Fortnite has triumphantly returned to the US App Store and immediately topped the charts

Mobile gamers in the US are celebrating! Fortnite, which has finally made its long-awaited return to iPhone and iPad, has skyrocketed to the top of the App Store charts. After a five-year hiatus caused by a fierce legal battle between Epic Games and Apple, the popular battle royale is now available to millions of users.

Here's What We Know

As a reminder, Fortnite was removed from the App Store worldwide back in 2020 after Epic Games deliberately added its own payment system to the game, which bypassed Apple's standard 30% commission. Five years and more than $1 billion in lost revenue later, Fortnite is finally back - and, most importantly, its alternative payment system remains in place.

More than a day after its return, Fortnite continues to hold the top spot on the US iOS App Store's Top Free Games chart, outperforming even the new Game of Thrones: Kingsroad and other regular hits such as Roblox, Clash Royale and Call of Duty Mobile.

Apple continued to resist Fortnite's return, despite the fact that this month a US judge finally ruled that the company must allow alternative payment options without penalty. After that, Fortnite spent several days in limbo as Epic Games' request for a comeback was first ignored by Apple, then rejected, raising the prospect of a new legal battle.

"We're back, family," Epic Games boss Tim Sweeney wrote on social media this week as Apple, under further pressure to allow Fortnite's return, finally caved in.

"Thank you to everyone who has supported the effort to open up mobile competition and #FreeFortnite from the beginning," he continued. "And thank you to everyone who initially supported Apple and then switched sides to support app developer rights and consumer rights."

Source: Apple