Epic says Fortnite is returning to Australia’s App Store — the exact day is messy

Epic told Reuters that Fortnite will return to Apple’s App Store in Australia on Thursday, October 22, after a federal court found Apple violated competition law and ordered it to process eligible Epic apps. That is the claim. The timestamps around it do not line up cleanly, and we have not independently confirmed that the Australian listing is live.

What the sources actually say

• Reuters, datelined October 21: Epic said the iOS listing returns Thursday.
• Epic’s @EpicNewsroom post (October 22, 1:00 UTC / Wednesday 9:00 p.m. ET): “Fortnite is coming back to the App Store in Australia tomorrow.” From that U.S. evening timestamp, “tomorrow” is Thursday.
• Epic CEO Tim Sweeney, about an hour earlier: the remedies are “a huge victory for consumers and developers,” and Fortnite “will return alongside the Epic Games Store…soon.” He did not name Thursday.
• MacRumors, repeating Reuters: Australia was the only country left out when Fortnite returned to the App Store worldwide in May 2026. Epic had held off while it sought further orders on Apple’s payment terms.

The Court has freed Fortnite in Australia and it will return alongside the Epic Games Store…soon.— Tim Sweeney, October 22, 2026

Treat “Thursday” as Epic’s statement to Reuters, not as a store-page confirmation. If you are in Australia, check the App Store yourself. If the icon is not there yet, that is the Sweeney “soon” version winning the afternoon.

Apple will ask for a stay

Apple told Reuters it disagrees with many of the court’s findings. A spokesperson said the company “will request a stay and appeal the outcome to seek a resolution that respects our intellectual property and protects the safe, secure experience that consumers and developers expect from the App Store.” A stay, if granted, could slow the listing even if Epic’s Thursday claim was sincere.

The bigger remedies are March 1, 2027

The Fortnite listing is a near-term order. The structural App Store changes are not. MacRumors, citing the Federal Court judgment, says competing app stores, direct downloads, and alternative payments for Australian users take effect at noon Melbourne time on March 1, 2027. Apple can apply between February 1 and February 15, with supporting evidence, for a court-approved extension to May 3.

Epic’s newsroom listed the March 2027 package as third-party app stores, sideloading from developers, the option to offer only alternative payments without Apple’s IAP or “junk fees,” a ban on blocking out-of-app purchase links, and a ban on junk fees on purchases made in third-party stores. That is Epic’s summary of the order, not Apple’s.