Epic Games announced today that Fortnite has returned to the App Store in every country except Australia. The company also declared that it is about to enter the “final battle” of its long-running legal dispute with Apple.
Fortnite is now back on the App Store worldwide, after Apple told the U.S. Supreme Court that “Regulators around the world are watching this case to determine what commission rate Apple may charge on covered purchases in huge markets outside the United States.”
Apple knows the U.S. federal court will force it to be transparent about how it charges its App Store fees. Fortnite is returning to the App Store now because we are confident that once Apple is forced to show its costs, governments around the world will not allow Apple junk fees to stand.
We will continue to challenge Apple’s anticompetitive App Store practices of banning alternative app stores and competition in payments. We’ve seen momentum around the world to address these practices, with regulators passing laws in Japan, the European Union and the United Kingdom – but time and time again Apple has evaded the laws with scare screens, fees and onerous requirements. It’s time for regulators to truly enforce the laws so developers and consumers around the world can benefit from an open and fair mobile app ecosystem.
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney framed the move as a strategic provocation, in a post on X Sweeny remarked that the return marks “the beginning of the end of the Apple Tax worldwide.”
Apple has now told the Supreme Court, "Regulators around the world are watching this case to determine what commission rate Apple may charge on covered purchases in huge markets outside the United States.”
So we see this as the beginning of the end of the Apple Tax worldwide.
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) May 19, 2026
Fortnite returned to the US App Store in May 2025 after nearly five years off the platform. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers had threatened to require the Apple official overseeing app decisions to appear in court, prompting Apple to approve the return of the popular game.
Epic said it will “continue to challenge Apple’s anticompetitive App Store practices of banning alternative app stores and competition in payments,” noting regulatory momentum in Japan, the European Union, and the United Kingdom. The company claims Apple has “evaded the laws with scare screens, fees and onerous requirements” in each of those regions.
Fortnite has not returned to Australia due to Apple continuing to enforce developer terms in the country, even though Epic says it won its court case there and that an Australian court found many of Apple’s developer terms to be unlawful. Epic refuses to return the app to the Australian App Store “under an illegal payment arrangement” and is waiting for a court order to force Apple to comply with the ruling.
