Epic Games has launched its Star Wars-themed Fortnite update for May, and the release comes with the arrival of Fortnite on the iPhone in Japan.
Fortnite returned to the iPhone and iPad in the US this month a year ago. Next, Epic Games is targeting iOS availability in another region soon. Meanwhile, Fortnite’s return to the Mac doesn’t sound too promising.
Epic Games Store for iPhone arrives in Japan
First, Epic Games has launched the Epic Games Store for iPhone in Japan.
The Epic Games Store mobile app is a direct download from Epic Games. For EU users, it’s available for both iPhone and iPad. In Japan, the Epic Games Store mobile app is only on the iPhone.
Next, Epic Games says it’s aiming to launch the Epic Games Store in Brazil.
“Brazil is planned for later in 2026, and we’ll continue to bring the Epic Games Store to new countries as platform policies evolve,” the company says.
This is how iPhone users can access Fortnite, Rocket League Sideswipe, and Fall Guys in the region.
“No third-party games are available yet as the new CTC fees and reporting obligations are hard to decipher for studios and creating friction that needs to be overcome,” per Steve Allison, Epic Games Store general manager.
Apple was forced to allow third-party app stores on iPhone in Japan at the end of last year. AltStore PAL previously launched as an App Store competitor in Japan.
Fortnite on the Mac still unavailable
Meanwhile, it doesn’t sound like Fortnite will return to the Mac anytime soon.
Epic Games launched Fortnite for iPhone and iPad on the App Store in the United States last May, and it quickly became one of the top free games.
The Epic Games Store is available on the Mac, but Fortnite remains unavailable for macOS.
Players can only stream Fortnite on the Mac through solutions like Nvidia GeForce NOW and Xbox Cloud Gaming. Fortnite for Windows isn’t supported when running a Windows virtualization on Mac due to anti-cheating technology used by the game.
While there’s no technical reason why Fortnite can’t run on the Mac, it sounds like Epic Games is holding it back unless or until there’s global policy from Apple allowing third-party app marketplaces on iPhone and iPad.
In other words, it’s not happening anytime soon.
Apple is slicing and dicing features by platforms and territories to block as many user and developer rights as they calculate they can get away with there in order to extract junk fees. Victory is when this no longer occurs.
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) May 1, 2026
Apple killed Fortnite on Mac and iOS in 2020 by removing our developer account for violating their illegal terms. We won’t participate in the stupid games Apple is playing to divide and conquer developers around the world with unlawful and discriminatory terms.
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) May 1, 2026
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