Fortnite on Android now available to download for everyone

Millions of players have already installed the mobile app of Fortnite: Battle Royale

Fortnite is finally available for everyone on Android, with players no longer requiring an invite to download the video game sensation.

Android was the last major platform to support Fortnite, with the game attracting more than 125 million players across consoles, PCs and Apple devices.

Epic Games took the decision earlier this year to not release Fortnite through the Google Play app store, citing the "disproportionate" cut that Google takes from app developers.

Instead, the American game developer made the game available for owners of the newly released Samsung Galaxy Note 9 in August (with custom 'skins'), and then later via beta invites from its website.

Epic Games chief executive Tim Sweeney said in a statement at the time: "The great thing about the internet and the digital revolution is that this is possible, now that physical storefronts and middlemen distributors are no longer required."

Some security experts said the decision to not release Fortnite through the standard channel of Google Play opened up hopeful players to attacks from cyber criminals.

Research published last month by Top10vpn found that over half of all unofficial Android apps for Fotrnite: Battle Royale contained a form of malware.

Fake versions of the Fortnite Android app are riddled with malware, security researchers revealed (Epic Games)

Despite the unconventional release approach, Fortnite was installed by over 15 million people in the first 21 days following its limited release on Android in August.

This number is expected to increase following now that it is available for everyone. One requirement for Fortnite players, however, is to have a recent version of the Android mobile operating system.

"For Fortnite, we recommend Android 8.0 or later," it states on the Epic Games website.

"Android 8.0 and later substantially improves the stability and performance of Fortnite and other games. With earlier versions of Android OS you will encounter significant performance issues."