Fortnite’s overnight success has made it the biggest video game in the world as it shoots to the top of the charts.
The 100-player Battle Royal game was previously only available in PC, PS4 and Xbox One and has been played by 45 million people already. Epic Games have since released an iPhone version and within hours it topped the iTunes charts.
Fortnite and its slapstick humor has even attracted the likes of Hip-Hop superstar Drake; he recently joined the shoot-’em-up adventure with players including video-game star Ninja on Twitch and the broadcast drew 628,000 viewers.
What is Fortnite?
The first thing you do in Fortnite is jump out of a purple flying bus and parachute down to an island. The goal, in the broadest sense, is simple: you have one life, and winning means survival in which you and 99 other players fight it out to be the last person standing.
How do I play it?
So now you know what it is, where do you begin? We’ve got the answer for you.
The game is free to download. The revenue comes from purchasing in-game currency called V-Bucks – people paying to purchase content such as cosmetics to decorate their character and unlock cool badges. According to the market research firm Sensor Tower it made $1.5m (£1m) in revenue for Epic Games, its developer, in its first three days.
You can download it for PC and on consoles. However, the iPhone version was given a limited release. Access to the mobile version is currently through email invite only via fortnite.com/mobile; As soon as the game is capable of handling more players, and your number comes up, you’ll get an invitation to download the game on your iOS device of choice.
Fortnite on iOS is compatible with the latest Apple hardware running iOS 11 and you need a strong, consistent internet connection to play. The following Apple devices are supported: iPhone 6S/SE, iPad Mini 4, iPad Air 2, iPad 2017, iPad Pro devices or later.
What if I have an Android phone?
For now, Android owners can’t play Fortnite on mobile. The game is said to be coming to Android “in the next few months”.
Edit April 03, 2018: The mobile version of the battle royale game is finally available on compatible iOS devices include iPhone 6S/SE, iPad Mini 4, iPad Pro, iPad Air 2 and iPad 2017 running iOS 11. No invite needed.
