Epic Games’ Fortnite Returns To Apple’s App Store After 5-Year Ban

The popular game Fortnite announced its return to the Apple App Store this Tuesday on social media. The game, developed by the American studio Epic Games, had been banned from the app platform since 2020. It will now be available on multiple platforms, including AltStore in the European Union and the company’s online store.

In a post shared on the social media platform X, Epic Games, through its Fortnite account, announced that the game will soon be available for download on the App Store.

“Fortnite is BACK on the App Store in the U.S. on iPhones and iPads… and on the Epic Games Store and AltStore in the E.U.!” states the post.  “It’ll show up in Search soon!”

Fortnite is BACK on the App Store in the U.S. on iPhones and iPads… and on the Epic Games Store and AltStore in the E.U! It’ll show up in Search soon!

Get Fortnite on the App Store in the U.S. ➡️ https://t.co/HQu3pYCXFm pic.twitter.com/w74QPFFkOS

— Fortnite (@Fortnite) May 20, 2025

The announcement has been made only days after a federal judge in the United States ruled that Apple violated Epic Games’ injunction from 2021 and ordered the tech giant to stop collecting commissions on external apps and allow developers to offer alternative payment and purchase methods.

According to the BBC, Fortnite had been removed from Apple’s app store in August 2020 after the company launched its own in-app payment system, bypassing the tech giant’s 30% commissions. After this happened, Epic Games initiated a legal battle with Apple after claiming the App Store was supporting a monopoly system.

Epic Games lost the antitrust case in 2021, but had a partial win with the judge’s injunction—the one that Apple ignored until now. Last year, the game developer launched Fortnite for iOS in the European Union through a third party, but still not through the App Store.

Experts and users—the game has 400 million registered players—are celebrating Fortnite’s return and consider this a win for the game company.

“This is a clear win for Epic Games. Epic has effectively forced open a door that Apple and others worked very hard to keep shut,” said Joost van Dreunen, a games business professor at NYU Stern, to the BBC. “The industry has long tiptoed around platform gatekeeping, but this moment signals a shift in the balance. Creators and publishers will now have more leverage to challenge entrenched distribution models.”

Epic Games is also in legal battles with Google and Samsung for anti-competitive practices.