Fortnite makes triumphant return to U.S. Apple App Store after prolonged legal battle

After nearly half a decade in exile, Fortnite has officially returned to the Apple App Store in the United States, marking a pivotal moment in the long-running dispute between Epic Games and the tech giant.

The popular online battle royale game, developed by U.S.-based Epic Games and partially owned by China’s Tencent, became available again for iOS users on Tuesday. The move comes after a years-long standoff that began in 2020, when Epic intentionally bypassed Apple’s in-app purchase system to protest the company’s 30% commission fees. This led to Fortnite’s removal from the platform and ignited a high-profile legal fight centered around antitrust issues and app marketplace dominance.

A critical development came on April 30 when a federal judge ruled that Apple had breached a previous injunction by not fostering adequate competition in its App Store. The court found Apple in violation of an earlier directive to open its system to alternative payment methods and third-party app downloads, referring the company to federal prosecutors for a potential criminal contempt investigation.

Thanks to everyone who supported the effort to open up mobile competition and #FreeFortnite from the very beginning. And thanks to all of the folks who initially sided with Apple then later came around to the winning side, supporting app developer rights and consumer rights. https://t.co/Mw7kE7byLp

— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) May 20, 2025

Apple has yet to release a formal statement regarding Fortnite’s reappearance on its U.S. storefront. Meanwhile, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney celebrated the news with a simple yet victorious post on X (formerly Twitter), declaring, “We back fam.”

Since its 2017 debut, Fortnite has become a cultural phenomenon, attracting millions of users worldwide with its fast-paced, last-player-standing gameplay. At the time of its removal from the App Store in 2020, Fortnite had amassed an astonishing 116 million users on iOS alone.

While Google also removed Fortnite from the Play Store in 2020, the game has since returned to Android devices globally. In Europe, users have been able to access Fortnite through the Epic Games Store and alternative app platforms like AltStore, thanks to new regulations promoting digital market competition.