Epic Games announced today that its popular Free Games Program will continue through 2025 for PC and mobile users, reaffirming its commitment to delivering value to players. 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 $151.09 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. Top-performing games included Genshin Impact, Grand Theft Auto V, and Alan Wake 2, alongside newcomers like Black Myth: Wukong and Mythic.
Epic emphasized its commitment to player choice, highlighting successful live-service games like Marvel Rivals and Valorant that utilize third-party payment systems to avoid store fees. Social media engagement has been strong, with 6.2 million followers on Instagram and 5.4 million on X.
“We extend our sincere gratitude to the developers, publishers, players, and creators who continue to collaborate with us to make this all possible,” Epic stated, expressing confidence in its roadmap for 2025.
