Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

‘Fortnite’ is now available for free to all iOS users, coming to Android soon

Gabe Gurwin
By
Fortnite Battle Royale - Mobile Reveal Trailer

Epic Games’ smash-hit game Fortnite recently came to iOS devices via a closed beta test, but it wasn’t available to the general public. That changed today, as Fortnite is now available for free to all iOS users — provided your device is new enough.

Recommended Videos

As long as you’re using an iPhone SE, iPhone 6S, or newer model phone, you will be able to run Fortnite. The game does not support older phones, including both the iPhone 6 and the 6 Plus, so you will finally need to make an upgrade if you have your heart set on playing the game while on the go. The game hasn’t yet arrived for Android devices, but it will be doing so “within the next few months,” according to the game’s website.

Related

Fortnite on mobile devices offers the exact same Fortnite: Battle Royale experience you get on consoles and PC, but with touchscreen controls. They are quite similar to the virtual thumbsticks and buttons in PUBG Mobile, with dedicated options for aiming your weapon, crouching, and jumping.

The main difference between the mobile version of Fortnite and PUBG Mobile, however, is that Fortnite supports cross-play with other platforms. Whether your friends are playing on PC, Mac, Xbox One, or PlayStation 4, you will be able to play with them — and get destroyed. Any progress you made in the other versions will also transfer over to the mobile game. The only platforms that cannot play with each other are Xbox One and PlayStation, though this was very briefly enabled in 2017 by mistake.

The mobile game looks almost identical to its big siblings, with a smooth framerate and great draw distance for scoping our where to land from your parachute. The footage included in the launch trailer was captured on an iPhone X, but we tested the game on an iPhone 8 and found it to run with similar results.

Fortnite is now available for iOS, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, and Mac. The “Battle Royale” mode is free, while access to the original player-versus-environment content is available via a paid “Founder’s Pack.” Only Battle Royale is available on iOS. Its main competition, PUBG Mobile, available for free on both iOS and Android right now, as well.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Gabe Gurwin
Gabe Gurwin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
Netflix games may be coming to TVs soon, as revealed by new iOS app
Selecting a game in Netflix Games.

It looks like Netflix might be expanding its gaming offerings to TVs soon, as a Netflix Game Controller is now on the iOS App Store. Netflix has yet to announce or comment on the purpose of the app, but a message shown when the app boots up confirms that it's coming.
Netflix has slowly made its way into the gaming industry over the past couple of years, acquiring studios and adding a dedicated game section to its mobile app that lets players download premium mobile games. The library includes some great games like Poinpy and Before Your Eyes, but has yet to break into the mainstream, likely due to its somewhat obscure availability. This new app, which was preemptively listed on Apple's storefront by Netflix and lines up with leaks from earlier this year, indicates that Netflix Games are coming to the TV.
The description for the app states that "this Game Controller app pairs with your TV and allows you to play games on Netflix using your phone or mobile device." After downloading and booting up the app, Digital Trends discovered two more messages asking players to "choose a game on your TV and follow the directions to connect" and that "Netflix Games on TV are in beta. Some devices may not be supported at this time."
All of this points to an impending beta rollout for games on Netflix's TV apps, which has not been announced yet. As such, we don't have any idea about which televisions or games the iOS app or Netflix Games on TV will support just yet. Regardless, this looks like a massive evolution for Netflix's gaming efforts, especially as it gears up to release a cloud gaming service.
Netflix declined to comment on the program when asked by Digital Trends, but it did refer us to previous statements it made about its intentions to break into cloud and TV game streaming.

Read more
Fortnite Reality Augments: full list and how to use them
Fortnite Zero Builds key art.

Every new chapter of Fortnite is a massive event. While seasonal changes bring plenty of minor tweaks and additions, it's almost always when a new chapter rolls around that major overhauls or new mechanics are introduced. Fortnite Chapter 4 was no exception, and aside from the extreme changes the island underwent, it brought one very important change to gameplay that makes a huge difference when going for that elusive victory royal (it isn't easy to win Fortnite, after all).

Augments, well, augment the game. There are a few challenges that somewhat introduce what these are, but they leave out almost all the important details for you to find out on your own. Augments need to be considered, and deeply understood, not only for when you get them yourself but to know what new tricks your opponents could have up their sleeves. Before you get taken by surprise, here's a complete breakdown of how to unlock augments and how they work in Fortnite.
What are augments in Fortnite?
Augments, or Reality Augments, are a new perk system introduced into Fortnite. There are currently 20 augments in the game, but there are 32 total that cycle in and out with each Season. You can get access to multiple augments during a single match, but augments do not carry over after a match is finished, whether you win or lose. These perks can range from modifying certain weapon types to granting buffs for performing actions, and much more. There are no bad augments, so you will want to get as many as possible. Augments also have their own tab in your menu where you can see which ones you've had so far to track your progress using them all.
How use Fortnite augments

Read more
iOS 17’s coolest new feature is horrible news for Android users
iOS 17 contact posters

At the end of 2022, Google implored Apple to “get the message” and end the green-versus-blue bubble controversy by adopting RCS messaging. Apple’s response eventually came at WWDC 2023, where it introduced a new iOS 17 feature called Contact Posters, which instead of bringing everyone together, only furthers the us-versus-them split between Android and iOS.

If you thought the green/blue iMessage arguments could get fiery, there’s a lot more to come.
Blue good, green bad

Read more