How to install Fortnite on Android

Epic Games launched the battle royale hit Fortnite on Android devices in 2018 with a big catch: it was exclusive to Samsung-made phones for a few days as a way to help market the new Samsung Galaxy Note 9.

At the time, would-be players had to deal with waiting lists and/or a limited list of eligible Android phones. Nowadays, it's much easier — but you still need to download it directly from Epic. (Epic CEO Tim Sweeney says this is basically to avoid paying Google's 30 percent cut for in-app purchases.) Epic uses its website and the Fortnite Installer program to distribute the game more widely across all compatible Android devices.

Also Read: How to play the Squid Game in Fortnite

Here's a step-by-step breakdown to make sure you're ready and understand the best way to start playing Fortnite on Android. But before we get to the nitty-gritty, a quick warning:

AVOID PLAY STORE

First and foremost, don't download anything from the Google Play Store or third-party web sources. Epic has made it clear that it only distributes Fortnite on Android through its website and the Samsung Galaxy Store. Searching for games in the Play Store will give you a simple "No results" message. (Initially, a search would return a specific warning from Google reading, "Fortnite Battle Royale by Epic Games, Inc. is not available on Google Play" due to concerns about a malware-laden fake version.)

DOWNLOAD THE INSTALLER AND THE GAME

Due to the unique distribution model here, you will have to download two separate apps. The first is the Fortnite Installer, which is the official APK file that then installs the game.

To do this, you may need to disable special permissions in Android settings that allow you to download third-party apps, depending on the version of Android you have and your existing security settings. After that, you'll have to go through a series of download sequences that are a bit more involved than installing your standard app.

Here is a step of the steps you will go through:

1. If you have a Samsung phone, you can go to the Galaxy Store to download the installer for Epic Games. You can then skip stepping 6.
2. Otherwise, go directly to Epic’s site. You’ll find a page suggesting that you either visit fortnite.com/android on your phone or scan a QR code.
3. Whichever method you choose, you’ll be sent to a page that gives you some instruction on what to expect. You’ll also get a pop-up for the installer; tap “Open.”
4. You will probably get a security notice saying that your phone isn’t allowed to install unknown apps from that source. Tap on “Settings.” A page labeled “Install unknown apps” will let you toggle on “Allow from this source.”
5. You will then be asked if you want to install the app. Tap on “Install.” When you get the “App install” pop-up, tap on “Done.”
6. The installer will appear on your homepage and in your phone’s app list as Epic Games. You may also get a download notification for the APK. Tap on the icon or the APK notification.
7. You’ll land on a page with the Fortnite graphic. Tap on that, and then on “Install.”
8. You’ll probably get that message again about installing unknown apps. Once again, tap on Settings and toggle on “Allow from this source.”
9. The app will then install, load any updates, and open.

Once that's done, you should be able to boot up Fortnite, log into your account, and start playing. In the past, Epic has advised users to keep the Fortnite Installer program, as it will be responsible for updating the game with new patches.

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