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Epic said 295 million PC users used the Epic Games Store in 2024, 25 million more than in 2023. That is an annual reach figure—not 295 million monthly active players. Epic’s average monthly active users (MAU) were 67.2 million, while its average daily active users (DAU) were 31.5 million. By the end of 2025, the store had reached a record 78 million MAU in December, alongside a sharp rise in third-party PC-game spending. The figures show a growing storefront, but they do not establish that Epic has overtaken Steam.
What does Epic’s 295 million figure measure?
Epic described 295 million PC users for calendar year 2024, up from roughly 270 million in 2023. The number is best read as the store’s annual PC audience or customer reach. It is not a count of people playing at the same moment, a monthly active-user total, or proof that every counted user played a game.
Epic reported these separate activity measures for 2024:
| Measure | Epic-reported figure | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Annual PC users | 295 million | Reach over the year; not a monthly or concurrent count |
| Average DAU | 31.5 million | Average number active per day |
| Average MAU | 67.2 million | Average number active per month |
| Peak DAU | 37.2 million, up 3% year over year | Highest daily active-user figure |
| Peak MAU | 74 million, down 1% year over year | Highest monthly active-user figure |
These are company-reported figures, not an independently audited count. Epic’s year-in-review uses “PC users”; headlines and coverage have also rendered the milestone as “PC players.” That wording should not be mistaken for a verified count of unique people who actively played games. Epic’s 2024 year-in-review and Game Developer’s coverage provide the reported figures.
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Was Epic’s audience growing in 2024?
By several measures, yes. Annual PC users rose by 25 million, average DAU and MAU each grew 6%, and peak DAU increased 3%. Third-party games on the store accounted for 2.68 billion hours of play, up from 2.41 billion hours in 2023, an 11% increase.
But the gains were not uniform. Peak MAU slipped 1% to 74 million, and spending on third-party applications processed through Epic Payments fell 18% to $255 million. Total player spending on the store rose 15% to about $1.1 billion, but that broader total does not erase the weakness in the native-payment figure for third-party products.
The fairest summary of 2024 is audience and engagement growth accompanied by a question about third-party monetization—not an across-the-board record. Epic has said that some publishers use alternative payment systems, so Epic Payments does not capture every transaction made in those games. That is relevant context from the company, not an independently verified explanation of the decline.
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How free games fit into the growth story
Epic’s recurring free-game offers are a prominent way to bring people to the store, alongside Fortnite and other Epic-connected products and a third-party catalog that has included games such as Genshin Impact, Grand Theft Auto V, Rocket League, Alan Wake II and Cyberpunk 2077. Those are plausible parts of the acquisition mix; the reported 295 million figure does not isolate how much growth came from any one of them.
A free-game claim is a sign of reach, but not necessarily of continued activity or a purchase. In reporting on 2025, Epic Games Store general manager Steve Allison said the free-games program brought in roughly 7 million to 12 million new users annually, with an estimated 16% to 18% later converting into paying users. Allison also described the program’s budget as generally hovering around $20 million, varying by opportunity. These are executive estimates, not independently audited cohort results, and the conversion rate should not be applied to every Epic user.
Epic said players claimed 662 million free-game copies in 2025. That is a count of claimed copies, not unique people. The 2025 figures can help explain the ongoing role of giveaways, but they do not establish what caused the 2024 annual-user increase.
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Epic also said its analysis found that 77% of games offered free in 2025 reached an all-time peak concurrent-player record on Epic during their promotion week, while those same games averaged a 40% increase in concurrent players on Steam. This is Epic’s own analysis. A rise on Steam could reflect publicity, returning owners, or activity around Steam copies; it does not show that Epic directly converted those players or captured their storefront relationship. GamesRadar reported the analysis and its caveats.
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Epic’s 2025 review reported a record 78 million MAU in December. That is a month-specific record, not an average for the whole year. Total player spending reached about $1.16 billion, up 6%, and third-party PC-game spending reached $400 million, up 57% year over year. Third-party gameplay time grew 4%, according to coverage of the review.
The comparison matters: in 2024, third-party Epic Payments spending fell even as total spending and play time increased; in 2025, reported third-party PC-game spending rose substantially. The latter is a stronger sign of commercial traction, though Epic’s broad spending figures and its payments-processed figures should not be treated as interchangeable. See Epic’s 2025 year-in-review and PC Gamer’s coverage of the results.
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Does this mean Epic is more popular than Steam?
No such conclusion follows from these figures. Epic’s 295 million is an annual PC-user measure, while Steam commonly publicizes concurrent-player peaks and other activity measures. Those denominators are not directly comparable. Epic’s annual figure also includes people who may have arrived for giveaways, Epic titles, or a specific third-party game; it does not show that Epic is their primary PC storefront.
A useful way to judge a storefront is to separate the questions:
- Reach: How many users or customers it reaches over a year.
- Recency and intensity: How many use it daily or monthly, and how much time they spend playing.
- Commercial traction: How much players spend, especially on third-party games.
- Retention: Whether people return after claiming a free game.
- Developer adoption and product quality: How broad the catalog is and how well the launcher supports discovery, libraries, and social play.
Epic is clearly a major PC storefront and a growing secondary destination. The available figures do not establish that it has surpassed Steam in overall PC-store usage. Epic has also been working on launcher speed, library performance, social features and community tools, an effort that reflects the challenge of turning a large account base into a storefront people routinely choose. PC Gamer reported on the planned overhaul and features.
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- Enhanced Functionality: Packed with handy features, including a 5x9" precision tracking mouse pad and a built-in phone slot for seamless work or video calls. Plus, enjoy laptop support with the integrated device ledge.
- Cool Comfort: Enjoy a stable surface with our lap desk's dual bolster cushion, designed for comfort and airflow, keeping your lap cool during extended use.
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Why developers may list games on Epic
Revenue terms are one part of Epic’s pitch. The standard Epic storefront split is commonly described as 88% to the developer and 12% to Epic, compared with Steam’s standard 70/30 split before Steam’s higher sales tiers apply. From June 2025, Epic’s terms allowed developers to keep 100% of the first $1 million in annual revenue per product before the standard Epic share applies. That is a defined threshold, not a permanent universal 100% revenue share; actual economics depend on eligibility, sales, payment arrangements and program terms.
Epic has also promoted initiatives including Launch Everywhere with Epic and Now on Epic. Better revenue terms can make a listing attractive, but they are only one factor: developers also weigh the storefront’s audience, discovery, tools and the value of reaching players outside their existing channels. Epic’s mobile expansion—Android globally and iOS in Europe—broadens its ecosystem, but mobile activity should not be folded into the specifically PC-based 295 million figure.
How to read “more popular than ever”
The phrase is defensible only when tied to a particular measure. Epic’s annual PC reach increased in 2024, average daily and monthly activity rose, and third-party gameplay time expanded. Its 2025 review then reported a record December MAU and materially higher third-party PC spending. Those results support a story of a store with a large and increasingly active audience.
They do not show that every popularity measure set a record, that free claims equal purchases, or that Epic has displaced Steam. The meaningful change is that the 2025 figures provide stronger evidence of third-party commercial growth than the 2024 headline alone did.
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