The Epic Games Store is now available for iPhone users in the European Union, after Apple was forced to allow third-party app marketplaces as part of compliance with the EU’s Digital Markets Act.
Most notably, this means Fortnite is now once again available to download on the iPhone … if you are in the European Union. You can get the Epic Games Store by visiting this page on your device. Beyond its own store, Epic is also releasing Fortnite on AltStore PAL.
The catalog of games available in the iOS Epic Games Store is starting small, featuring a handful of favorite Epic titles like Fortnite and Fall Guys. The company says it will grow the library over time. It is aiming to hit 100 million mobile downloads before the end of year, driven by game installs across Epic Games Store on iOS and Android.
Epic Games has been a staunch supporter of alternative app stores and iOS sideloading, as it protests Apple’s monopolistic position over iOS software. This most famously blew up in 2020 when Fortnite was pulled from the App Store, after Epic tried to avoid using Apple’s In-App Purchase system to purchase the in-game currency V-Bucks.
The EU Digital Markets Act has given Epic an inroads into effecting change, but it is still pushing for more. Right now, Epic Games must pay Apple a 50 euro cent fee for every install of the store, a payment that recurs annually, due to Apple’s Core Technology Fee structure. Apps inside an alternative marketplace must also pay the Core Technology Fee. Epic will also pay the Core Technology Fee a second time, when the user installs Fortnite.
(Through a voluntary grant, Epic is also sponsoring AltStore PAL, to pay for their Core Technology fee on marketplace install as well. You used to need a paid subscription to download AltStore PAL; now that Epic is footing the bill, AltStore will be free to download.)
Epic, Spotify and others are campaigning for free unadulterated access to the platform. The EU commission has said it is investigating whether the Core Technology Fee, and other terms, are in compliance with the Digital Markets Act. Apple continues to contest the decisions.
Currently, alternative app stores are only supported by iPhone devices running iOS 17.4 or later. The capability will launch on iPad with iPadOS 18, so you can expect the Epic Games Store to also launch on iPad then. Epic is committed to rolling out the Epic Games Store in countries where it is allowed to so, starting with Japan in 2025.
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