How can Forntite be reinstalled on iOS even after Apple removed it from the App Store

Fortnite disappeared from the App Store last week as part of developer Epic Games’ big legal and regulatory showdown with Apple, but the battle royale hit is not completely gone.

If you’ve never downloaded the game before, you’re pretty lucky – and we recommend avoiding any of the eBay ads that seem to pop up on hawk iPhones with the game installed for as much as $ 10,000. That sounds suspicious. Of course, those who have already downloaded the game can still play it and even install update files, at least until the next major patch launches, as Apple does not have the ability to forcibly remove software from your device.

But for those who have downloaded Fortnite at least once in the past, but maybe it’s offloaded or manually removed, there’s still a way to reinstall the game on your iOS device of choice. Here’s how:

1. Go to the “My Purchases” section of the App Store, found by clicking on your avatar (typically any Memoji or photo you chose for your Apple ID contact image) in the top right corner of any of ‘ the main screens.
2. From there, tap on “Purchased”, then on “My Purchases” to find your app folder of all the iOS apps you’ve ever downloaded.
3. Search for “Fortnite.”
4. The app should be visible, and tapping the cloud icon will initiate the download process.

Screenshots by Nick Statt / The Verge

You will still need to install the nearly 10GB collection of app files, as well Fortnite exists on mobile as a sort of shell for the bulk of game files that need to be retrieved from Epic servers. But going through this process will put the app back on your home screen and make it available to play updated once, for at least for now. The trick works even if one member of an Apple Family Sharing plan has ever downloaded it Fortnite on iOS in the past.

It’s not very fair to call this a screw up, because this behavior has always existed in some form for iOS apps. You could still play, for example Flappy Bird years after the creator pulled the game from the App Store, until Apple switched off 32-bit apps with the launch of iOS 11 in 2017 and stopped the game from functioning.

But given the unusual action Apple took to remove it Fortnite from the App Store and then Epic threatens to end up with the inclusion of inclusion in its developer program, it’s a good idea to get Fortnite back to your iOS device if you are interested in keeping up with the game as one of the real controversies around it. There is no telling how long this is Fortnite dispute will continue, and whether Epic will ever decide to comply with Apple’s requirements and remove its own in-app payment method. At the moment, you can still pick up Epic on its pricing offer by paying less Fortnite v-buks if you decide to embrace Apple and its controversial 30 percent cut.

Epic has said that the next season of the game, Chapter 2 Season 4, will launch on August 27, but it will not be available on the iOS version of the game due to the ongoing disagreement. That’s also a day before Apple said it would end Epic’s developer account and “separate Epic from iOS and Mac development tools.” Epic has filed for a lawsuit against Apple to prevent this from happening, but we are awaiting judgment on that matter.