Now you can play Fortnite wherever there’s an internet connection. Microsoft announced today that Epic Games’ flagship title is now available to play for free through the Xbox Cloud Gaming service, including on mobile. Right now, the game is available in 26 countries, including the U.S. and Mexico. This is pretty big news, given how the app was previously kicked off both Apple and Google’s app stores.
You can start playing Fortnite right now if you have a Microsoft account. You don’t even have to subscribe to a Cloud Gaming pass. The game is available for iOS, iPad, Android smartphones and tablets, and Windows PCs. If you don’t have the app, which isn’t available on iOS, try out the browser version of Xbox Cloud Gaming instead.
More titles are launching mobile versions these days, but if you can play a full console- or PC-level title on your phone, tablet, or underpowered laptop for free, then it could do a lot to change gamers’ preferences. Part of the pitch isn’t just for gamers, either — Microsoft’s blog post points out how many people are trying out cloud gaming and that over 150 titles already include touch control support for any developers trying to reach new audiences.
It’s a little surprising to see Epic partner with Microsoft because we learned during the Epic v. Apple trial that the companies had long been in talks and that Epic deliberately decided not to bring Fortnite to the Xbox Cloud. “We viewed Microsoft’s efforts with xCloud to be competitive with our PC offerings,” admitted Joe Kreiner, Epic’s vice president of business development.
Epic doesn’t seem to be taking a cloud version of Fortnite away from Nvidia just to give it to Microsoft, by the way. Here’s a statement from Nvidia GeForce Now boss Phil Eisler: “We believe all games should be playable on any device and see today’s announcement as an exciting one for all gamers! We are working with Epic to fully launch Fortnite with touch controls, streaming with GeForce performance, on GeForce NOW. Stay tuned for updates coming soon.”
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