7 Ways To Play Fortnite On Mac in 2024 (inc. Chapter 5 & M-Series Macs)

If you want to play Fortnite on a Mac, here we show you the best ways to do so in 2024 including on the latest Apple Silicon M1, M2 and M3 Macs.

After extensive testing and research, we found by far the best way to play the latest Chapter 5 of Fortnite on all Macs is by using Xbox Cloud.

What Is Fortnite?

Fortnite is a free to play multiplayer game that’s still going strong more than 5 years since it was originally released and its popularity shows no signs of waning with the release of Chapter 5.

The long awaited “Chapter 5, Season 1: Underground” was released on the 2nd of December 2023 after the Big Bang event featuring Eminem, following on from the Fortnite OG preview of it released a month earlier.

Chapter 5, Season 2: Myths and Mortals was released on the 8th of March 2023 with Season 3 due to be released on May 24th.

However if you’re a Mac user, playing Fortnite isn’t as straightforward as on other platforms – but it can be done as we’ll explain.

Is Fortnite Available For Mac?

Fortnite is available to download on a Mac – but there’s a huge catch to be aware of with the version available from the developer Epic.

Fortnite was originally released for Mac in 2017 but Epic discontinued it in September 2020 due to Apple’s refusal to allow patches and updates to the Mac version of Fortnite via the Mac App Store.

This is due to a long running dispute between Epic vs Apple regarding whether in-app purchases should go directly through Epic or Apple’s own Mac App Store (you can follow the ongoing court trial here by the way).

The result is that the version of Fortnite available from Epic is frozen in time at Chapter 2! This means that if you download The Mac version available from Epic only goes up to Chapter 2, Season 3.

How To Play Fortnite on a Mac

The good news is you can still play the most recent season of Fortnite (including Chapter 5) on a Mac after the Apple ban using a few different methods and workarounds depending on whether you have an Intel or an Apple Silicon M1/M2/M3 Mac.

These methods allow you to play all versions of Fortnite on a Mac including Fortnite: Save The World, Fortnite Battle Royale, Fortnite Creative, Zero Build, Impostors, Chapter 5 and community-made games.

Here then are all the possible ways to use Fortnite on a Mac in 2023 but we strongly recommend using Xbox Cloud as the best method because it’s by far the best and easiest way to play the most recent Chapter 5 of Fortnite on a Mac.

1. Epic Game Launcher (Chapter 2, Season 3 ONLY)

The official and 100% free way to download Fortnite on a Mac is via the Epic Games Launcher – but there’s a big catch to this method of playing Fortnite on a Mac.

Due the ongoing dispute between Epic and Apple, Epic no longer updates the version of Fortnite available on its website.

In fact the Mac version of Fortnite available directly from Epic hasn’t been updated since September 2020.

This means that:

• It only allows you to play Chapter 2, Season 3 of Fortnite
• There’s no crossplay support so you can’t join-in battles with friends and other players
• Epic has also blocked access to V-Bucks and the Item Shop

If this is a deal breaker for you, then skip to option 2 on this list.

However, if it doesn’t bother you playing an outdated and restricted 2020 version of Fortnite, follow these instructions to install it on a Mac for free.

• Go to the Epic Game Launcher page and download the Mac desktop client.

• Drag it to your Applications folder.

• Open the launcher in your Applications folder by double clicking on it or search for “Fortnite” on your Mac in Spotlight and click on it. The launcher will download some updates when you do this.
• You’ll then be prompted to log into your Epic games account using your preferred method. If you don’t yet have an account, click on “Sign-up” at the bottom.

• Once logged into your Epic Games account, search for “Fortnite.
• Select the Free option and click on the yellow “Get” button in the bottom right-hand corner. In our case, we already had Fortnite installed so the yellow button just says “In Library”.

• You then need to choose an install location on your Mac for Fortnite and click “Install”.

•  You’ll need at least 100GB to unpack the Fortnite game file on your Mac so you may need to recover some disk space on your Mac first.

• Once Fortnite has downloaded, go to Quick Launch in the Epic Games launcher or select it in your Epic Games Downloads folder to start playing Fortnite on your Mac.

2. Xbox Cloud

By far the best way to play the full version of Fortnite including the latest Chapter 5 on a Mac is with Xbox Cloud.

Xbox Cloud (also known as Xbox Cloud Gaming) is Microsoft’s online Cloud gaming service which allows you to play Xbox games on a Mac in a browser with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

It’s also the best way to get Fortnite on a Mac without Epic games as everything goes through Xbox Cloud – you don’t even need an Epic games account.

Xbox Cloud allows you to play the Xbox version of Fortnite on a Mac within minutes of signing-up.

Xbox Cloud also supports Fortnite Crossplay on a Mac so you can play with friends on other platforms such as PlayStation and on Windows.

You don’t need an Xbox to use Xbox Cloud but you do need an Xbox Controller to play the Xbox version of Fortnite on a Mac.

Note that Xbox Cloud Gaming is only available with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate – it is not available with the cheaper PC Game Pass subscription.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate costs $16.99 per month but you can currently get the first 14 days for just $1.

Xbox Cloud works in the Microsoft Edge, Chrome, Safari and Firefox browsers.

We recommend using Safari on a Mac to use Xbox Cloud for the best performance although we’ve had absolutely no problems playing in Chrome too.

The reason Xbox Cloud is by far the easiest way of all the methods we explored are:

• It does not require installing any other software such as a virtual machine to run Windows.
• You can be up and running playing Fortnite on a Mac in minutes
• It works perfectly in a browser on any Mac
• You can connect an Xbox Controller easily via Bluetooth to your Mac to play games in Xbox Cloud
• It works on all Macs including both Intel and Apple Silicon M1/M2/M3 Macs.

To use Xbox Cloud to get Fortnite just follow these instructions.

• If you don’t already have one sign-up for an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription. Note that Xbox Cloud is only available with Game Pass Ultimate so it’s important you don’t select the cheaper PC only plan.

• Go to Xbox.com/play.
• Click on Sign In at the top of the page and login with your Xbox username and password.

• You will then be prompted to connect an Xbox controller to your Mac via Bluetooth. We strongly recommend using an Xbox controller to use Xbox Cloud. There is a Chrome extension to make it work with a keyboard but we really don’t recommend it.

• To use your Xbox Controller with your Mac make sure that Bluetooth is turned on on your Mac. Then press and hold the Xbox button on your controller to turn it on and it will light-up.

• Press and hold the small Bluetooth pairing button on the front of the Xbox controller to activate pairing mode.

• When pairing mode has been activated, the Xbox button will start flashing rapidly. On your Mac, click on the Apple logo in the top left of your screen and go to System Preferences and select Bluetooth.

• Select your Xbox controller from the list of Bluetooth devices that appears and click Pair.

• You can now use your Xbox controller in Xbox Cloud. You can disconnect the Xbox controller from your Mac at any time by going back into the Bluetooth settings or turning-off Bluetooth. You can also use the Controlly app if you want to have more control over how your Xbox controller works with your Mac.
• Fortnite that will take a few seconds to launch in your Mac’s browser via Xbox Cloud.

• Usually you will be able to play the game immediately but during peak periods or after the release of new seasons of Fortnite (such as Chapter 5), you may find that you have to wait in a queue before you get access to the game.

• You can then play the game just as if you were using it on an Xbox. The game performs surprisingly well in a browser with virtually no lag or latency although it helps if you have a fast internet connection.

3. GeForce Now

Another way to get Fortnite on any Mac is by using NVIDIA’S GeForce Now For Mac cloud gaming platform.

GeForce Now hosts Fortnite in the Cloud and streams it to your Mac.

Since everything is streamed over the Cloud, GeForce Now works on any Mac made after 2009 so it even allows you to play it on older Macs.

This also means you can play it on both Intel Mac and Apple Silicon M1/M2/M3 chip Macs.

The platform includes all versions of Fortnite including Battle Royale, Zero Build, Impostors, Save the World, and community-made games.

It even allows you to claim the Duelist’s Grace Pickaxe for free in Fortnite.

GeForce Now is also surprisingly quick with no latency, 1080p high resolution gameplay and 300fps.

All you need to play the latest version of Fortnite on a Mac is to download GeForce Now for Mac and install it on your desktop.

Alternatively, you can also play it in the Chrome web browser on a Mac using GeForce Now (note that other browsers such as Firefox and Safari are not supported).

GeForce Now is free for 1 hour of gameplay so you can play the game for free with GeForce Now for a limited period although you may have to wait for a free slot in order to play.

Follow these instructions to setup GeForce Now.

• Open the NVIDIA Geforce Now website on your Mac in Google Chrome or download the GeForce Now For Mac desktop app.
• Log into your NVIDIA account or create one if you don’t have one.
• Select Fortnite from the list of games in GeForce Now.
• If you’ve already played Fortnite on PC or mobile and want to continue your progress, you have to link GeForce Now to your Epic Games account. You can do this by going to Settings > Connections > Epic Games > Connect. Once linked, your progress will continue in GeForce Now and vice versa.

For more than one hour’s gameplay, GeForce Now costs $9.99 per month for up to 6 hours per session and $19.99 for up to 8 hours gameplay per session.

The $19.99 RTX 3080 subscription also includes faster servers and support for 4K resolution with up to 120 Frames Per Second (FPS).

You can find more information about GeForce Now subscriptions here.

You can find a full FAQ about playing Fortnite on GeForce Now here.

You can also read out full review of GeForce Now For Mac here.

4. Amazon Luna

If you’re already an Amazon Prime customer, then did you know you can use Amazon Luna to play Fortnite on your Mac?

Amazon Luna is Amazon’s Cloud gaming service and you can play Fortnite on a Mac with it if you’ve got an Amazon Prime account or a Luna+ account.

Amazon Luna is very similar to Xbox Cloud although the choice of games and number of gaming developers you can connect it is more limited.

You can play the latest version of Season 5 with it though and use gaming controllers  it including Xbox, PlayStation and of course an Amazon Luna controller.

You can watch us playing Fortnite on a Mac in Amazon Luna below and find check out our full review of Amazon Luna for more.

5. Boot Camp (Intel Macs Only)

Boot Camp is a free tool in macOS which allows you to install Windows on a separate partition of the your Mac hard drive.

This then allows you to play the Windows version of Fortnite on your Mac or even play the Xbox Game Pass version of Fortnite on a Mac.

However, it only works on Intel Macs – Boot Camp is not available in the latest Apple Silicon Macs.

Boot Camp enables you to boot your Intel Mac in either Windows or macOS whenever you want.

It also allows your Mac to dedicate all of its resources to running highly demanding games like Fortnite for smoother gameplay than other ways of running Windows on a Mac.

To play the game using Boot Camp, follow these instructions to install Windows for free with Boot Camp on a Mac.

When you’ve installed Windows on your Mac, you then simply download the Windows Fortnite launcher to start the game.

We recommend having one of the following Macs to use Boot Camp however:

• MacBook 2015 or later
• MacBook Air/Pro 2012 or later
• Mac mini 2012 or later
• iMac 2012 or later
• iMac Pro (all models)
• Mac Pro 2013 or later

When installing Fortnite on a Mac using Boot Camp, bear in mind that the Fortnite PC requirements are as follows:

Recommended System Requirements:

• Video Card: Nvidia GTX 960, AMD R9 280, or equivalent DX11 GPU
• Video Memory: 2 GB VRAM
• Processor: Core i5-7300U 3.5 GHz, AMD Ryzen 3 3300U, or equivalent
• Memory: 8 GB RAM or higher
• OS: Windows 10/11 64-bit

Minimum System Requirements:

• Video Card: Intel HD 4000 on PC; AMD Radeon Vega 8
• Processor: Core i3-3225 3.3 GHz
• Memory: 8 GB RAM
• OS: Windows 7/8/10/11 64-bit or Mac OS Mojave 10.14.6

Epic Quality Presets Specifications:

• Video Card: Nvidia RTX 3070, AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT, or equivalent GPU
• Video Memory: 8 GB VRAM or higher
• Processor: Intel Core i7-8700, AMD Ryzen 7 3700x or equivalent
• Memory: 16 GB RAM or higher
• Hard Drive: NVMe Solid State Drive
• OS: Windows 10/11 64-bit

We also recommend at least 85GB of hard drive space so you’ll need at least this plus at least another 64GB to install Windows on your Mac.

We’d therefore recommend a total of at least 200GB of spare hard drive space on your Mac to install both Windows and Fortnite to be safe.

To play it using Boot Camp, you then need to follow these instructions to install Windows 11 with Boot Camp or these instructions to install Windows 10.

When you’ve installed Windows on your Mac, you then simply boot your Mac in Windows and purchase Fortnite to install it as if you were installing it on a Windows PC.

Once you’ve installed Fortnite on your Mac, you may need to lower some of the game settings such as the frame rate and graphics preferences if you experience lag.

6. OneCast (Requires Xbox)

If you’ve got an Xbox then you can stream the Xbox version of Fortnite to a Mac using OneCast.

OneCast works on both Intel and Apple Silicon M1/M2/M3 chip Macs so it allows you to access Xbox games all types of Mac.

OneCast even allows you to connect an Xbox controller to your Mac with support for vibration too.

You can stream your Xbox games on your Mac using OneCast in either windowed mode or full screen mode.

You can even connect your Mac to your Xbox away from home too although this requires a few simple manual network configuration changes which are explained in the OneCast user manual.

Here’s how to use OneCast for Fortnite:

• Firstly, make sure that your Mac and Xbox are connected to the same WiFi router at home. OneCast uses your router to stream games from the Xbox to a Mac.
• Download the trial version of OneCast for free and open the DMG file downloaded. You can try OneCast for free although after 14 days it costs $14.99 to buy a license key for the full version.

• Drag the OneCast app to your Applications folder.

• Click on the OneCast icon in your dock to launch it.

• OneCast will then automatically detect your Xbox on your home network as long as your Xbox and Mac are connected to the same WiFi router. OneCast will prompt you to login into your Xbox with your Microsoft account details. Just use the same username and password that you use to log onto your Xbox.
• Finally you simply need to connect your Xbox controller to your Mac which you can do by activating Bluetooth. To connect an Xbox controller to your Mac to use with OneCast, go to the Apple logo in the top left of your screen and go to System Preferences and select Bluetooth.

Select your Xbox controller from the list of Bluetooth devices that appears and click Pair.

You can now use the Xbox controller with your Mac. You can disconnect the Xbox controller from your Mac at any time by going back into the Bluetooth settings or turning-off Bluetooth.

If you want more customization over how to map the Xbox controller to your Mac then we suggest using the Controlly app.

You can read more about how to connect an Xbox controller to a Mac here.

7. Via AirPlay From An iPhone

You could technically play the iOS version of Fortnite on a Mac by using AirPlay from an iPhone to your Mac.

This is the least recommended way of playing Fortnite on a Mac as you need an iPhone with Fortnite already installed on it since it’s no longer available for download on iOS.

It also only allows you to play the mobile version of Fortnite, not the full PC desktop version.

Unless you’ve got access to an iPhone with Fortnite on, we really don’t recommend trying to play the game this way unless all of the above methods are not available to you.

Can You Play Fortnite in Boosteroid?

Boosteroid is a Cloud gaming service that works on all platforms.

At the moment, Fortnite is available on the Boosteroid gaming platform but due to the demand for poplar games such as Hogwarts Legacy, the servers have struggled to deliver a service that is playable.

Boosteroid is aware of this “Sorry, no resource available” issue and has issued an apology to users of the service.

At the moment, the maximum resolution of game streaming on Boosteroid is 1080p although the company is planning to deploy 4K servers soon.

Can You Play Fortnite Using Parallels?

Usually we recommend the best way to play Windows only games on a Mac is by using the Parallels virtual machine, but Fortnite does not work in virtual machines such as Parallels due to anti-cheat software used in the game.

Epic uses three different anti-cheat software in Fortnite – EasyAntiCheat, Battle Eye and Hyperion which do not work in virtual environments or indeed any other way of running Windows on a Mac.

This is similar to the Vanguard anti-cheat software that’s used in games such as Genshin Impact and Hogwarts Legacy which is deigned to stop people cheating in games but a side-effect is that it won’t work in virtual environments.

Is Fortnite Available On Other Gaming Platforms?

Other gaming platforms that Fortnite is available on are Playstation Now, Airgpu, Xbox Cloud and Shadow.

However Fortnite is not available on Playstation Now, Amazon Luna or Google Stadia.

Can You Use An eGPU To With Fortnite?

Normally, it’s possible to improve gaming performance by using an eGPU with a Mac but unfortunately, connecting an eGPU to a Mac running Windows is a real headache.

It is technically possible but it’s tedious, difficult to setup and doesn’t always work well so we can’t recommend it for playing Save The World via Windows on macOS.

eGPUs also do not work with Apple Silicon Macs.

Why Has Epic Discontinued Fortnite on Mac?

Epic announced that Fortnite would no longer be available on Mac from September 23rd 2020 due to Apple’s strict policies on signing and applying patches to games.

Epic did announce that it will issue refunds to Mac users that have already purchased Save The World for Mac:

We are issuing a refund for all players who purchased any Save the World Founder’s or Starter Packs (including Upgrades) and played Save the World on macOS between September 17, 2019 and September 17, 2020. Additionally, any purchased V-Bucks spent on Llamas on macOS in this period will also be refunded. As of today, September 17, 2020, Save the World Starter Packs will no longer be available for purchase on macOS.

The refunds will be issued automatically to Mac users including any V-Bucks that have been purchased.

Epic also also started the hashtag #FreeFortnite to encourage Apple to stop blocking Fortnite updates and installs.