How to Play Fortnite on Your Chromebook

Jordan Read more July 17, 2020

When Epic Games decided to release Fortnite for mobile, many couldn’t be blamed for thinking that Chromebook would be included as one of the platforms it could run on. The game could run on Android after all, and Chrome OS is also by Google. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case, and currently, Epic Games has yet to announce official Chrome OS support.

As always though, there are workarounds to this situation, and you’re about to find out how to play Fortnite on a Chromebook.

Why Can You Officially Play on Android but Not on Chrome OS?

One of the first things you should know is that Android and Chrome OS aren’t built the same. Android is designed to handle a variety of applications running on a variety of devices. And Chrome OS is made for netbooks and tablets and only for the purpose of connecting to Chrome. It’s basically just an internet browser with hardware drivers and controllers built-in. Chromebook doesn’t allow you to install apps to it.

Of course, if Epic Games were to create a version of the game for the Chrome servers, then there wouldn’t be any problem, but that’s not the case.

So, How Do I Play on My Chromebook?

There are a few ways that will work, though it won’t run the game as well as the platforms that it was actually made to run on. One method is sideloading the application, and another would be to use an application like Crossover. You could also play the game through a remote desktop.

1. Sideloading the application – sideloading means that you’ll be downloading an application with an android device and loading it to your Chromebook and installing it. It’s not guaranteed to work because some Chromebooks won’t be able to run Fortnite at all. If you still want to try it though, here are the steps:

Enable Developer Mode on your Chromebook. This is done by turning your Chromebook off then holding down Esc + Refresh then pushing the power button. An alert will say that the Chrome OS is missing or damaged. Don’t panic, as this is normal. Press Ctrl + D and when prompted, push Enter. Follow the instructions that appear.
Enable Android Apps on your Chromebook. You can do this by clicking on your image at the bottom right corner of your screen, choosing Settings from the popup menu and then looking for Enable Android Apps. Make sure that it’s checked, then hit Get Started.
Open Settings again, then go to Google Play Store.
Choose Manage Android Preferences.
Click on Security then look for Unknown Sources. Make sure that it is enabled by clicking the checkmark.
Download Fortnite.apk on your android device. This can be done by going to http://fortnite.com/android.
Use a USB cable to connect your mobile device to your Chromebook. Transfer the apk file.
On your Chromebook, locate the file you just transferred then run it.
A window will pop up asking you which program you’d like to run the file, choose Package Installer.
Click Install, then click Open.
If your Chromebook is able to run Fortnite, a big yellow Install button will appear, along with a Fortnite splash page. If the button is grayed out with a Device Not Supported message, then you can’t run Fortnite using this method.

2. Using Crossover on Chrome OS Beta – Crossover is an application that allows you to run any Windows program on an Intel-based Chromebook. You should note though that unless your Chromebook is Intel-based or running Android 5.0 or higher, this won’t work for you. If you want to try this method, you can follow these steps:

Open Google Play on your Chromebook and search for Crossover on Chrome, or follow this
Install the application.
Proceed to the Fortnite website. Click on Download on the upper right corner of the screen.
Click on PC / Mac.
Choose Windows.
Wait for the program to finish downloading.
Open the Crossover App.
On the box that says Search Applications, type anything until you get the Can’t find what you’re looking for popup. Click on Install Unlisted Application.
Click on Select Installer.
Navigate to the folder where you downloaded Fortnite, then run the application.
Similar to Sideloading, if your Chromebook isn’t powerful enough to run the game, you will be met with a warning popup.

3. Running a remote desktop – if none of the other methods work, then this may be your only choice. This is basically running the game on a desktop computer that is capable of handling it, then playing the game remotely through your Chromebook. Why you’d do this when you already have a computer that can run Fortnite is another matter entirely, but if you want to try it, here’s how:

Install Chrome Remote Desktop both on your computer and on your Chromebook.
Open the app and use your Chromebook to connect to your computer. If you included a PIN, you will be prompted to enter it.
Launch Fortnite on the Epic Game Store.
Use your Chromebook to run the game through the Remote Desktop app.
Resorting to Workarounds

Until Epic Games decides to support the Chrome OS platform, Fortnite players are going to have to use workarounds to run it on their Chromebook. It’s not the most optimal, but at least options are available.

Do you know of other ways to play Fortnite on a Chromebook? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.