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As of August 16, 2026, UK iPhone and iPad owners can download Fortnite from Apple’s App Store, but Epic Games Store’s iOS marketplace is not listed as available in the UK. Epic’s planned 2025 UK marketplace launch did not happen as expected. The distinction matters: Fortnite returning to iOS is not the same as Epic launching an alternative app store.
What UK iPhone and iPad users can access now
| Question | Answer as of August 16, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Can I play Fortnite on a UK iPhone or iPad? | Yes. Fortnite is available through the UK App Store. |
| Can I install the Epic Games Store marketplace on UK iOS? | Epic’s current regional support information lists the iOS marketplace in the EU and on iPhone in Japan, not the UK. |
| Did Epic’s planned 2025 UK store launch happen? | No UK launch is shown in Epic’s current support information, and Epic said in July 2025 that the expected launch would not happen that year. |
| Can I play without installing Fortnite? | Epic lists Xbox Cloud Gaming, GeForce NOW and Amazon Luna as cloud-streaming options. |
Epic’s iOS store support page and mobile-store page describe the marketplace’s current regional availability. For Fortnite itself, see Epic’s regional availability guidance and the UK App Store listing.
What Epic planned for 2025
Epic’s UK plan was about opening an alternative iOS marketplace, not simply bringing Fortnite back to the App Store. Epic intended to offer the Epic Games Store as a third-party storefront, with Fortnite distributed through it and the possibility of other games and apps appearing there. The plan depended on a change in Apple’s UK marketplace rules, whether prompted by regulation or made by Apple.
That plan followed a different development in the European Union. On August 16, 2024, Epic launched its store on iOS in the EU under the EU Digital Markets Act (DMA), while Android availability was worldwide. Epic described the UK as a future market dependent on legal and regulatory change; the UK is not covered by the EU DMA. The two jurisdictions have separate regimes. See Epic’s mobile launch announcement.
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A planned target date was not proof that the store had become available. Epic’s July 2025 statement said the CMA had not prioritised alternative app-store competition in its initial mobile-platform roadmaps; Epic said the UK launch would not happen that year and that Fortnite’s UK return was uncertain. Epic’s statement sets out its view. In an August 2025 submission, Epic also told the CMA that Apple’s restrictions prevented it from offering its store to UK iOS users. That is Epic’s account of the barriers, not a CMA order establishing that an alternative store had launched.
What the UK competition law does—and does not do
The relevant law is the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCC Act). It gave the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) a digital-markets framework, including the power to designate firms as having strategic market status (SMS) in particular digital activities and then consider conduct requirements or pro-competition interventions. The Act did not itself switch on third-party iOS app stores.
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The CMA opened investigations into Apple’s and Google’s mobile platforms in January 2025. On October 22, 2025, it designated both companies as having SMS in relation to their mobile platforms. The designations covered mobile operating systems, native app distribution, and mobile browsers and browser engines. A designation gives the regulator a basis for further work; it is not an instruction that immediately makes an alternative marketplace available to consumers.
The CMA’s later work included app-store fairness and transparency, developer steering to alternative payment options, and iOS interoperability. It announced proposed commitments from Apple and Google intended to improve app-store processes and iOS interoperability. Those steps did not amount to a confirmed UK Epic Games Store launch. For the regulator’s case details and updates, see the Apple case, Google case, mobile-platform programme and commitments announcement.
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Why Fortnite returned before the Epic store did
On May 19, 2026, Epic announced that Fortnite was back on the App Store worldwide, with Australia excluded. Epic attributed the return to developments in its US legal dispute with Apple. That route restored Fortnite as an App Store app; it did not establish the Epic Games Store as a UK iOS marketplace, nor did it mean the UK DMCC process alone caused the return. See Epic’s announcement.
The result is two distinct answers to what can look like one question: UK users can install Fortnite from Apple’s storefront, while Epic’s alternative iOS storefront remains unavailable in the UK according to Epic’s current regional information. Epic’s CMA submissions record its position that it was ready to launch if the barriers changed, but they do not establish a future launch date. The 2025 submission and earlier submission are available from the CMA.
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How to play Fortnite on a UK iPhone or iPad
Install it from the App Store
- Open Fortnite’s UK App Store listing on a compatible iPhone or iPad.
- Check the listing’s current compatibility details, then download the app through Apple’s App Store.
- Sign in with your Epic account to use Fortnite’s cross-platform account progression, subject to Epic’s account rules.
Fortnite is listed as free with optional in-app purchases. The listing shows example UK prices of £1.59 for 100 V-Bucks, £6.99 for 800 V-Bucks, £9.99 for Fortnite Crew and £6.99 for the Battle Pass. These are listing snapshots and can change; consult the current listing for the latest details.
Use cloud gaming instead
If you prefer not to install the native app, or your device does not meet its current requirements, Epic identifies Xbox Cloud Gaming, GeForce NOW and Amazon Luna as Fortnite cloud-streaming options. Streaming avoids installing Fortnite or an app marketplace, but it is not an Epic Games Store launch: gameplay is delivered over the internet rather than installed as a native game. A supported service, suitable connection and acceptable latency matter; account and membership requirements can vary by service and country. Epic’s mobile installation guidance lists these options.
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Do not treat EU installation instructions as UK instructions
Epic documents the Epic Games Store and AltStore PAL as distribution routes in the EU, with the Epic store also available on iPhone in Japan. Those are region-specific arrangements, not general UK sideloading options. An iPhone that meets the store’s technical requirements does not gain access to a marketplace that is not available in its region.
Device and software requirements
These are the requirements shown on the relevant pages as of August 16, 2026; they may change with future game updates.
| Download route | Requirements shown |
|---|---|
| Fortnite from the UK App Store | Apple’s listing requires iOS 17.0 or later and names iPhone 11 and newer, iPhone XS and newer, iPhone 12 mini and newer, and iPhone SE (third generation) and newer. For iPad, it names iPad Pro 10.5-inch and newer, iPad Air (fourth generation) and newer, iPad (tenth generation) and newer, and iPad mini (sixth generation) and newer. |
| Epic Games Store iOS app in supported regions | Epic lists iOS 17.6 or later for iPhone and iPadOS 18 or later for iPad, plus compatibility with the game or app being installed. This is not a route currently listed for UK users. |
Check Apple’s Fortnite listing and Epic’s iOS marketplace page before relying on these details.
What could happen next?
The CMA can continue its work under the DMCC framework, and Apple could change its UK marketplace policies. If legal or platform barriers change, Epic could choose to launch later. But Epic’s current iOS support information does not list the UK, and no confirmed UK Epic Games Store launch date is established by the cited material. That status could change, so use Epic’s regional support pages for an up-to-date availability check.
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