How to play Fortnite on iPhone, iPad and Mac

Fortnite on iPhone
Fortnite on iPhone. (Image credit: iMore / Pixabay)

You can play Fortnite on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, even if Epic Games, its creator, has taken it off the App Store. Being one of the most popular games in the world, Fortnite tasks you with battling against 99 other people for a crown at the very end. 

Fortnite was removed from the App Store due to the Epic Games vs Apple lawsuit where Epic claimed Apple's cut of its royalties made on the platform were far too high. Epic instead, wants iPhone users to be brought off the App Store and onto its own purchasing platform, where it can keep all of the money earned by the game. 

Luckily, despite this decision, there are still tonnes of ways to play the game on the best iPhone and best iPads. With only a few minutes and a new account, you can get in there and claim your victory royale. 

How to play Fortnite on iPhone, iPad, and Mac

Playing Fortnite on iPhone with Xbox Cloud Gaming

(Image credit: Future / James Bentley)

To use this Fortnite on iOS workaround, you will need a Microsoft account such as the one used for an Outlook account or Xbox account. You can make a Microsoft account for free if you don't already have one.

  1. Open Safari, navigate to xbox.com/play, and tap on the Xbox Cloud Gaming icon
  2. While on Xbox's website, click on the Fortnite icon, which should be at the top of the screen (type it in the search if it's not)
  3. Select Get Ready to Play
  4. Next, tap the Share icon (box with an arrow in it) at the bottom of the screen
  5. A new window will pop up. Scroll down and select Add to Home Screen
  6. Return to your iPhone's home screen and open the Xbox Cloud Gaming app
  7. Select Fortnite again

(Image credit: Future / James Bentley)
  1. Enter your Microsoft account information and select Next.
  2. Then enter your password and tap Sign In.
  3. You'll be brought back to the Fortnite screen. Tap Play to launch the game. 

Playing Fortnite on iPhone with Amazon Luna

Amazon luna on iPhone

(Image credit: Future / James Bentley)

For this method, you will either need an Amazon Prime account or an Amazon Luna account. Once you have that, follow the steps below: 

Playing Fortnite on iPhone with GeForce Now

Geforce Now on iPhone

(Image credit: Future / James Bentley)

In order to play on GeForce Now, you need to have an account. For free, you get access to standard game streaming servers and can only play an hour at a time. As of the time of writing, you cannot sign up to the free plan as it is at capacity. Therefore, you will need a paid plan to use it. 

  • Open up the GeForce Now website
  • Make an account by clicking on the top right and adding details
  • Find Fortnite by typing it into the search
  • Add Geforce Now to your home page by clicking share
  • Open up Geforce Now
  • Click Play on Fortnite

How to link your Fortnite account on iPhone

(Image credit: iMore)
  1. If you already have an account you'll need to select Link an Account. Then you'll need to enter the code Fortnite gives you at https://www.epicgames.com/activate before you sign in with your account info.
  2.  The User License Agreement will appear. Read through it and select Accept.
  3.  Once the game loads up, tap the play icon at the bottom left of the screen.

Will Fortnite come back to Apple's App Store?

It's unclear at this point if Fortnite will ever return to the App Store since it was removed as part of the Epic Games vs Apple lawsuit. Apple has allowed apps to funnel users to an off-platform payment function but Apple's 27% fee has been rejected by Epic, meaning it could be longer until Fortnite is back. 

One more thing... a few drawbacks

Although no longer on The App Store nor the Google Play Store, Fortnite continues to be a popular multiplayer on mobile. Fortunately for battle royale fans, there are ways to play Fortnite without using Apple's digital store. The easiest workaround so far involves downloading the Xbox Cloud Gaming app and playing the game there. 

There are no added fees or payments necessary for accessing Fortnite through Xbox Cloud Gaming. So, you can jump in on iOS and play with your friends without opening your wallet. Best of all, Fortnite has cross-platform play, so you can join matches with friends regardless of what platform they are playing on. However, it is worth pointing out you may be hit with latency if your connection isn't good enough, as these methods rely on cloud gaming. 

Fortnite is an online game so you need a connection but your connection needs to be even stronger to competently run online games while cloud streaming them. 

James Bentley

James is a staff writer and general Jack of all trades at iMore. With news, features, reviews, and guides under his belt, he has always liked Apple for its unique branding and distinctive style. Originally buying a Macbook for music and video production, he has since gone on to join the Apple ecosystem with as many devices as he can fit on his person. 


With a degree in Law and Media and being a little too young to move onto the next step of his law career, James started writing from his bedroom about games, movies, tech, and anything else he could think of. Within months, this turned into a fully-fledged career as a freelance journalist. Before joining iMore, he was a staff writer at Gfinity and saw himself published at sites like TechRadar, NME, and Eurogamer. 


As his extensive portfolio implies, James was predominantly a games journalist before joining iMore and brings with him a unique perspective on Apple itself. When not working, he is trying to catch up with the movies and albums of the year, as well as finally finishing the Yakuza series. If you like Midwest emo music or pretentious indie games that will make you cry, he’ll talk your ear off.

With contributions from