Game news Fortnite is back iOS and Android with GeForce Now! Our handling
That’s it: Fortnite in touch version is available on GeForce Now for Android and iOS players. Here’s our take.
By spearheading the battle against the prices charged by the App Store and Android application stores, Fortnite has lost a large part of its audience. Not because she no longer wanted to play, but because Apple and Google banned the mobile version of Fortnite from their stores. Since then, iPhone gamers didn’t really have any options, while Android gamers had to deal with installing an APK themselves. You do not know what it is ? This is precisely the problem: difficult to find the general public with such geek principles.
GeForce Now, Nvidia’s cloud gaming service, had been working on a solution for some time. Fortnite in touch version was in closed beta since January 2022. Now the doors are open: everyone can enjoy it! Here’s what you can expect to enjoy Fortnite on your smartphone or tablet again, with touch controls.
New, old
Note that GeForce Now will only ask you two things: register on the service site, and log in to your Epic Games account. The first tier of the cloud gaming service is indeed free, but is limited to a one-hour session. If you only want to play Fortnite, it’s not that limiting. At the end of this hour, you just have to restart the game and wait in the queue.
Fortnite in touch version is surprisingly familiar. If you have experienced the mobile version of the game, you will be on conquered ground. Despite the fact that the SKU launched is definitely the PC version, all menus are accessible through touch, and the service does not go through the emulation of a touchpad to work. Launching a game is therefore completely intuitive. I thought at first launch that my account had not been activated, since I was waiting for separate checks; it is not so. Want to open Settings? Press it. Want to start a game? Same thing. Without barriers, without any complications.
The real Fortnite on mobile
Once in play, there are still no surprises. And that, ultimately, is the real surprise. All the principles of the “legitimate” mobile version of Fortnite are carried over to this cloud gaming version, including the possibility of choosing between three different firing modes (automatic, tap to shoot, or dedicated button). For the rest, we find the exact mobile interface, with its multiple shortcuts arranged on the screen in semi-transparency. A large diagonal will help, as here on the Galaxy Fold 3, to maintain maximum readability.
What do we lose? The ability to customize this interface. You can however adjust the touch sensitivity in the game settings, which is at least that. Forget the possibility of managing the graphics precisely, however: this version is stuck on its basic optimization, which still offers all the power of the GeForce Now servers for a visual experience far superior to what was possible to see on iPhone. Including in terms of refresh rate, since Fortnite GeForce Now version runs at 120 FPS. And if you want to hook up a controller, or even a keyboard and mouse, to your smartphone or tablet… Just do it. Simply. It is obviously compatible, since it is the PC version.
The right matchmaking
The most amazing thing is that the matchmaking also works like the mobile version. I am not a Fortnite player, and have mainly used it to benchmark smartphones: I therefore know how to recognize a server with bots and tactile players. I placed 8th, and each of my opponents seemed to struggle as much as me to to aim. Conclusion ? We are all on an equal footing.
It seems that Epic Games has planned its move well. If Fortnite on GeForce Now is indeed the PC version, the game seems to separate its touch players from its controller and keyboard / mouse players. And thanks to this, he can place them in different parts. So don’t panic: hardcore mobile gamers won’t be completely blown up in half a second by PC players and console users. However, we still retain the advantage of cross-play, and therefore the possibility of grouping with any friend regardless of their platform of origin.
Watch out for your date
In short, GeForce Now and Epic Games have made the right choices regarding the return of Fortnite to mobile. The experience is simply similar to that offered by the late mobile version, except that it is much more beautiful and efficient. Its matchmaking principle, well suited to the platform, means that when Fortnite arrives soon on Microsoft’s xCloud, all touch players in the cloud and locally will be able to play with each other.
Be careful though: it is better to avoid playing on your 4G/5G. Don’t forget that cloud gaming will devour your data in the blink of an eye, since its principle is to stream the remote screen of a competition PC to your smartphone and let you interact with it. Imagine some kind of interactive YouTube video, to simplify. However, Nvidia’s platform is particularly impressive in terms of latency and stability. This Fortnite experience leaves you wondering about the possibilities offered by a world covered by 5G and unlimited subscriptions for the future of video games.
