Thanks to both Nvidia and Microsoft, fans of mobile Fortnite now have alternatives to a built-in client. Fortnite was famously removed from both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store in a quarrel over who got what cut off all those V Bucks sales. On Android, because it’s not the enclosed garden you get from Apple, you can still play Fortnite on your mobile through Epic’s own launcher. Fortnite players can play on the go, and Epic Games can keep all the V Bucks money to themselves. But it will never be as hassle-free and convenient as loading and paying for things through the Play Store.
So while the Android version was alive, iPhone users were left out in the cold. Nvidia moved quickly to address this with a closed beta of a touch-enabled Fortnite through the cloud, a version now generally available. Microsoft has also recently added Fortnite to its Xbox Cloud Streaming for all players, no Game Pass subscription required. And both of these are a better way to play on the mobile than the Android version, apart from the obvious caveat.
The obvious reservation
Playing Fortnite from the cloud requires a good data connection. Playing Fortnite on Android still requires a stable data connection, but since it is only used to connect to the servers, you can settle for a relatively slower connection. And most importantly, you are not using a pile of your data supplement if you are playing on a mobile connection.
In contrast, streaming from the cloud can use quite a large portion. Even turned down to the mobile-friendly settings, you can burn through 2-3 GB of data per hour. If you have a large data supplement on your mobile plan, you may not be so worried, but it will be a problem for many Fortnite players.
Away from home, data usage is a concern for cloud gaming.
There is also the simple fact that mobile data just is not as good as your home broadband. Although it is comparable to speed, the chances are that you will get a higher ping. My 5G plan with EE here in the UK is very fast enough. But even though I can enjoy a ping as low as 15 ms at home, streaming on GeForce Now, on my way out on the mobile network, it’s double or worse.
Heavy Fortnite mobile players will still be better off overall with the original Android version if your playing time involves a lot of mobile usage. But everyone else should go to the cloud.
Fortnite in the cloud is familiar and ingenious
Fortnite on Nvidia GeForce Now with touch controls
The first thing that struck me when I loaded Fortnite into the cloud is how immediately familiar the controls feel. They are basically the same on both GeForce Now and Xbox Cloud Streaming and in both cases on par with the mobile controls. If it has not broken, why repair it?
But this is also important for anyone who goes over to the cloud or returns to play on an iPhone after a forced break. I’m ashamed to admit that I used to play way too much Fortnite on my iPhone, and to load one of these two cloud options was as if I had never stopped.
Fortnite for Android is played on a Huawei Mate 30 Pro
It’s basically a mobile game. It’s so good. There is even the same adjustment and an auto-fire mode for the more relaxed players among us.
The performance, however, is the true winner. Using the power of either Nvidia’s servers or Microsoft’s Series X-powered streaming magazines, Fortnite far surpasses its Android counterpart through the cloud. It looks better, it’s more stable in general, and it plays on pretty much anything, something you can not say to the mobile version. With the original client, I had to dig out an older phone, because even though I met (apparently) Epic’s specification requirements, it was a case of “the computer says no” when it came to installing Fortnite on the Xiaomi- phone I am currently using. Even then, I was limited to playing at 30 FPS on my device with a pretty awful graphics.
Fortnite on Xbox Cloud Streaming with touch controls
None of this is a concern in the cloud. When you link your Epic account to GeForce Now, you instantly start the game when you load it. The same goes for the Xbox, just like you would load it on the console.
Fortnite from the Cloud is so good that it’s like it’s a built-in mobile game.
For pure results, however, Nvidia is the winner. If you’re on the top level as I am, you’ll get an RTX 3080, one of the best graphics cards available, to power your Fortnite sessions and stream it to your device at up to 120 FPS. If you have a compatible mobile device with a 120Hz monitor, you will also see all of these frames. This is also Fortnite maxed, you do not have to sacrifice visuals to get the high frame rates.
The Xbox is limited to 60 FPS through the cloud, but it is also visually impressive. In both cases, the controls are responsive, there is little evidence of latency issues, and with a solid wireless connection, there is not much buffering either. Considering this is a competitive multiplayer game that streams from the cloud and uses touch controls, it’s unique.
For real mobile gaming, a built-in client would still be better, but on the iPhone, at least not yet. Multi-billion dollar companies are too wrapped up in who gets more of your money to actually worry about your experience, but there is at least one viable alternative. However, the performance differences offered by going to the cloud are astounding, with graphical accuracy and frame rates that a smartphone owner can only dream of.
Cloud gaming is still in its infancy, but with people like Nvidia, Microsoft and even Google Stadia being as good as they are, I could see a future where the cloud takes over mobile gaming at the highest level.