Just a day after the European Union officially allowed third-party app stores on iPad, Epic Games has announced that the Epic Games Store is now available for iPadOS on the X. However, to install it, you must be a resident of an EU country and have an Apple account registered in that country.
Tuesday’s launch is tied to the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), a set of rules that promote fairness and competition in the marketplace. Over the past year, the Commission has designated a number of so-called gatekeepers who run “core platform services.” iPadOS, the operating system that powers the iPad, was a late addition to the list of regulated platforms.
As a result of this designation, Apple had six months to update iPadOS to allow EU residents to install the alternative App Store. On Friday, the company announced that this will be possible with the release of iPadOS 18.
Epic Games seems to be well-prepared for this moment, launching its game store for iPad the day after iPadOS 18 launched. The game maker already launched the Epic Games Store on iOS, and third-party app stores have been allowed on iPhone for months (also a result of DMA requirements).
The iPad version of the Epic Games Store is similar to what you’ll find on iOS. It can be installed from the Epic website. Once the store is installed, iPad users can use it to download and install Fall Guys, Fortnite, and Rocket League Sideswipe. These three games will be available at launch. The games are optimized to run full screen on iPad.
When the company first introduced the Epic Games Store to iOS, the company said it would work with other game developers to allow them to release their games on iOS and iPadOS without going through Apple’s App Store. However, there has been no change in this regard, so it seems like it’s still a work in progress.
