Here’s how to play Fortnite on Mac while we wait for the Epic dispute to be resolved
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It's been almost four years since Fortnite disappeared from the App Store, and Apple and Epic Games are still fighting in court. The case began back in 2020 when Epic added its own payment system into Fortnite. Apple didn't take a liking to this and swiftly removed the game from its platform. This sparked a long legal battle between the two companies, and the dispute is still going on today, though we’re finally starting to get some resolution.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney recently chatted about the matter on the Lex Fridman podcast, if you want to learn more from his point of view. He also talked about the upcoming Unreal Engine 6 and the clunkiness of the Epic Games Launcher.
The ongoing legal drama
Recently, a judge ruled that Apple violated a 2021 court order that required it to allow developers to guide users to other payment methods outside the App Store. According to the judge, Apple broke the rules on purpose and tried to control how developers charge their customers. Apple disagreed with the ruling and has now asked the appeals court to pause it. It claims that the judge's decision prevents them from controlling “core aspects of its business operations”. Apple also says the original order was not valid in the first place.
Epic, on the other hand, says that the judge's recent decision is already helping both users and developers. They mentioned that more developers are offering better deals to customers through their apps because they no longer have to use Apple's payment system. Epic has now successfully brought Fortnite back to the iOS store, even with the legal drama still going on. However, that doesn’t cover Mac users wanting to play on their desktop or MacBook.
Easy way to play Fortnite on Mac?
While all of this is being sorted out in court, you might be wondering if there's a way to play Fortnite on your Mac. Thankfully, there is. You can play Fortnite through cloud gaming services like GeForce Now, Amazon Luna, or Xbox Cloud Gaming. These services let you stream games directly from the internet, so you don't have to install anything big on your Mac. All you need is a stable internet connection and a subscription, and you're good to go.
GeForce Now lets you connect your Epic Games account and play Fortnite right from your browser. Amazon Luna and Xbox Cloud Gaming work in a similar way. These services bring back the full Fortnite experience, including all game modes and updates, without needing to wait for it to return to the App Store.
Epic has stated that “Apple terminated our ability to develop Fortnite for Mac back in 2020 without explanation,” so it’s likely that the company doesn’t have the means to develop a native port anytime soon.
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