Epic Games’ return to iPhones hit a roadblock. Fortnite now crashes on devices running the iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 beta, following the June 18 update that introduced Blitz Royale. The issue surfaced immediately after the update rolled out, leaving users unable to launch the game.
Until this update, Fortnite worked normally on Apple’s upcoming operating systems. The crash appears to affect only the latest version of the app, not the OS itself. Players running iOS 18 can still play the game, confirming that the new Fortnite build triggered the issue.
The crash occurs right after the Epic Games splash screen, with no workaround currently available. Reinstalling the app or rebooting the device has no effect. As it stands, users on iOS 26 have two options: downgrade to iOS 18 or wait for Epic to release a fix. That means many users are now locked out of Fortnite, just weeks after it returned to the App Store.
No Official Acknowledgment from Epic Games
Epic Games hasn’t commented on the crash, and its Fortnite Status channels haven’t posted any updates. As the crash appeared after the June 18 app update, not the OS update, the problem seems tied to Fortnite’s latest build rather than Apple’s software.
According to community reports across X and Reddit, the crash is caused by a floating-point error, likely due to a division by zero. Earlier iOS versions handled the code differently, but iOS 26 appears to enforce stricter error responses. This makes the app unusable on the beta OS despite functioning before the update.
Epic and Apple have a long, messy history. Apple banned Fortnite from the App Store in 2020 after Epic added its own payment system, violating App Store rules. The legal battle lasted nearly five years. Fortnite only recently became available again in the U.S. through third-party storefronts.
Blitz Royale Launch Overshadowed by Crashes
Blitz Royale is Fortnite’s latest addition for mobile players. It’s a 32-player mode designed for quick five-minute matches with random starting gear and rapid upgrades through combat. Players earn better weapons and power-ups by surviving storm phases and eliminating opponents.
This mode was built for short play sessions, but iOS 26 beta users currently can’t access it. Blitz Royale is scheduled to remain available until July 15. Unless Epic issues a fix, a portion of the mobile player base will miss the update entirely.