Since Fortnite and Apple’s big legal blowout, the focus has been on the game going missing from iOS, but one other platform has been left behind too, Mac. With iOS Battle Royale now returning in a lot of regions, can you play Fortnite on Mac? They might have resolved some of the problems with the iOS App Store, but Mac OS is still a different issue.
With iOS coming back, other players are wondering can you play Fortnite on Mac? Since the first fallout, Epic removed the program from all Apple devices. It has been up and down since, but the conversation always seems to be about iOS, not Mac. Even though Mac doesn’t have the same problem with its app store as iOS. Fortnite still functions on Mac, but new players can’t download it easily. Even with the game back on iOS. So, can you play Fortnite on Mac and how does the game run?
Source: Apple, Epic
Can You Play Fortnite on Mac?
Kind of. You can’t unless you already have Fortnite on Mac, and you definitely can’t play newer Fortnite seasons on Mac. Instead, it’s still held up as it was when the game went offline with the initial Apple dispute. It’s like a preserved permanent version of Chapter 2. Pretty difficult to actually play since it’s essentially abandoned by Epic too.
The new rulings that have forced Apple to bring back Fortnite iOS in some places apply to the App Store. They don’t apply to Mac. Their shop for applications on Mac isn’t the same kind of store, so it hasn’t had the same recent court issues.
The changes have come as courts have found that the iOS store is a monopoly, since it limits what users of the ecosystem can use. You don’t need to install a program through the official store on Mac though. Many programs are simply downloaded off the web and installed as normal, no restrictive practises. Epic did have their Apple development credentials revoked, which makes Mac releases much harder. But they chose not to offer Fortnite on the platform, they already have the Epic Games Store on Mac. It seems Epic might just not have updated Mac support just yet.
It’s true that the majority of gamers prefer PC to Mac. Finding a lot of games on the platform can be difficult. However, Fortnite was offered on Mac for its initial few years. It probably won’t be the doorway to loads of players and sales in the item shop like mobile Fortnite is. But we could still see it brought back eventually, it just depends on if Apple thinks the platform is worth developing for in 2025.
Play Fortnite on Mac Using Streaming Services
Fortnite on Mac isn’t limited to what will run natively. You can make use of a streaming service to access the newer version of the game. Since you’re just streaming it, the game won’t have any problems running even on older or less game-friendly hardware. There are a few different ways to play Fortnite through Cloud Streaming.
Xbox Cloud is one of the more popular, Amazon Luna works great on these platforms too. Each of these types of game streaming lets you play Fortnite on Mac. It runs pretty well and you don’t have to worry about your own hardware. Not ideal compared to running it natively, but it’s great that there are still options.