Epic Games urges Fortnite mobile players to make space for huge 25GB file size
We're all used to file sizes for games getting a bit out of hand these days on PC and consoles, but now mobile players are having to wrestle with conundrum of what to keep and what to delete, thanks to Fortnite.
Fortnite mobile is back after a five-year banishment from the App Store and Google Play Store. The breakup between Apple, Google, and Epic Games stemmed from a dispute over a lack of direct in-app payment methods and the cut the tech giants took from sales. But after a lengthy lawsuit (during which people were flogging their phones on eBay that still had Fortnite installed on them), Fortnite is back on iOS and Android.
For players in Europe, Fortnite mobile has been back on the platforms since August last year, while the game only just returned to iOS in May 2025 for US users – which lined up nicely with the start of the mini Star Wars season (well, after Epic delayed the start to accommodate the App Store return).
A lot has changed since the last time Fortnite was on mobile, with what feels like countless collabs, loads of live events, skins galore, and of course, more modes than you can shake a stick at. Fortnite mobile offers the core modes like Battle Royale and Zero Build as well as the newly introduced Blitz Royale, which is pretty much designed for on-the-go gaming with its five-minute matches. There's also Lego Fortnite, Fortnite Festival, and Rocket Racing, and that's a lot more content compared to what we had on Fortnite mobile five years ago.
Ultimately that means a big beast of a file size since it was last on iOS and Android, with Fortnite mobile weighing in at a massive 25GB – and apparently it's taken some gamers by surprise, with Epic Games addressing an error message that is basically telling players they'd better start clearing out space.
Space under fire
Fortnite mobile players have been told that if they're presented with the error message "Failed to write necessary files. Please try again later," that the culprit could be the immense file size sucking up space on their phones. The @FortniteStatus Twitter account advises that, should you get this error message, to "clear more space on your device so the files can be downloaded," adding that Fortnite mobile "may need up to 25 GB of free space to fully download."
To put that into perspective, 2011's Skyrim comes in at 4GB for the base game, and around 22GB for the Special Edition, which includes improvements to graphics and effects as well as a ton of bonus content. That's pretty small when it comes to modern games, which can clock in at anywhere from 50GB to 200GB plus (I'm looking at you, Call of Duty).
However, there are only a handful of iOS and Android titles that rival Fortnite mobile, with CoD mobile coming close once you've downloaded all the extras, and Genshin Impact mobile making you realise things could be worse, needing 30GB of free space.
So yes, it might be a surprise for players coming back to Fortnite mobile after its hiatus to discover just how hefty it is now, but the game has grown and evolved over the past half-decade, and it's got to go somewhere. If you really can't bear to start clearing out space or deleting other games, you can always solve the problem by throwing money at it: the Nintendo Switch 2 just launched after all. It's perfect for on-the-go gaming, and you can easily expand its storage, especially with Prime Day deals this week.
Not the best solutions, but at least you have an excuse to treat yourself to a new console now! You're welcome.
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