After years without one of the world's most popular games, iOS and iPadOS gamers can finally play Fortnite again thanks to Microsoft and Epic Games bringing Fornite to Xbox Cloud Gaming and allowing everyone to play it without requiring a subscription to Xbox Cloud Gaming. Xbox GamePass Ultimate.
As part of "Microsoft's mission to bring the joy and community of gaming to gamers around the world," Fortnite can now be played on any iOS, iPadOS, Android phone or tablet, or Windows PC with internet access. through a web browser. It's no need to download or install anything as long as you have a Microsoft account, which is an incredibly low login bar.
While this all sounds great, the Xbox Cloud Gaming service is still technically in beta, so it's only available in 26 countries at the moment. You'll also need a fast internet connection if you want smooth gameplay without any hiccups or too much compression on the Fortnite graphics.
Fortunately for mobile gaming fans who aren't big on Fortnite, in the Xbox Wire post announcing Fornite's glorious return to iOS devices, Microsoft noted that they plan to bring more free games to the Xbox Cloud Gaming service in the future. However, there is currently no indication of what other free games will be available at this time.
Analysis: freedom at last
Thanks to Epic Games and Apple becoming involved in a legal battle, Fortnite hasn't been officially available on iOS devices since the app was pulled from the App Store in August 2020. However, there are several workarounds that allow gamers to iOS get your Fornite. arrange.
More recently, Nvidia's GeForce Now made it easy for iOS gamers to play Fortnite through the Safari browser, similar to what Microsoft's Xbox Cloud Gaming now allows users. However, gamers with free GeForce Now accounts were limited to only playing for an hour at a time on a fairly basic virtual machine.
While this has allowed iOS and iPadOS users to play Fortnite in moderation, it's far from an ideal solution as playtime restrictions, not to mention the waitlist for the service, are pushing players to the paid levels of GeForce Now, which Microsoft thankfully isn't. Please don't at this time as Fortnite is available to play without an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription.
With more free titles promised for Xbox Cloud Gaming in the future, we'll have to wait and see if free gaming really does stay free in the cloud and if Microsoft is truly committed to its mission of making gaming more accessible to people everywhere. the world. .