The Epic Games Store was pitched as a proper Steam competitor for PC gamers many years ago. Since its inception, the store has offered multiple free games, exclusive releases on PC, and various discounts in an attempt to entice users toward the platform, but to little avail.
Steam remains the platform of choice for PC gamers around the globe, and its dominance has only grown in recent years. Meanwhile, data suggests that Epic Games’ revenue has remained stagnant over the last 6 six years.
Data put together by Redditor u/HearMeOut-13 shows that Epic Games’ third-party revenue has fluctuated between $250 and $355 million since 2019. In 2026, the figure fell to $255 million again, highlighting a growth of a mere 1.6% compared to 2019.
Interestingly, however, the platform has nearly tripled its player base since 2019. The data shows growth of around 173% in the core user base, highlighting how the platform has evolved to host nearly 300 million people from its original figure of 108 million in 2019.
The discrepancy in the revenue and user counts suggests that a large number of newcomers to the Epic Games Store simply visit the platform for its free games and other incentives. Of course, this comparison does not take into account the numbers from massive titles like Fortnite and Rocket League, which also grew in popularity since 2019.
Still, because Epic Games has gone as far as to secure exclusivity for AAA titles like Alan Wake 2, the third-party revenue being as low as it currently is appears to be a major red flag.
Steam’s hold on the market ultimately remains too strong to challenge. With future hardware like the Steam Machine expected to raise interest in the platform further, Epic Games could continue to struggle for a few more years before it leaves a significant impact on Valve’s current position.
