Epic Games reveals when ‘Fortnite’ will finally come to Android

By Mark Austin Published November 9, 2018

fortnite — Epic Games

Epic is getting ready to add another platform to the biggest game in the world. Fortnite: Battle Royale has been available for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 for some time, and it was released on mobile for iOS back in March. Android gamers won’t be left out in the storm for much longer, however, as the studio announced that they can soon join their iPhone-wielding friends and jump into the multiplayer carnage.

Recommended Videos

“We are targeting this summer for the release,” the developers wrote in a recent blog post. “We know many of you are excited for this release, and we promise that when we have more information to share, you’ll hear it from us first.” No more details about the Android version were provided.

Along with availability for Android devices, the team also announced a host of updates and improvements that are in the works. Voice chat will let you communicate with your friends or with everyone on the map. You’ll also be able to toggle various mute options with a simple touchscreen tap.

Epic has added a custom HUD feature as well, so you can use a template “blueprint” to place all the various icons on your screen to suit your liking.

An upcoming “battery saver” mode lowers the graphic quality, using less power for those times when your phone might not last until the end of the match. The studio also mentioned a host of improved gameplay controls, especially for the Autorun feature, but no details were given.

Fortnite quickly became number one with a bullet when it was released for iOS in March; with $15 million in sales in just 20 days, it easily surpassed such venerable stalwarts as Candy Crush and Pokémon Go. Since then, a comet impact has devastated the landscape in the game, leaving low-gravity shards in its wake to begin Season Four.

Only the free multiplayer Battle Royale mode is available for mobile, and that’s unlikely to change with the Android update. While you’re waiting, we’ve got some tips and strategies for playing the game on mobile that will give you a big edge on your friends when the game arrives later this year.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Mark’s first encounter with high-tech was a TRS-80. He spent 20 years working for Nintendo and Xbox as a writer and…

Topics

Gaming

The best weapons in Fortnite OG: Chapter 1, Season 1 tier list

Fortnite OG weapons

Fortnite has launched its much-awaited OG mode that takes players back to the Chapter 1, Season 1 island, where it all began. The mode brings back the OG art style and gameplay, but with modern UI and movement mechanics found in Fortnite.

But one thing, whether you're playing the OG mode or the newest Chapter 6 Battle Royale, remains the same, and that is needing to arm yourself with the best weapons to secure the victory royale. While there are a lot of strategies around Fortnite you must know to get better at the game, the most important is your knowledge of the loot pool.

Gaming

Lego Fortnite is getting a massive update, including a new game mode

Characters fishing in LEGO Fortnite.

Fortnite's various Lego modes have been around for just under a year, but they remain some of the most popular choices for players. With the one-year anniversary coming up, Epic Games announced a series of significant changes coming to the game type.

To begin with, Lego Fortnite will be renamed Lego Fortnite Odyssey. That's because Lego Fortnite will become the hub for anything Lego-related within the Fortnite ecosystem and provide players with an easy way to start up any Lego game mode.

Gaming

Fortnite is finally getting a first-person mode next week

Key art for Fortnite's new first person shooter mode Ballistic.

Fortnite Ballistic, the long-awaited first-person mode for Epic Games' hit battle royale shooter Fortnite, will finally come to the game on December 11.

Epic Games first teased a first-person Fortnite mode in March, but now we have a clearer idea of how it will play. Ballistic is a round-based 5v5 mode with no respawns, similar to competitive shooters like Valorant or Spectre Divide. A team of attackers fights to plant and detonate a Rift Point Device in certain spots on the map, while defenders fight to eliminate the other team before they can do the same. While attackers and defenders will swap their roles after six rounds, Ballistic matches are a best-of-seven affair across both ranked and unranked play.