Can You Play Fortnite on Mac? (Everything You Need to Know)

Updated on January 1, 2024
can you play fortnite on mac

Macintosh computers are some of the finest gadgets around at the moment. They’re great for everything from writing code to music creation and graphics and visual design. Naturally, they also offer one of the best experiences when it comes to computer gameplay too.

If you’re a serious gamer, then Fortnite will likely rank highly on your list of favorite games to play. As such, if you’re one of those planning to switch to Mac OS devices, you may want to know whether you can play this awesome game on those devices first.

In this post, we’ll be getting to the bare bones of all you need to know about playing Fortnite on Mac systems.

Let’s get started!

Can You Play Fortnite on Mac – What You May Not Know

So, can gamers play Fortnite on Mac?

The answer to this question is both a “Yes” and a “No.”

That sounds a little confusing. But, please bear with us while we explain.

Well, up until 2020, Epic Games, the gaming company behind Fortnite offered a macOS version of the game. However, in 2020, Apple clashed with Epic Games over the latter’s release of a direct in-app purchase method without seeking prior consent from the former. There was a huge legal dispute over this which ultimately led to Apple banning Fortnite from its platform.

What all of that translates to is that, right now, Fortnite isn’t available to get on all Apple products, the Mac included.

Now, for the “Yes” side of things, you can still get Fortnite on your Mac, despite the ban.

However, the method of approach to getting that done will involve your implementing a couple of workarounds. We’ll get into greater detail on that subsequently.

But, the long and short of it is that, if you want to play Fortnite directly like you would play games like Badland Party, Alto’s Adventure, and Hidden Folks +, that’s really not going to happen. But, if you’re willing to jump through a few hoops, you’ll be able to get this done with no problems at all!

How to Play Fortnite on Your macOS Computer

As we pointed out earlier, playing Fortnite on these kinds of devices is no longer such a straightforward affair. At the moment, there are two distinct channels that you can employ to bypass this issue.

The first is to take advantage of cloud gaming services. Certain cloud gaming platforms will let you play Fortnite directly from your Mac without worry. The top two sites in this category are GeForce Now and Boosteroid. As long as you have a sufficiently high-quality Internet connection, you can still achieve a significantly immersive gaming experience with this approach.

Alternatively, you can opt to simply install windows on your computer. Doing this means that the device won’t be running on macOS anymore. As such, you can be free of the original restriction easily.

Here’s more on that in detail.

Downloading Fortnite on Your Mac

Downloading Fortnite on your Mac successfully means that you have to install and run Windows OS on the device. However, you can also opt to simply emulate that operating system by using a virtual machine instead.

If you’re choosing to download Windows on your computer, we recommend that you use the Boot Camp Assistant tool for this process. But if you’re planning to just emulate instead, the Parallels virtualization tool is certain to do a great job for you.

Moving forward, please keep in mind that Boot Camp Assistant currently only works for Intel Macs, and Parallels virtual machine doesn’t allow the game to play on M1 Mac. The result of this is that, if your device is an M1 Mac product, you’ll likely not be able to enjoy Fortnite with this approach.

However, all is not lost as you can still use a cloud gaming platform to enjoy this amazing game.

Systems Requirements for Playing Fortnite on Mac

If you’re planning on getting this intense game on your device, it’s always a good idea to ensure that your particular Mac model can handle the demands of playing such a heavy game. Just like with every other software, the better the specifications of the computer, the smoother the operation of the app is likely to be.

So that you can more accurately plan your actions here, we’ll be breaking down Fortnite system requirements for macOS computers into two categories. These are the bare minimum system specifications and the recommended minimum system specifications.

Bare Minimum System Specifications

The bare minimum specs that your system must meet are:

  • The Mac device must support Metal API
  • The device must have a minimum Intel Iris Pro 5200
  • The device must have a Core i3-3225 3.3 GHz CPU, at the least
  • The device must have a minimum of 4 GB of RAM
  • The device must have 76 GB of free disk space (This is necessary for downloading and installing the game)

Recommended Minimum System Specifications

To truly enjoy the immersive gameplay that Fortnite offers, your system should:

  • Support Metal API
  • Have a minimum AMD Radeon HD 7870 equivalent DX11GPU or the Nvidia GTX 660
  • Have 2 GB of Video RAM or texture memory
  • Core i5-7300U 3.5 GHz CPU, at the least
  • 8 GB of RAM, at the least
  • MacOS Mojave 10.14.6 or a later version
  • The device must have 76 GB of free disk space (This is necessary for downloading and installing the game)

Understandably, these specifications are quite high. However, the truth is that, if your device isn’t able to meet these standards, you mightn’t like playing this game as much. As such, you could be better served using other devices to play Fortnite.

Conclusion

Fortnite is tons of fun to play. This is an amazing feat in itself when you consider that the game has been around for several years now. While it’s not available to play directly on macOS, this doesn’t stop you from accessing all the pleasures that the game has to offer on your computer.

You just need to choose the approach you want to use to get this app on your device and go for that!

And, don’t hesitate to leave us comments down below if you need any help.

Have fun playing!

Anh Kenny Trinh

Kenny Trinh is a seasoned expert in the field of laptops and technology, boasting an extensive background enriched by years of hands-on experience and in-depth research. With a keen eye for innovation and a passion for staying ahead of the technological curve, Kenny has established himself as a trusted voice in the tech community. Holding a prestigious degree in Computer Science, he combines his academic insights with practical expertise to deliver valuable insights and recommendations to his readers and followers. Through his work, Kenny aims to demystify complex tech concepts, empowering individuals to make informed decisions and optimize their digital experiences.

Article by:
Kenny Trinh
Kenny Trinh is a seasoned expert in the field of laptops and technology, boasting an extensive background enriched by years of hands-on experience and in-depth research. With a keen eye for innovation and a passion for staying ahead of the technological curve, Kenny has established himself as a trusted voice in the tech community. Holding a prestigious degree in Computer Science, he combines his academic insights with practical expertise to deliver valuable insights and recommendations to his readers and followers. Through his work, Kenny aims to demystify complex tech concepts, empowering individuals to make informed decisions and optimize their digital experiences.

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