what else Nvidia has been working on to make Fortnite as fun as possible? Our friends at Android Central have been comparing the old with the new and it's fair to say Fortnite on GeForce NOW is a winner, at least in terms of visuals.

All of this is such a big deal because, as we all know by now, Epic Games and Apple continue to argue over whether Fortnite should be allowed into the App Store. Epic Games famously bypassed App Store in-app purchases, causing the game to be kicked off Apple's mobile platforms entirely. And there is no sign of either company backing down.

Sure you don't need one to play Fortnite on your iPhone or iPad now, but if you want to upgrade your gaming experience, check out our list of the best game controllers for mobile gaming.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.