Epic Games Store: A Look Back at 2023 and What’s in Store for 2024

Recently Epic Games released Year in Review 2023 unveiling all the ups and downs for Epics Games and Game Store in 2023 with upcoming projects and updates.

How Epic Game Store Performed in 2023?

Userbase

• The Epic Games Store saw another year of impressive growth in 2023, further establishing itself as a major player in PC gaming.
• The total user count rose to over 270 million, up 40 million from 2022.
• Epic now boasts a massive 804 million cross-platform accounts.
• Monthly active users on the store hit 75 million in December, up from 68 million in 2022.
• Daily active users peaked at 36.1 million, showing the store’s sticky engagement.

Catalog Expansion

• The Epic Games catalog expanded rapidly last year, with 1,300 new titles added for a total of over 2,900 games.
• That’s an 88% increase in just one year!
• Epic gave away a record $2,000 worth of free games in 2023, with 586 million copies claimed in total.

In-Game Spending

• This influx of new games is fueling increased spending on the store.
• Gamers spent nearly $1 billion ($950 million) for in-game purchases in the Epic Game Store, 16%  more than in 2022.
• Fortnite is the main driving force for such big numbers.
• On the other hand, Players spending on third-party titles in Epic Store fell by 13% to $310 million in 2023.
• The free games program also continues to drive engagement.

Store Improvements Set the Stage for an Even Bigger 2024

While expanding the catalog remained a priority in 2023, Epic also rolled out some major quality-of-life improvements:

• Faster Launcher Performance – Loading times reduced by 3x for most users.
• Self-Publishing Tools – It’s now easier than ever for devs to publish on the store.
• Epic Rewards – Players earn 5-10% cashback rewards on game purchases.
• First Run Revenue Share – Devs keep 100% of revenue for the first 6 months when launching exclusively.

These upgrades make the Epic Games Store even more attractive to players and developers alike.

What’s Planned for the Epic Games Store in 2024?

With the foundation solidified, Epic is shifting focus to improving player experiences and game discovery in 2024.

Several highly-anticipated features are in development:

Revamped Download Manager

• A new download manager with queue prioritization, scheduled downloads, and update controls arrives early this year. No more annoying interruptions!

Offline Mode Improvements

• Switching to offline becomes smoother, with clear messaging when connectivity is lost. No more head-scratching moments.

Social Upgrades

• Expanded social features will make your friends list more useful and give players more ways to interact.

iOS Launch in Europe

• Thanks to new EU regulations, Epic Games will launch its store on iOS in Europe in 2024. Huge news!

Game Pre-Loading

• Pre-purchase a game and pre-load it ahead of release day. No more waiting when the clock hits zero!

Subscription Support

• Devs can bring subscription services to the store. Players earn reward points on subscriptions too.

Dynamic Bundles

• Own some items in a bundle? The price will dynamically adjust based on what you already own.

Most Anticipated Games Coming in 2024

With the store improvements rolling out, 2024 is poised to be another standout year for games.

Here are just a few of the big titles coming to the Epic Games Store:

As the lineup of new releases continues to grow, it’s a great time to be a gamer!

What upcoming Epic Games Store releases are you most hyped for?

Let us know in the comments!