How to play Fortnite on Chromebook

As we proceed into the future of games development, one thing is for sure: There are more ways to play our favorite titles than ever before. But, if our tech is limited, the choices are most certainly divided. For example, if you don’t have a console to play it on, is there another way to play Fortnite?

Yes! If you don’t have a PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, or Nintendo Switch, you can play Fortnite on your Android phone or tablet! But, what if you also don’t have a good enough phone or tablet? I’ll admit, this is a conundrum for sure. Can you play Fortnite on your Chromebook?

How to play Fortnite on Chromebook

It’s an admittedly complicated process, but the answer to the aforementioned question is ‘kind of.’ I don’t say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ because depending on your specific model of Chromebook, you might be able to make Fortnite work, but you also might not. In any case, be aware that we are not recommending that you follow these steps, and as such, any issues that arise are a risk you must be willing to take.

To start, you’ll have to enable developer mode on your Chromebook. To do this, power down the Chromebook and power it back on while pressing ESC + REFRESH + the POWER button. If you see a screen that insists Chrome OS is missing or damaged, don’t panic! This is going as expected so far.

As soon as you see this screen, press CTRL + D, and then hit ENTER if necessary. The device will reboot, and as soon as it does, you’ll have enabled developer mode. You’ll then have to enable your device to run Android apps. If your device has the Google Play Store natively, disregard this step, as it should mean your Chromebook already runs Android apps. If it doesn’t, you may need to update your device.

OK — now, you want to ensure that your device allows apps from unknown sources. You can change this in the settings for the Google Play Store. As soon as this is done, on an android device such as a phone or tablet, go to Fortnite’s official website and download the EpicGamesApp.apk file. 

It may take some time to download, but once it’s complete, use a USB cable to link your Android device with your Chromebook and move the EpicGamesApp.apk file over to your Chromebook. Run the file and when it’s finished installing, you’ll then be able to install Fortnite on your Chromebook. Well, that is — as long as your device is compatible. If it’s not, then the Epic Games App won’t let you install Fortnite.