Fortnite season 4: Nexus War, Thor, Galactus and everything else you should know

Fortnite Chapter 2 season 4 launches Thursday. In previous years, the switch from one season to the next was met with a giant in-game event, but this time around, the real show is publisher Epic Games’ legal actions against Apple and Google. 

The popular battle royale game newest season will not be available for some mobile players after it was removed from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store earlier in August. Epic attempted to bypass a 30% fee the two tech giants charge developers for transactions on their platforms, and in turn, Apple and Google banned the game. 

When does season 4 start? 

The next season begins today. The v14.00 update is available to download following any server downtime early this morning. 

Season 4 will be available on PC, PS4, Xbox One, Android and Nintendo Switch. Players on Mac and iOS devices, on the other hand, may not be able to play the new season when it starts, as explained further below. 

What’s the theme for the season? 

Epic is teaming up with Marvel for season 4. This time around, instead of temporary tie-ins like with Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame in previous seasons, there is an entire comic book storyline that will play out over the coming weeks.

In a comic that showed up in the game’s lobby during the final days of season 3, Thor appeared on the island and warns of the coming of Galactus, the Devourer of Worlds. He’s not alone as other Marvel heroes, and villains, have also shown up to take on the planet eater. 

As Marvel heroes and villains have made their way to the island, so have their powers and weapons. Players will be able to use Doctor Doom’s Arcane Gauntlets, Silver Surfer’s Board or an Energy Rifle made by Stark Labs. There are also new locations such as Doom’s Domain, Sentinel Graveyard and the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier. 

Players will need to purchase the Season 4 Battle Pass to get their hands on the assortment of Marvel outfits including She-Hulk, Iron Man, Wolverine and Groot.  

Will I be able to play the new season on iOS and Android? 

Epic is in the middle of a legal battle with both Apple and Google. On Aug. 13, Epic tried to get around the 30% fee developers have to pay for transactions done on the App Store and Google Play Store by implementing a system called the Fortnite Mega Drop that allowed players to purchase V-Bucks, the in-game currency, directly from Epic and bypassing Apple and Google’s cut.  

Apple was the first to respond by removing Fortnite from the App Store. In response, Epic released a video parodying the famous Macintosh ad based on George Orwell’s “1984” and also filed a lawsuit against Apple for anti-competitive practices. It filed a similar legal action the same day when Google removed the game from its store. Epic then started a #FreeFortnite social media campaign and will even hold a Free Fortnite Cup tournament on Aug. 23.

Because of the legal actions taking place, iOS or macOS users are not able to download Fortnite or any updates to the game if they already have it installed on their device. Epic confirmed this Wednesday with an update on its blog. 

This has led to people attempting to sell iPhones with Fortnite installed for thousands of dollars on eBay. Epic did seek a temporary restraining order to conduct business as normal while the legal battle continues, but Apple filed a legal response saying Epic can come back only after it plays by the rules. A court hearing on the matter is planned for next week. 

As for Android players, they can still install Fortnite on their devices. The only difference is they need to download the game directly from Epic or via the Samsung Galaxy Store rather than the Google Play Store.