Fortnite’s global iOS comeback drives downloads to eight-year high
| Date | Type | Companies Involved | Key Datapoint |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 27, 2026 | milestone | Epic Games | 3.4 million downloads |
- In its first week back on the App Store globally, Fortnite was downloaded approximately 3.4 million times.
- This was Fortnite's fourth-best week for installs ever on the App Store, reaching a weekly high not seen since its 2018 launch month.
Fortnite has generated an estimated 3.4 million downloads on the App Store in one week since its global return.
The figure marked an eight-year high for Epic Games’ title, according to AppMagic estimates. The week has driven more downloads on iOS than any other week since April 2018.
Fortnite originally released on iOS on March 15th, 2018 but was later banned for violating App Store rules in 2020. After years of legal battles, it returned to the storefront globally on May 19th, 2026.
Plenty of players
Fortnite returned to the App Store in select markets like the US last year. Its global reprise last week has meant a return to markets like France, Germany, the UK, Canada and Japan, all driving greater downloads than the US over the period.
In fact, France and the UK more than doubled the US’s 151,000 downloads during the week, at 366,000 and 307,000 respectively. Saudi Arabia has led installs globally at 474,000 over this single week.
Since Fortnite returned to the global stage, regions responsible for the most downloads include:
- 1: Saudi Arabia
- 2: France
- 3: The United Kingdom
- 4: Mexico
- 5: Brazil
- 6: Japan
- 7: Germany
- 8: Canada
- 9: The United States
- 10: Spain
According to Epic Games, Apple told the US court that regulators in other countries have been watching the US legal case. Epic has chosen now to bring Fortnite back due to confidence other governments won’t allow Apple’s "junk fees" to stand.
Based on installs, Fortnite’s first week back on iOS globally has been its most successful seven-day period outside its original launch month on the platform. The latest 3.4m figure came close to Fortnite’s original launch week, when the game received 3.7m downloads, and has surpassed week two’s 3.1m installs.
Fortnite’s third week in 2018 stands as its lifetime record - 4.2m installs in seven days - and in week four it picked up a further 3.6m.
Overall, this makes Fortnite’s latest week its fourth strongest ever on the App Store.
On a daily downloads basis, Fortnite’s global comeback has also marked an eight-year high. From approximately 19,000 installs on May 18th, 2026, daily downloads surged by 1,408% to almost 290,000 on May 19th and later peaked at 674,000 on May 23rd. Over the week, installs have remained above pre-global relaunch levels with another 445,000 installs on day seven.
Downloads last peaked at 569,000 on May 24th, 2025, days after Fortnite’s App Store return in the US. This was the first time Fortnite surpassed 500,000 daily downloads on iOS since April 15th, 2018. The game’s lifetime peak was at 764,000 daily downloads on March 18th, 2018.
As Fortnite’s first week back has been a near-record for installs, player spending through the App Store has reached just a six-week high. Players may also be spending through Epic’s web shop or new players may not have converted into payers as yet.
Companies
