Epic Games has confirmed that its popular Free Games Program will continue through 2025 for PC and mobile users. The news accompanied the release of its 2024 year-end stats, showcasing significant growth for the Epic Games Store despite mixed third-party revenue trends.
In 2024, the platform reached a total of 295 million PC users, marking a year-over-year increase of 25 million. Cross-platform accounts surged to 898 million, up by 94 million, largely due to mobile expansion, which included a global Android launch and the availability of iOS in the EU.
Average monthly active users (MAU) increased by 6% to 67.2 million, while daily active users (DAU) reached a peak of 37.2 million. Players logged a total of 7.72 billion hours of gameplay, with third-party titles accounting for 2.68 billion hours, representing an 11% annual increase.
Revenue from third-party PC games dropped by 18% to $255 million. However, overall player spending—which includes Epic’s first-party titles like Fortnite—grew to $1.09 billion. The company attributed the decline in third-party revenue to more developers choosing to bypass Epic’s payment system in order to retain their full revenue.
Epic highlighted the success of its Self-Publishing Tools, which fueled the release of 1,100 new games in 2024, expanding its catalog to over 4,000 titles. Programs like Epic First Run (150+ upcoming exclusive titles) and Now on Epic (extended to January 2026 with mobile inclusion) allow developers to keep 100% of net revenue for six months post-launch.
Unreal Engine developers also gained new perks: a 0% royalty rate on Epic Games Store sales and the Launch Everywhere program, reducing royalties from 5% to 3.5% for titles released simultaneously on Epic and other platforms starting in 2025.
The Free Games Program on Epic Games Store distributed 89 titles valued at over $2,229 per player in 2024, with 595 million total claims. Some top-performing games in terms of revenue on Epic Games Store included Genshin Impact, Grand Theft Auto V, and Alan Wake 2, alongside newcomers like Black Myth: Wukong.
Epic Games Store has offered several free games this year. Currently, the free game available on the Epic Games Store is F1 Manager 2024, while next week it will provide World War Z Aftermath and Garden Story.
