
Read more about the security problems Fortnite had on Android and why it's unlikely the game will ever come to the Google Play store. And yet, the growing popularity of Fortnite allows Epic Games to go this route. For me, no game or app is worth that kind of risk.
DIFFICULTY DOWNLOADING FORTNITE FOR MAC INSTALL
It requires you to sidestep security on your phone to install the app, which could make your device vulnerable to malware or viruses. Sideloading is when you install an app from anywhere but the official app store in this case Google Play. We believe gamers will benefit from competition among software sources on Android."Įpic came up with a clever, albeit risky, way to get the game onto most Android phones without going through Google's app store: sideload it. In 2018, Epic's CEO Tim Sweeney told TechCrunch, "On open platforms like PC, Mac and Android, Epic's goal is to bring its games directly to customers. Apple does the same thing in its App Store, yet it actually hosts the game download. Why, when Epic Games, the maker of Fortnite, offers the game on the PS4, Xbox One, Mac, PC, Nintendo Switch ( $347 at Amazon) and iPhone ( $499 at Apple)? Because Google takes a 30% cut of all in-app purchases, which Epic was unwilling to pay. The only way to access the game's new map, mechanics like weapon upgrades and a wealth of other changes on Android phones like the Samsung Galaxy S10 ( $260 at Amazon) and Google Pixel 4 ( $384 at Amazon) is to install it yourself. If you want to play Fortnite Chapter 2, the battle-royale shooter game that follows the wildly popular Fortnite Season 10 (which ended with a devastating black hole that destroyed everything and left the game in flux), you won't find it in the Google Play Store.

With a slew of new phones and Fortnite Chapter 2, we wanted to revisit the process of installing Fortnite on Android.

In August 2018, Fortnite came to a small number of Android phones.
