Following the European Union’s allowance of third-party app stores on the iPad, Epic Games wasted no time in making an announcement on X that the Epic Games Store is now available for installation on iPadOS. Eligibility requires residency in an EU country and an Apple account registered in that same country.
This development coincides with the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which aims to enforce fair market competition. The iPadOS, as a core platform service, was added to the list of regulated platforms, giving users the option to access alternative app stores.
Apple had a six-month window following the DMA designation to update iPadOS for EU users to enjoy this newly introduced freedom. With the recent release of iPadOS 18, this functionality has been made possible, allowing for the installation of third-party app stores like the Epic Games Store.
The timely release of the Epic Games Store for iPad suggests prior anticipation by the company, given that third-party app stores have already been accessible on iOS for some time. Notable games like Fall Guys, Fortnite, and Rocket League Sideswipe are available for download and optimized for full-screen gameplay on the iPad through the store.
Despite Epic Games’ commitment to enabling other developers to launch games on iOS and iPadOS independently of the App Store, as initially stated, progress on this initiative appears to be lacking at present.
