Play Fortnite for Free on Your Phone, Tablet, or PC With Xbox Cloud Gaming

When Apple and Fortnite's parent company Epic Games battled it out in court in the big "Epic Games vs. Apple" case, many thought they'd never get to enjoy Fortnite on iOS again.Although the two companies haven't exactly kissed and made up, there's a way for you to play Fortnite on your iPhone again. In fact, you can play Fortnite on any iOS device, as well as any phone, tablet, or PC with Xbox Cloud Gaming. Here's what you need to know.

Fortnite Launches Free-to-Play Games With Xbox Cloud Gaming

Starting May 5, 2022, you can play Fortnite in your browser on your phone, tablet, or PC with Xbox Cloud Gaming. Compatible devices include any iOS, iPadOS, Android device, and a Windows PC.

In other words, you can play the battle royale game virtually anywhere, as long as you have internet access. What's more, you don't even need a subscription, meaning you can play for free.

The announcement was made by Catherine Gluckstein, Vice President and Head of Product at Xbox Cloud Gaming, in an Xbox blog post, which read:

As part of our mission to bring the joy and community of gaming to players wherever they are and to make gaming more accessible to people around the world, I’m excited to announce that we’ve partnered with Epic Games to make Fortnite available on supported browser-enabled devices for free with Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) in 26 countries.

This is a big deal, considering it's the first time anyone is able to play Xbox Cloud Gaming for free. Previously, cloud gaming was reserved for certain games, and only if you had an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription.

And Fortnite won't be the last free-to-play game on Xbox Cloud Gaming either. Xbox plans to add more free-to-play games to its cloud gaming catalog in the future.

As explained by Gluckstein in the blog post:

It’s an important step to add a Free-to-Play title to the cloud gaming catalog as we continue our cloud journey. We’re starting with Fortnite and will look to bring more Free-to-Play games people love in the future. At Xbox we want to make gaming accessible to the 3 billion players around the world, and cloud has an important role in that mission. Quite simply we want you to have more choice in both the games you play and the way you choose to play them.

This is something that Xbox players can look forward to, as it means they'll have more options for cloud gaming.

The fallout between Epic Games and Apple had diminished any hopes for the return of Fortnite to iOS. But Epic Games has found a way around that, thanks to Microsoft smuggling Fortnite onto iOS, and Chrome, which is supported on Apple devices.

Who Can Play Fortnite for Free With Xbox Cloud Gaming?

Anyone using an iOS, iPadOS, Android device, or Windows PC can play Fortnite for free, as long as you have a Microsoft account. You'll also need a strong and reliable internet connection to avoid any latency issues.

If you've ever wondered what battle royale games are about, this is your chance to find out by playing one of the most popular games from this category, without spending a cent.

You'll also get to join a massive community of gamers and Fortnite fanatics around the world.

How to Play Fortnite for Free With Xbox Cloud Gaming

screenshot of fortnite play for free page — Image Credit: Xbox

It's easy to play Fortnite for free with Xbox Cloud Gaming. Here's how to get started:

Go to Xbox.com/play in your web browser.
Sign-in with your Microsoft account by clicking SIGN IN at the top of the screen, or PLAY FOR FREE at the bottom, followed by SIGN IN on the next page.

That's it. Just two quick steps and you're ready to start playing.

You can choose if you want to play Fortnite with a supported controller or with touch controls. You can also change your settings to play with better graphics.