Epic Games Store reaches 295 million users in 2024 and continues to grow

While Steam continues to dominate the PC gaming market, the Epic Games Store continues to gain ground and consolidate its player base. According to a report released by Epic Games itself, the platform ended 2024 with 295 million registered users, an increase of 25 million from 2023.

Furthermore, the number of cross-platform accounts - connecting Epic services across different devices - also grew and is close to the 900 million mark. The report also revealed that, throughout the year, the store recorded a peak of 37.2 million users simultaneously active, consolidating its growth in a highly competitive scenario.

The reasons behind the growth

Epic Games highlighted some factors that contributed to the store's expansion in 2024. The free games program continues to be one of the platform's major attractions, allowing players to acquire titles at no cost weekly. This strategy, started in 2018, has already distributed thousands of games, including hits like Control, Death Stranding, and Borderlands 3.

Another factor that drove growth was the introduction of self-publishing tools, allowing independent developers and major studios to have more control over the release of their games within the Epic Games Store. This initiative attracted new partners and expanded the store's catalog, making it more competitive compared to Steam and other platforms, such as GOG.

Epic Games Store x Steam: the battle continues

Despite significant growth, the Epic Games Store is still far from surpassing Steam, which maintains its leadership with over 120 million monthly active users and a much larger catalog. However, Epic has adopted aggressive strategies to expand its presence in the market, such as temporary exclusives, strategic partnerships, and the aforementioned free game distribution.

The report also reinforces that the store remains focused on offering an enhanced experience for players and developers. With continued advancement, the competition between the two giants of the digital distribution market is expected to become even more fierce in the coming years.

Now, it remains to be seen what the next steps for Epic Games Store will be to maintain this growth and become a real threat to Steam in the future.