Epic Games’ Fortnite is eating the world, and now the battle royale game (and occasional golf simulator) is finally coming to Android. Samsung Galaxy devices held exclusive access to the Fortnite beta for now, but Epic has started rolling out invites to owners of other phones as well.
Can your phone even play Fortnite for Android though? The game requires some serious graphical horsepower despite its cartoonish looks.
Here’s how Android users can gain access to Fortnite, followed by the full list of phones that can play Fornite on Android.
How to play Fortnite on Android
To celebrate the launch of the Galaxy Note 9, Samsung Galaxy owners can play the Fortnite beta right now. Anyone who has a Galaxy S7 or later, the Galaxy Note 8, or Galaxy Tab S3 or S4 will find a Fortnite icon in Samsung’s Game Launcher app. (You can find it in your app drawer.) Just tap it to start downloading the game.
If you preorder the Galaxy Note 9 via Samsung.com, the company will also give you a whopping 15,000 V-Bucks to use in Fortnite along with an exclusive Galaxy outfit. It’s pretty slick.
Samsung
The exclusive Galaxy outfit for Fortnite on Android.
Everyone else must sign up for invitations to the beta, which will roll out in waves. Head over to the official Fortnite for Android page and register with your email. Epic will eventually send you an invitation email with instructions on how to install the game, which isn’t being distributed through the Google Play Store. Do not download anything claiming to be Fortnite in Google Play—it’s a scam.
You’ll need to download the Fortnite Installer app. If you’re using default Android settings, you’ll see a warning about downloading and installing APKs from unknown sources. Confirm you’re on the Epic Games website (epicgames.com) before you download any files (an invitation scheme like this is bound to draw phishing schemes galore) and grant Chrome permission to do so. The Fortnite Installer will install; follow the on-screen prompts to finish installing Fortnite. When you’re done, be sure to revoke Chrome’s ability to download apps from unknown sources to stay as safe as possible.
What Android phones can play Fortnite
You’re going to need a fairly beefy phone to play Fortnite on Android. Epic says these devices will be able to hop onboard the battle bus immediately after receiving an invitation. The good news: Most of our favorite Android phones make the cut.
- 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
There’s a second wave of Android phones that won’t be able to play the Fortnite beta at first, but Epic says it’s “working on fixes in the near term.”
- HTC: 10, U Ultra, U11 / U11+, U12+
- Lenovo: Moto Z / Z Droid, Moto Z2 Force
- Sony: Xperia: XZ/ XZs, XZ1, XZ2
Finally, if you don’t see your phone listed above, Epic said it may still be able to play Fortnite for Android if it meets or exceeds the following specifications:
- OS: 64-bit Android, 5.0 or higher
- RAM: 3GB or higher
- GPU: Adreno 530 or higher, Mali-G71 MP20, Mali-G72 MP12 or higher
But there’s a twist: Your phone can’t be rooted if you want to play Fortnite for Android. Epic says it may drop that condition in the future if it can find “effective anti-cheat solutions” though.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on August 9, 2018 when Fortnite debuted on Samsung phones, but was updated to include installation information for other devices.