The wait is finally over for millions of iPhone gamers in the United States. Fortnite, the hugely popular video game with over 400 million registered players worldwide, has returned to Apple’s App Store after being banned for nearly five years.
Epic Games‘ hit title became available again on May 21, 2025, marking the end of a long legal fight that started when Apple kicked Fortnite off its platform in August 2020. The ban happened because Epic tried to let players buy in-game items directly from them, bypassing Apple’s payment system that takes 15-30% of each purchase.
“We back fam,” posted Tim Sweeney, Epic Games’ CEO, celebrating the game’s comeback on social media.
The return comes after a strong push from US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who found Apple in civil contempt last month for not following her earlier court orders about app payments. She even warned that Apple officials could face criminal charges if they didn’t comply.
The impact of this change goes beyond just playing Fortnite. Gil Luria, an analyst at D.A. Davidson, points out that while this is a win for Epic Games, it might have taken too long: “For Epic Games this was a hard fought win that carried a very steep price and may be too late to boost its Fortnite game that is now past its prime.”
Before the 2020 ban, Fortnite was incredibly popular on iPhones. About 116 million people played it on Apple devices, with roughly 2.5 million players logging in each day. These players made up about 10% of all daily Fortnite players at that time.
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The game’s return could change how people pay for things on their iPhones. Epic is now offering players 20% back in rewards when they buy V-Bucks (the game’s currency) directly through Epic’s system instead of Apple’s. This means players can save money, and Epic doesn’t have to pay Apple’s fees.
Other companies are watching closely. Michael Ashley Schulman from Running Point Capital Advisors explains that apps like Spotify and Netflix might now be able to avoid Apple’s fees too, which could reshape how iPhone apps make money over the next year and a half.
Fortnite had already returned to iPhones in the European Union in January 2025, thanks to new laws there that forced Apple to be more open with its App Store. The game is also back on Android phones worldwide after a similar ban by Google ended last year.
NYU Stern’s games business professor Joost van Dreunen sees this as a turning point: “Epic has effectively forced open a door that Apple and others worked very hard to keep shut. Creators and publishers will now have more leverage to challenge entrenched distribution models.”
While Apple hasn’t commented on Fortnite’s return, they’re still fighting in court, trying to pause these changes to their App Store rules. They argue these changes will cost them significant money each year.
For iPhone users who’ve missed playing Fortnite, the game’s return means they can finally jump back into their favorite battle royale matches, where up to 100 players compete to be the last one standing. The game is available now, though it might take some time to show up in App Store searches as the system updates.