Skip to main content

Fortnite is back on iOS thanks to Xbox Cloud Gaming

The debacle between Epic Games and Apple that resulted in a giant court case saw what many believed was the end of Fortnite in the iOS ecosystem. Now, the pop culture-filled battle royale returns to Apple products in a roundabout way as Xbox is offering it for free as part of its Xbox Cloud Gaming service.

Play Fortnite at xbox.com/play with Xbox Cloud Gaming for free

Fortnite players using iOS, iPadOS, Android phone or tablet, or Windows PC can now hop on the game literally anywhere — as long as they have internet access — through Xbox Cloud Gaming. The cloud software originally was exclusive to certain games through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Fortnite‘s return to Apple products marks the first time the cloud service is being made available to anyone for free, regardless of whether or not they have a Game Pass subscription.

Using the Xbox’s cloud service, Fortnite fans can not only play the game with higher graphics settings, but they’ll also have the choice between touchscreen controls and a supported controller as well. Of course, they’re going to want to be on the strongest internet possible to avoid the latency issues that can come with gaming cloud services.

Fortnite is Xbox’s first dive into its free-to-play cloud initiative. In a blog post, the company states that it’s looking to continue adding games to its cloud services, like Fortnite, completely free of charge to players around the world.

“At Xbox we want to make gaming accessible to the three billion players around the world, and cloud has an important role in that mission,” Catherine Gluckstein, Vice President and Head of Product, Xbox Cloud Gaming states in the blog. “Quite simply we want you to have more choice in both the games you play and the way you choose to play them.”

You can access Fortnite through various devices through Xbox Cloud Gaming for free right now. The only thing players need is an Xbox account.

Editors' Recommendations

DeAngelo Epps
De'Angelo Epps is a gaming writer passionate about the culture, communities, and industry surrounding gaming. His work ranges…
The best Xbox Series X games for 2023
Key art for Starfield

After an uneven console cycle with the Xbox One, Microsoft's latest consoles are aimed at getting the ship back on course. The Xbox Series X is a next-generation powerhouse that rivals gaming PCs, while the Xbox Series S is an affordable stopgap for those who are curious about trying new games.

There's no shortage of games to play on either console thanks to Xbox Game Pass, which gives players immediate access to a library of titles old and new. That built-in catalog is an extra value on top of all the new games available on the system that take advantage of its impressive technical specs. When it comes to first-party exclusives, the Series X is still growing. Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5 gave a good boost to the console's library following a somewhat sparse first year. More games are also on the way. Microsoft's Bethesda acquisition will bring exclusives like Starfield and the potential addition of all Activision Blizzard games would further bolster that list, but the console's real strength lies in third-party support.

Read more
The best games on Xbox Game Pass for right now (September 2023)

As the Xbox Game Pass program has grown, so has our list of the best games on Xbox Game Pass. After the launch of the Xbox Series X, Microsoft has doubled down on Game Pass, now offering well over 350 games on the console alone. To help you through option paralysis, we rounded up the top games on Microsoft's subscription platform.

Many titles are available across Xbox and PC, and some of them even have cross-save support. Most of the games are available for streaming on mobile too, as long as you have Game Pass Ultimate. The Game Pass library is also constantly changing, so check out our monthly guide for addition and removal announcements.

Read more
Xbox has no plans to make its own handheld system, per leaked documents
The Logitech G Cloud Gaming Handheld sits on a stack of comics.

As part of the massive Xbox leak that came as part of its FTC trial, we got a look at Microsoft's road map for Xbox through 2030. One slide of this presentation outlines the kinds of hardware possible for Microsoft to make (and not make) itself. Most notably, Microsoft states in this document that making a dedicated Xbox handheld is "not in scope for first party."

Microsoft has been an avid supporter of devices like the Logitech G Cloud Gaming Handheld and ROG Ally with Xbox Cloud Gaming, but it was still quite surprising that the company never aimed to release a handheld that competed with those and Nintendo Switch itself. Now, we know that as far back as this May 2022 roadmap, Microsoft did not believe it currently has the resources and scope to make a Handheld.

Read more