Fortnite Battle Royale -- along with PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds -- is now available on a phone. That alone is a massive development for the game industry, which has never seen anything quite like two incredibly popular shooters arriving fully formed on mobile devices just months after release on PC and Console. In the case of Fortnite, however, it's a bit more complicated than just "you can play Fortnite Battle Royale on a phone now." If you've been wondering why the game you downloaded won't work, there's a reason for that. Read on for everything you need to know about Fortnite Battle Royale on iOS and Android.
Invites: Fortnite Battle Royale is not yet in wide release on either iOS or Android. Right now we're in an invite-only pilot program, where developer Epic Games is strictly controlling who can play the game in order to test and fine tune the controls, gameplay and backend before opening the floodgates. The first round of invites went out earlier in the month, and anyone who got an invite also received a few extras to bring their friends along: right now, those are the only people that can play this game on mobile. More invites are going out in the future, however, and you can sign up here to get a shot at being in subsequent rounds.
Eventually, anyone who wants to will be able to play.
iOS: The pilot program is currently only available on iOS, and even then only on specific devices. You can play Fortnite only if you have at least an iPhone 6S/SE, iPad Mini 4, iPad Pro, iPad Air 2 or any 2017 iPad. Fortnite Battle Royale is an intense game for a phone to run, so don't expect these requirements to change. You might also want an external battery pack, because this thing will destroy your battery.
Android: Fortnite Battle Royale will be coming to Android eventually, but there is no current timeline for it besides "the next couple months."
Credit: Epic Games
'Fortnite Battle Royale' on iOS.
Controls: Bluetooth controllers are not currently enabled for Fortnite Battle Royale on mobile, but Epic has plans to bring them eventually. That means that right now everything is done by touch controls, and the result is a compromise compared to a controller or mouse and keyboard, but one that still works. You move your character with a virtual joystick in the lower left and look around by dragging the screen with your right hand. You open doors either by tapping them or just by running into them -- weapons are automatically picked up if you don't have room for them, in which case you tap them directly on the screen to swap out your currently equipped item. All other actions, from shooting to crouching, aiming down sights and building are handled by virtual on-screen buttons.
No, it's not perfect. But it works, and for the most part, everyone you're playing against will be using the same controls. Which brings us to...
Cross-play: In Fortnite, any two players can play together no matter what platforms they're using unless the two platforms in questions happen to be Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Every other pairing, however, is fair game. That means that you can play the game on mobile. Cross-play in Fortnite is a social feature, and it's opt-in. That means that mobile players will only ever play with other mobile players unless they choose to squad up with someone on a console or PC. You can read more about how it works, and how to do it, here.
Cross-progression: Not only is there cross-play throughout this ecosystem, there's also cross-progression. That means that you can play on the same account, with the same cosmetics, challenges and unlocks, no matter which platform you're using. You just have to use an Epic account, so that means you might need to take a few extra steps if you started playing on Xbox One or PS4. If you're signed in on the same account, however, you should see the same skins and challenges show up when you boot the game up whether you're doing so on PC, Console or Mobile.
Credit: Epic Games
Fortnite: Battle Royale
It's still Fortnite: It would need to be in order for cross-play and cross-progression to work, but it bears repeating. Fortnite Battle Royale is the exact same game on mobile as it is on PC or Console. You'll see the same map, the same weapons, the same skins and the same gameplay as you do on every other platform. Limited Time modes will unlock at the same time and disappear at the same time, and the same goes for new weapons or gameplay features. Yes, the visuals will be a little compromised and there's a bit more pop-in than usual. It's still the same game.
