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Fortnite User and Growth Stats 2024

by Josh Howarth
January 11, 2024

Epic Games’ free-to-play (F2P) title Fortnite, became a global smash after its release in 2017. And permeated the consciousness of even non-gaming audiences.

Half a decade later, Fortnite’s popularity may have dipped, yet the psychedelic battle royale game remains a cash cow for both publishers and streamers.

We’ll explore the stats behind the 100-person shooter’s continued success below.

Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll learn about Fortnite in 2024:

Fortnite Usage Stats (Top Picks)

Here are some assorted Fortnite statistics:

  • There are around 400 million registered Fortnite players
  • Fortnite generated $9.1 billion in its first two full years since its launch
  • Fortnite events increase monthly revenue by around 23%
  • Around 85% of Fortnite players are aged 18 to 35
  • The biggest Fortnite event had over 15 million concurrent players
  • Over 13 million hours of Fortnite are streamed weekly on Twitch

For more insightful Fortnite stats, including further detail on the stats above, continue reading below.

How Many People Play Fortnite?

Fortnite became a worldwide phenomenon in a relatively short space of time.

Back in August 2017, there were approximately 1 million registered players one month after launch.

By the end of 2017, this number had increased significantly to 30 million.

One month into 2018, that figure had increased by 1.5x to around 45 million.

A little over a year after first launching, Fortnite’s registered players hit 200 million.

And based on the latest available data (May 2020), there are over 350 million registered Fortnite players.

It is estimated that the figure is now closer to 400 million.

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Sources: VGChartz, BusinessofApps

How Does Fortnite Make Money?

Fortnite is one of many F2P games currently taking the industry by storm.

As a result of Fortnite’s F2P nature, Epic Games has established several other very profitable revenue streams.

The most notable revenue stream is downloadable content (DLC) sales.

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Here’s a look at just how successful Fortnite is at offering content consumers want to purchase:

Rank Title Share of Respondents Purchasing DLCs Difference to Fortnite
#1 Fortnite 85% -
#2 Dota 80% 5%
#3 Hearthstone 71% 9%
#4 Destiny 69% 16%
#5 League of Legends 62% 23%
#6 Overwatch 62% 23%
#7 Call of Duty 60% 25%
#8 Heroes of the Storm 59% 26%
#9 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim 56% 29%
#10 Rocket League 54% 31%

Looking specifically at Fortnite’s player base, the vast majority have bought some form of DLC.

From 1,000 respondents asked in February 2020, 77% claimed they have spent money on in-game purchases for Fortnite (with a further 2% preferring not to answer).

The amount spent on in-game purchases unsurprisingly increased during the first two years of the game’s existence.

In its first full year (2018), an average of $84.67 was spent by each Fortnite player.

By 2020, this figure had increased by around 21% to $102.42.

Considering the average price of an AAA title is roughly $60-$70, these DLC sales figures more than compensate for the lack of initial cost.

Source: VentureBeat, LendEDU, MUO

Fortnite Revenue

The undoubted popularity of Fortnite translated into revenue.

In 2018, the game generated $5.4 billion. And despite a drop-off in the following year, still far exceeded most other titles with $3.7 billion in revenue.

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Breaking down 2019’s figures further, it's evident that Fortnite's gradual decline in popularity hasn’t affected revenue too dramatically:

Month Special Event, Date (Type) Revenue Change Over Previous Month
Jan 2019 Ice Storm, 19th (Major) $350 million -
Feb 2019 Showtime, 2nd (Concert),

Earthquake, 14th-27th (Minor)

$398 million ↑ $48 million
Mar 2019 $361 million ↓ $37 million
Apr 2019 $321 million ↓ $40 million
May 2019 The Unvaulting, 4th (Major) $420 million ↑ $99 million
Jun 2019 $272 million ↓ $148 million
Jul 2019 The Final Showdown, 20th (Major),

Zero Point Destabilization, 20th-1st (Minor)

$267 million ↓ $5 million
Aug 2019 $314 million ↑ $47 million
Sep 2019 $200 million ↓ $114 million
Oct 2019 The End (Chapter 1), 13th (Major) $272 million ↑ $72 million
Nov 2019 $190 million ↓ $82 million
Dec 2019 Live At Risky, 14th (Star Wars Collab) $340 million ↑ $150 million

Looking at the data, it’s clear that Epic Games has profited from its semi-regular special events.

Excluding January, four of five months that featured special events saw an increase in revenue over the previous month.

The only exception was July, which featured two events starting late in the month - the $47 million increase in August may well be influenced by the interest generated from those events.

The total revenue generated in the six months with events equaled $2.047 billion. By comparison, $1.658 billion was generated in the non-event months - a difference of 23.46% and $389 million.

Source: Eurogamer, The Verge, Fortnite Wiki

Battle Royale Around the World

Fortnite’s genre, known as battle royale, has rapidly become one of the most popular in video games across the globe.

A January 2021 survey showed that 68% of gamers worldwide play battle royale games.

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Here’s a breakdown of battle royale players across various markets:

Market Percentage of Battle Royale Players Top Gaming Genre Difference
China 89.8% Casual Single Player (93.6%) 3.8%
Germany 53.6% Casual Single Player (83%) 29.4%
India 82.8% Casual Single Player (93.8%) 11%
Indonesia 74.6% Casual Single Player (87%) 12.4%
South Korea 63.2% Casual Single Player (79.2%) 16%
United Kingdom 49.4% Casual Single Player (88.4%) 39%
United States 46.6% Casual Single Player (85.2%) 39.6%
Vietnam 84.2% Casual Single Player (92.6%) 8.4%
Worldwide 68% Casual Single Player (87.9%) 19.9%

Taking a closer look at the United States, around 4 in 10 (41%) gamers are active battle royale players.

Comparatively, 38% say they do not actively play battle royale games. This means that more US gamers actively play games in this genre (like Fortnite) than do not.

Source: Limelight Networks, Newzoo

How Many Hours Do People Spend Playing Fortnite?

A 2020 survey questioned 1,000 Fortnite players on their weekly playing habits.

Considering the average American spent 14.8 hours per week playing video games in 2020, these figures suggest that many Fortnite players spent the majority of their gaming time on the title.

The results also revealed that:

  • 7 in 10 Fortnite players play under 10 hours per week
  • 0-5 hours” was the most common answer
  • 1 in 20 Fortnite players play over 21+ hours each week

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Here is a detailed look at the numbers:

Number of Hours Per Week Percentage
0 to 5 Hours 36%
6 to 10 Hours 34%
11 to 15 Hours 17%
16 to 20 Hours 8%
21 Hours or More 5%

Unsurprisingly, Fortnite users surge during special events. And Epic Games have taken full advantage of this:

Date Event Concurrent Players
November 2018 Destruction of the Purple Cube 8.3 million
February 2019 Marshmello Concert 10.7 million
April 2020 Travis Scott Concert 12.3 million
November 2020 Galactus Event 15.3 million

Source: LendEDU, Marketing Charts, The Verge

Fortnite User Demographics

The distribution of Fortnite players is heavily skewed towards younger players.

A 2018 analysis in the US found that over half (62.7%) of players are aged 18 to 24 years.

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In fact, in December 2022, Epic Games received a hefty fine totaling $275 million for violating children's privacy.

A further 22.5% of players are aged between 25 to 34 years.

Meanwhile, around 1 in 8 (12.7%) Fortnite players fall in the 35 to 44 years category.

Just 2% of Fortnite players are aged 45+ (45 to 54 years).

That same survey also revealed that 72.4% of Fortnite players are male. While just over 1 in 4 (27.6%) are female.

Source: Verto Analytics

Fortnite Usage by Device

Fortnite’s global appeal spanned across multiple devices.

Consoles are comfortably the device of choice for Fortnite players. Followed by computers and mobile.

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Here’s the full breakdown of the numbers from 2018’s survey:

Device Share of Respondents Using it to Play Fortnite
PlayStation 4 42.2%
Xbox One 35.2%
Computer 13.9%
Mobile Phone 8.7%

In fact, Fortnite has been so popular among console users that it topped all other console titles in December 2020:

Title Monthly Active Users Difference to Fortnite
Fortnite 24.4 million -
Call of Duty MW/Warzone 22 million 2.4 million
GTA V 20.1 million 4.3 million
Black Ops CW 16.4 million 8 million
Rocket League 15.2 million 9.2 million

Source: LendEDU, Newzoo,

Fortnite Streaming Stats

Streaming and Fortnite have gone hand-in-hand since the game’s launch. And despite a drop-off from its peak popularity, Fortnite is still one of the top dogs when it comes to streaming viewers.

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In fact, it’s worth noting the longevity of many of the titles in the following tables - perhaps an indication of Fortnite’s potential for enduring success.

Here’s a look at the most popular games on Twitch (in terms of weekly hours watched) in June 2023:

Rank Title Release Year Total Weekly Hours
1 Just Chatting 2020 60.3 million
2 Grand Theft Auto V 2013 34.7 million
3 Fortnite 2017 30.1 million
4 League of Legends 2009 23.5 million
5 Call of Duty: Warzone 2020 12.6 million
6 Special Events - 12.3 million
7 Rust 2013 10.6 million
8 VALORANT 2020 10.5 million
9 World of Warcraft 2004 9.93 million
10 Counter-Strike 2023 9.45 million

Sources: SullyGnome, TwitchTracker

Conclusion

Fortnite’s unprecedented worldwide success has been a driving force for many other titles in the F2P format and the battle royale genre.

In 2024, the game remains relevant. And continues to attract players, viewers, and collaborations.

For similar content, take a look at our 7 huge gaming industry trends and 25 soaring video games startups pages.