Epic Games has unveiled its 2024 Year in Review, highlighting significant growth and strategic collaborations that have shaped its ecosystem over the past year.
Epic Games Store Achieves New Milestones
The Epic Games Store (EGS) reported a user base of 295 million PC players in 2024, marking an increase of 25 million from the previous year. The broader Epic ecosystem expanded to 898 million cross-platform accounts, a growth of 94 million, encompassing accounts from partner platforms and the EGS mobile app launched in 2024. Player engagement also saw an uptick, with total playtime reaching 2.68 billion hours, an 11% increase from 2023.
Despite the overall growth, third-party game sales experienced a decline. Player spending on third-party applications using Epic’s payment system totaled $255 million, an 18% decrease year-over-year. This figure excludes revenue from publishers utilizing their own payment solutions.
Expansion of the Games Catalog
The EGS catalog expanded significantly, adding 1,100 new games in 2024, bringing the total to over 4,000 titles. This growth is largely attributed to the adoption of Self-Publishing Tools, enabling developers to retain 100% of their revenue.
Free Games Program Continues
Epic’s Free Games Program, now in its fifth year, offered players over $2,000 worth of PC titles across 89 giveaways in 2024. The company confirmed that this initiative will continue on both PC and mobile platforms in 2025.
Top Games of 2024
The leading games on the EGS by player spending and engagement were:
- Genshin Impact
- Rocket League
- Honkai: Star Rail
- Grand Theft Auto V
- Fortnite
Notably, none of these titles were released in 2024, indicating sustained player interest in established games.
Epic and Disney Collaboration Progresses
In February 2024, The Walt Disney Company invested $1.5 billion in Epic Games, acquiring a 9% stake and announcing a multiyear partnership to develop an expansive games and entertainment universe connected to Fortnite. This collaboration aims to integrate characters and stories from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and Avatar into the Fortnite ecosystem. As of February 2025, the project has reportedly reached a “stable” development phase, though specific details and a release timeline remain undisclosed.
This partnership reflects a strategic move by Disney to expand its digital footprint and engage with audiences in innovative ways, leveraging Epic’s technological expertise and the vast Fortnite player base.
Overall, 2024 has been a year of growth and strategic advancements for Epic Games, setting the stage for continued innovation and collaboration in the gaming industry.
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