Fortnite and Rocket League launch on iPhone in Japan amid Epic store rollout

Fortnite and Rocket League Sideswipe have returned to iPhone in Japan, giving Epic Games a foothold in one of the world’s biggest mobile gaming markets just as its own store goes live there. The launch puts two of Epic’s best-known mobile brands back in front of Japanese players and adds new pressure to Apple’s grip on iOS distribution.

Epic said the Epic Games Store is now available on iPhone in Japan and can be downloaded directly from Epic’s website. The first launch titles are Fortnite and Rocket League Sideswipe, with the store arriving as Japan opens iOS to third-party app stores. Epic also said it is not bringing in other developers’ apps at launch because of Apple’s 5% Core Technology Commission and the transaction-reporting requirements tied to it.

The company has also been pressing the Japan Fair Trade Commission over installation friction it says still exists on iPhone. Epic said Apple is adding a 9-step install flow in Japan and urged the regulator to enforce the new law more strictly. That complaint lands in a market where even small barriers matter, especially when a store launch is meant to make downloading and paying on iPhone feel closer to a normal app install.

Japan’s Mobile Software Competition Act was approved and passed on June 12, 2024, and came into force on December 18, 2025. Apple announced changes to iOS in Japan on December 17, 2025 to comply with the law. Epic had previously said Fortnite would come to iOS in Japan in late 2025, but the rollout shifted as Apple’s compliance framework took shape.

The Japan debut also comes as publishers chase growth in emerging mobile markets. Monster Hunter Outlanders, licensed by Capcom and developed by TiMi Studio Group, is a free-to-play mobile title set in a wholly new story, and its official site said recruitment for a second closed beta test began on April 1, 2026. With Fortnite back on iPhone and Rocket League Sideswipe joining it, Japan has become a live test case for how much real competition third-party stores can create on iOS.