Fortnite could return to the US App Store later this week.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney says Fortnite will return to the App Store in the United States later in the week, and he’s reportedly spoken to Apple about it.
Fortnite was removed from the U.S. App Store back in 2020, as a result of a lengthy legal battle between Epic Games and Apple. Epic attempted to circumvent Apple’s then-30% commission by giving users the option to purchase in-game V-bucks externally, which led to the app’s removal.
After all this time, it seems there may be a path to Fortnite returning to the App Store as soon as Friday. However, Apple isn’t talking about the moves publicly, and Epic CEO Tim Sweeney is the only one sharing details.
Fortnite‘s potential return is thanks to a judge ruling Apple deliberately violated a 2021 anti-steering injunction, which wasn’t enforced until 2024. Apple’s implementation to comply with the injunction was aggressive, and Epic Games filed a complaint in early 2025, which led to the judge finding Apple in violation of the order.
After the judge ordered Apple to stop commissions and linking rules for external media, Epic Games CEO extended a peace offering to Apple. At the time, he said that Fortnite would return to the App Store within a week if Apple complied with the judge’s order on a global scale.
Even though Apple didn’t do that and is only complying in the United States, it seems Sweeney is still interested in bringing Fortnite back. However, the path to doing so isn’t clear.
On May 3, in an social media post, Sweeney said that Apple and Epic had reached a solution — Fortnite would be distributed in the United States through Epic Games’ Sweden account, as its U.S. account was removed.
In subsequent posts, the Epic Games CEO went on to clarify that Fortnite wouldn’t launch before Thursday, May 8. On Tuesday, Sweeney also appeared in an episode of the Channels Podcast with Peter Kafka, where he reiterated his claims about Fortnite returning to the U.S. App Store.
Over $100 million in fees and countless hours of litigation to reach a single partial victory
When asked directly about Fortnite returning to the App Store in the United States this week, Epic’s CEO said he believed it would happen. “I would be very surprised if Apple took action to block it,” said Sweeney, “I can’t imagine Apple blocking Fortnite at this point.”
“We’ve told Apple what we’re doing. We’ve told their developer relations team,” commented Sweeney during the podcast. Apple’s lawyers reportedly advised Epic Games “to submit Fortnite to the App Store through the Epic Games Sweden account,” which is consistent with what Sweeney said previously.
Sweeney also said that Epic Games will cease litigation against Apple in the United States, once Fortnite returns to the App Store:
When Fortnite returns to the App Store under Apple, in full compliance with the new rules, as clarified by the court, our fight in the United States will be completely over. It’s res judicata. There’s no further grounds for dispute in that case.
The Epic Games CEO remains confident that Apple will reinstate Fortnite once it’s submitted via the Epic Games Sweden account, but it remains to be seen whether or not that will happen. After all, the two companies have been in a legal fight spanning well over four years, so it seems odd that Apple would have a change of heart all of a sudden.
Sweeney repeatedly referenced the ruling against Apple, which said the company violated the 2021 anti-steering injunction, seeing it as a game-changing factor. Apple has appealed this ruling, however, and the iPhone maker announced these plans shortly after the courts made their decision.
Sweeney claims Epic spent $100M on legal costs related to its legal battle with Apple, and said the company lost hundreds of millions in potential revenue because Fortnite was removed from the App Store. Fortnite is not available on Mac either, but there was never anything stopping the company from offering the game and making it available to Apple users that way.
That’s why everything about these claims seems off. Sweeney claims to have won, but also openly states he still wants third-party app stores on iPhone without fees paid to Apple — which hasn’t happened in the United States yet.
Ultimately, it remains to be seen whether or not Fortnite will return to the App Store in the United States or if litigation from Epic will truly cease. Sweeney remains bullish on the claim, however, so there is a chance the game will return soon.
