How to play Fortnite on a Chromebook

Fortnite is one of the most popular games on the planet. While it’s available on most platforms, a Chromebook is the last device you would think about playing Fortnite on. Fortnite is not officially available on Chromebooks, but there are several ways to get it working on your Chromebook.

Editor’s note: We used an ASUS Chromebook Vibe CX34 Flip running Chrome OS version 123.0.6312.112 and a custom PC running Windows 11 to formulate these steps. Some steps may be slightly different depending on your device and software version.

Using GeForce Now

NVIDIA GeForce Now is NVIDIA’s game streaming service and works on most devices with a web browser. Cloud gaming is a great way to get Fortnite on your Chromebook since Chromebooks don’t quite have the hardware for native gaming. However, this method will require a fast and stable internet connection. NVIDIA recommends at least 15Mbps for 720@60, and 25Mbps for 1080@60. The ping should also be lower than 80ms, but preferably under 40ms.

How to play Fortnite on Chromebook using GeForce Now:

1. On your Chromebook, go to the GeForce Now website and either create or log into your account.
2. When your account is ready, you can download and log into the GeForce NOW Cloud Gaming app from the Google Play Store. If you prefer, you can also use Chrome and go to the GeForce Now website, then hit Play Now.
3. Use the search bar to look for “Fortnite”.
4. Select the game, and hit Play.
5. The system will require that you connect to your Epic Games accounts. If you haven’t, select Go To Settings.
6. Next to Epic Games, select Connect and follow the instructions.
7. You may need to log in again, and GeForce Now will ask you to log in to your Epic Games account and connect it for quicker login.
8. When ready, go back to the Fortnite page and hit Play again.

Once done, Fortnite will launch. You may have to wait in a queue if you have a free subscription. The game will take some time to load and will start when it is done. You can also upgrade your membership to get prioritized access to the servers. This should be the best way to play Fortnite on a Chromebook.

By the way, you can also use Amazon Luna or Xbox Cloud Gaming.

By sideloading the Android app

To sideload the Fortnite Android app on a Chromebook, you will need to download the APK file and install it on your Chromebook. For this, your Chromebook needs to be running on an ARM processor, which means Intel and AMD CPUs are not supported. Your Chromebook also needs to support Android apps.

The first step is to enable Developer Mode on your Chromebook. This will lead to your internal storage getting completely wiped, so keep that in mind.

How to sideload Fortnite for Android on a Chromebook:

1. Head to the Fortnite for Android download page. Click on Download Now!.
2. Epic Games only allows you to access the download from an Android device, but you can use the developer tools in Google Chrome to bypass that.
3. Press Ctrl + Shift + J to bring up developer tools, and then press Ctrl + Shift + M to switch the view to mobile.
4. Press the reload button located on the Google Chrome address bar.
5. Select the Download on Android option.
6. The Epic Games app APK file should download.
7. Launch the Files app.
8. Go into Downloads.
9. Double-click on the EpicGamesApp.apk.
10. Click Continue to proceed, and then Install.
11. Click Open to launch the app. In the Epic Games app, click the Get button next to Fortnite and Install to install the game.

You can launch the game post-installation using the Epic Games app. This version was designed for mobile, so you may not have the smoothest experience on a Chromebook with this version.

By using Chrome Remote Desktop

This method is for folks accessing a PC that can run Fortnite. You can use Chrome Remote Desktop to play Fortnite remotely from the PC on your Chromebook.

How to set up Chrome Remote Desktop:

1. Sign into the same Google account on both your Chromebook and Windows computers.
2. Open Chrome on your Windows PC.
3. Install the Chrome Remote Desktop extension.
4. Open the Chrome Remote Desktop web app.
5. Under Set up remote access, Click the Download button.
6. A file will download. When it’s done, hit Accept & install.
7. Run the installer.
8. Name your computer and hit Next.
9. Choose a PIN and select Start.
10. Move to your Chromebook and launch Chrome.
11. Go to the Chrome Remote Desktop website.
12. Click on Access my computer.
13. Select the Windows PC.
14. Enter the PIN and hit Enter.

You can now play Fortnite on your Chromebook through the remote desktop session. Fortnite is fully supported on Windows, so all you have to do is download and install it.

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