Epic Games’ popular game Fortnite has made a comeback on iOS, but not through the App Store. Players on iPhone and iPad can enjoy playing Fortnite again through NVIDIA’s GeForce Now game streaming service.

Apple booted Fortnite from the App Store in August 2020, and later the game’s developer sued Apple. However, players are in luck because after over a year, NVIDIA’s GeForce Now service has started a closed beta program to test the game for streaming.

If you find a spot in the closed beta, you could play Fortnite through Safari on your iPhone and iPad. The browser is the only way Apple allows game streaming services like GeForce Now, Stadia, xCloud, and Luna to operate on iOS. NVIDIA’s service launched on iOS in November 2020 but integrating Fortnite took a long time.

Meanwhile, Android users have been able to play Fortnite on GeForce Now for some time, but it is based on the PC version. The upcoming release for iOS is based on the Fortnite mobile game, so players can expect better-optimized touchscreen menus and controls, similar to when Fortnite was offered as a native iOS app.

NVIDIA is accepting “selected members” for the beta program from January 13 who would be able to sign up and stream Fortnite on their iPhone or iPad from later this month. The company claims that free-tier users and paid members would have an “equal chance” at the closed beta. The streaming service also added that the beta test would run for a “limited time,” but there is no concrete timeline for how long the beta would run.

Our Take

For Epic Games, using GeForce Now to make a comeback on iOS appears to be the ideal route because the company won’t have to pay Apple a commission for every in-app purchase the players make. That said, it remains to be seen if a streamable version of Fortnite is a suitable long-term alternative to a native iOS app.

Do you think Fortnite would be able to offer the same native app-like experience on a streaming service? Tell us in the comments below.