After the popular game’s release on iOS earlier this year, fans have been eagerly anticipating Fortnite‘s eventual release on Android. However, now that it’s here it seems many lower-powered Android handsets are struggling to run the resource-intensive game.
Fortnite is distinctly different to many games found in the Android family since it circumvents the Google Play Store and is available exclusively through the Epic Games website.
It’s a strange move, which some are speculating is Epic’s way of avoiding paying a portion of its revenue to Google (a side-effect of Play Store purchases).
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Fortnite for Android Release Date and Beta
Epic Games confirmed on August 9 that Fortnite for Android would initially be available on the Samsung Galaxy family of devices. Samsung Galaxy Note 9 and Galaxy Tab 4 owners will also be granted access to an exclusive in-game skin.
As mentioned above, the game will not be available on the Google Play store, which is how you get access to 99% of the apps available on Android. Instead you’ll have to register on Epic Games’ site and manually install the APK that’s emailed to you.
If you try and search for the game on the Google Play store, you’ll see a message telling you that it’s not available.
Fortnite for Android: Supported phones
Epic Games confirmed during its recent Samsung Unpacked Presentation that the Fortnite Android beta will be available across the family of Samsung Galaxy devices including the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 and the recently released Samsung Galaxy Tab 4. Owners of the latter two devices will gain access to the ‘Galaxy’ outfit in Battle Royale.
Samsung got a weekend of exclusivity, but that came to a close on the evening of Monday 13 August. Now the beta is available to download on a number of compatible, non-Samsung devices.
Hey Android owners! We're excited to open up the #FortniteAndroid Beta to more devices starting… TODAY!
Check your email as the first wave of invites have started to go out. Not signed up yet? Head to our website for more info: https://t.co/AvolyySFZ1 pic.twitter.com/DuW5yzpcqd
— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) August 13, 2018
The compatible devices at launch as as follows:
- Samsung Galaxy: S7 / S7 Edge , S8 / S8+, S9 / S9+, Note 8, Note 9, Tab S3, Tab S4
- Google: Pixel / Pixel XL, Pixel 2 / Pixel 2 XL
- Asus: ROG Phone, Zenfone 4 Pro, 5Z, V
- Essential: PH-1
- Huawei: Honor 10, Honor Play, Mate 10 / Pro, Mate RS, Nova 3, P20 / Pro, V10
- LG: G5, G6, G7 ThinQ, V20, V30 / V30+
- Nokia: 8
- OnePlus: 5 / 5T, 6
- Razer: Phone
- Xiaomi: Blackshark, Mi 5 / 5S / 5S Plus, 6 / 6 Plus, Mi 8 / 8 Explorer / 8SE, Mi Mix, Mi Mix 2, Mi Mix 2S, Mi Note 2
- ZTE: Axon 7 / 7s, Axon M, Nubia / Z17 / Z17s, Nubia Z11
Some of those who had registered via the Epic Games website will now be receiving invites to download the beta on to their Android phone. Epic Games has confirmed that the Android release will feature cross play and cross progression between Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, Mac and iOS.
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Fortnite for Android: Performance
Now that Fortnite is available on a wide range of Android phones, we’re starting to see how the software holds up on devices with much more modest specs — and the results aren’t great.
It’s particularly bad if you’re running the game on a handset with 4GB of RAM or less, which covers a large majority of the smartphone market.
We have seen reports that some players on 4GB Android devices are encountering an issue causing poor performance. This is due to multiple background applications running–leaving the device without enough memory for Fortnite. We are investigating and working on a fix!
— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) August 14, 2018
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Sure, if you’ve got a gaming-focused device like the Razer Phone − which comes with 8GB of RAM − then you might not have any issues, but devices like this are in the minority within the Android market.
That said, even Samsung’s high-end devices are reportedly struggling to run this very resource-intensive release.
Of course, with the game still technically in beta, problems like this are to be expected as Epic Games developers iron out the kinks and move towards a full release, whenever that may come.
Have you had a chance to play Fortnite on Android? What were your experiences? Let us know @TrustedReviews.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
