For 2022, Epic Games’ own Fortnite and MiHoYo’s Genshin Impact had some of the highest player spending and engagement of the year.
In its breakdown of the year for the Epic Games Store, both games were among the top titles on the storefront. Other games include Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, Rocket League, and Grand Theft Auto V. Each of those games has been popular since their original releases, and in Tiny Tina’s case, it started as an Epic exclusive for PC.
Those games, along with other big hitters like Red Dead Redemption II and Saints Row 2022, helped bring the Epic Games Store to 230 million users. Compared to 2021, that’s a surge of 36 million players, and it further translates into 723 million cross-platform accounts for Epic.
Overall, players spent $820 million on PC games in 2022, which is a minor 2 percent decrease from the previous year. And in terms of third-party spending, players spent $355 million.
Meanwhile, developers and publishers released 626 new titles on the storefront last year. Epic says that brings the total to nearly 1,550 games on its store, which is “more than any previous year and represents a significant increase over games we had available to players in 2021.”
In terms of its weekly free games program, Epic reported that 99 games were offered for free in 2022, translating to $2,240 in value. Of those 99 games, 70 of them hit new peak concurrent records on PC.
What’s going on with the Epic Games Store in 2023?
Looking ahead for the year, Epic outlined its 2023’s plans to continue the store’s momentum, beyond continuing the free games program.
The biggest piece of news was revealed alongside these statistics: developers and publishers can now self-publish their games on the Epic Games Store. To do so, they’ll have to follow Epic’s rules and pay $100 for each game submitted.
Beyond that, it also plans to create content hubs for publishers to share information with players on updates, developer news, and information on live-service titles.
Another high-priority concern is supporting subscription services from third-party publishers and live service products.