San Francisco, CA – May 21, 2025 – The digital storm has finally settled. After a nearly five-year absence, Epic Games’ global phenomenon, Fortnite, has officially made its triumphant return to the Apple App Store in the United States. The highly anticipated reinstatement, confirmed by Epic Games on Tuesday, marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing legal saga between the tech giants and a significant win for Epic.
Fortnite was famously removed from the App Store in August 2020 after Epic Games implemented its own in-app payment system, designed to bypass Apple’s standard 30% commission on digital purchases. This move ignited a prolonged and bitter legal battle, with Epic accusing Apple of operating an illegal monopoly through its 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! It’ll show up in Search soon!
— Fortnite (@Fortnite) May 20, 2025
Get Fortnite on the App Store in the U.S. ➡️ https://t.co/HQu3pYCXFm pic.twitter.com/w74QPFFkOS
While the legal fight has spanned years and continents, and Fortnite saw a return to iOS devices in the European Union earlier this year due to regulatory pressures like the Digital Markets Act, the U.S. App Store remained a stronghold for Apple – until now.
The resolution comes on the heels of a recent U.S. federal court ruling on April 30, 2025, which found Apple in breach of a 2021 order requiring it to allow greater competition for downloads and payments within its App Store. This ruling, which even saw the judge refer the case for a potential criminal contempt probe into Apple’s conduct, seemingly pushed for a resolution.
Following this development, Epic swiftly resubmitted Fortnite for App Store review. Despite initial reports of delays, a joint filing between Epic and Apple on Thursday, May 15, indicated that issues preventing Fortnite’s return had been resolved.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney celebrated the decision, posting “We back fam” on X (formerly Twitter), encapsulating the long-fought victory for the developer. Players can now once again download the battle royale sensation directly from the U.S. App Store on their iPhones and iPads.
The return of Fortnite to a massive user base it once commanded on iOS is a significant development. While analysts debate whether the win comes too late for Fortnite to fully rebound its past popularity, with the battle royale genre seeing increased competition, it undoubtedly sets a precedent for broader changes in app store regulations and developer freedoms across the industry.
For millions of U.S. iPhone and iPad users, the wait is over. The battle bus is ready to drop once more.