Everyone probably knows that Epic Games gives away free games every week. But why do they do it? The reason is much simpler than you might think.

It’s All About Users

Or rather, the lack of them. There’s no denying that Epic has a much smaller community than Steam, EA, or GOG. It launched much later and had to fight for players’ attention from the start. After all, convincing someone with over 100 games in their Steam library to buy games on another platform isn’t easy.

So what’s the easiest way to attract players? Giving away free games! Even if Epic loses money on every free game, they gain something far more valuable—users. Many people now have over 150 games in their Epic library! With that many games, a player is much more likely to buy their next title on Epic, and every purchase made there is a win for Epic Games.

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How Much Does Epic Lose on Free Games?

Just on the Batman Arkham giveaway, which was claimed by 6.44 million users, Epic lost $1.5 million. But! In doing so, they gained 613,000 new users!

In 2019, the losses from Epic Games Store were estimated at $181 million, rising to $273 million in 2020. In 2021, Epic gave away 765 million copies of various games. The exact loss is unknown, but estimates put it at around $139 million. According to Epic Games’ projections, their store was expected to start being profitable in 2023.

Is It Worth It?

Well… Over time, it seems Epic is gaining more than it’s losing with this strategy. A report from 2021 revealed that Epic Games Store had nearly 200 million users. While still far from catching up to Steam, that’s enough to start generating revenue. In total, players spent $840 million on Epic Games Store in 2021.

That same report also stated that a player who claimed all the free games in 2021 received games worth a total of $2,120.

And you? Do you claim the free games on Epic Games Store?