Fortnite Is Now Available On Android, Here’s How To Download It Safely

Bow down and rejoice, Android users. The most popular game in the world is now available on Google’s Android OS...well, sort of.

You might have seen the news break over the weekend, but things are a bit more complicated than we’d hoped.

For one thing, it’s an Android Beta, so the graphics won’t exactly live up to the slinky sex-pixels on PS4 (some fans don’t seem to mind).

For another, it’s invite only. You have to crawl to Epic Games (the makers of Fortnite) on your hands and knees and beg for a Beta invite.  

If you’re one of the lucky ones chosen, the process is still a little messy. Epic made the controversial decision to not release Fortnite on the Google Play Store, edging out Google and keeping 100% of the profits for themselves.

Smart commercial move, but it’s left fans open to potential exploitation. According to Wired, there are already a bunch of unauthorized sites have popped up, advertising Fortnite Android downloads, but in reality, filling your phone with god-knows-what-Trojan-nightmares. Yeah, not cool. 

Want to download the new Fortnite for Android app safely? Here’s what you have to do:

1. Head to Epic Games and sign up for the Android Beta.
2. Wait for an invite, then download the APK when it comes through. 
3. Don’t attempt a download from any other site. It’s fortnite.com/android or nothing.
4. Because Epic Games decided to cut-out the Google Play Store, you’ll need to change some of your phone’s permission settings. Like so:
5. After you’ve finished installing, change the permission settings back (please don’t forget this step).

One other thing, not all Samsung devices are going to work. Here’s the approved list so far: the new Galaxy Note 9, Galaxy S7 / S7 Edge, S8 / S8 Plus, S9 / S9 Plus, Galaxy Note 8, Tab S3 and S4 tablets. If you don’t have a Samsung device, check out Epic Games’ full list of compatible devices over here.

How long the BETA lasts is an unknown at this point. The iOS beta only stuck around for a couple of weeks before everyone could get it on the App Store. If Android follows the same timeline, that means we should expect an easy-to-download live version sometime in early September.

Fingers crossed. 

Image credit: Epic Games