Fortnite Returns to the iPhone with Nvidia’s GeForce Now Service

Nvidia on Thursday announced the launch of the Fortnite closed beta for iPhones, iPads, and Android devices on its GeForce Now cloud gaming platform (via The Verge).

The uber-popular battle royale game has been sorely missed on mobile devices ever since it was removed from the App Store in August 2020 for violating Apple’s developer guidelines (and later from Google Play for similar reasons).

Fortnite developer Epic Games and Nvidia promised back in November 2020 that the game would be available to stream through GeForce Now on the Safari web browser on any iPhone or iPad.

But with those claims not really coming to fruition and Epic Games revealing in September 2021 that Fortnite‘s App Store ban could last as long as five years, the future looked bleak for the game’s mobile player base.

As it turns out, though, optimizing the streamable version of Fortnite for mobile was just taking longer than the two companies had expected. iPhone and iPad owners can now stream Fortnite to play on their phones and tablets through Nvidia’s GeForce Now service, provided they’re able to bag an invite to the closed beta that went live earlier today.

Android users have been able to stream Fortnite and play it on their devices via GeForce Now for quite some time now, but that was the desktop version of Fortnite that had to be played by connecting a keyboard and mouse.

The new version that Nvidia and Epic Games are now testing is optimized for mobile devices, with similar touchscreen controls and menus to the old iOS and Android versions of the game.

According to Nvidia, sign-ups for the closed beta start today and “selected members” will receive invites later this month. The company says that the Fortnite beta will be available for a “limited time” but also said they “do not have an exact timeline for how long it will last.”

You can register for the Fortnite mobile beta for your iPhone or iPad over at Nvidia’s website in three simple steps:

1. Log in to your existing Nvidia account or create a new one.
2. Join the waitlist by completing the available registration form.
3. Sign up for a GeForce Now membership, available in both free and paid options.

Note: Both free and paid GeForce Now subscribers will have “an equal chance at the closed beta.” Android users who make it into the beta will only be able to stream the new mobile version of Fortnite and won’t be able to use a keyboard and mouse like they currently can with the desktop version.

There is no word yet from Epic or Nvidia on how long the beta will last or when a version of the game with full availability will hit GeForce Now for all iOS and Android users.

Game streaming has come a long way in recent years, but it is still far from being as natural an experience as natively playing an installed game on a supported device. That said, for mobile users who have been deprived of Victory Royales for almost a year and a half now, being able to stream Fortnite on their devices is a big win.