How Much Money Has Fortnite Made? 2025 Stats

by Andrea Knezovic, August 27, 2025

What is Fortnite?
Who Made Fortnite?
When Did Fortnite Launch?
How Much Money Has Fortnite Made?
How Many People Play Fortnite?
Fortnite Demographics and Usage
Fortnite Streaming and Esports
Record-Breaking Fortnite Events
Final Thoughts on Fortnite
Explore More Games
Sources

Fortnite is one of the most successful and influential games ever released. Since its 2017 debut, it has attracted hundreds of millions of players worldwide and generated tens of billions of dollars in revenue. Beyond its core battle royale mode,

Fortnite has grown into a platform for entertainment, creativity, and live events that bring in record-breaking audiences.

In this article, we’ll break down how much money Fortnite has made, how many people play it, and the key stats that explain its continued dominance. From revenue by year to player demographics and streaming records, here’s everything you need to know about Fortnite’s impact on gaming and culture.

What is Fortnite?

Fortnite is a free-to-play online platform that combines multiple game modes under one umbrella.

The most famous is Fortnite: Battle Royale, a 100-player fight to be the last one standing.

Alongside it, Fortnite includes Zero Build, LEGO® Fortnite, Rocket Racing, Fortnite Festival, and a wide range of player-made islands. It’s designed as both a game and a social hub, blending competition, creativity, and live entertainment.

Who Made Fortnite?

Fortnite was developed and published by Epic Games, the North Carolina–based studio also behind Unreal Engine and titles like Gears of War. Epic continues to support Fortnite as a live-service game, with constant updates, new collaborations, and in-game events that reach tens of millions of players at once.

When Did Fortnite Launch?

Fortnite’s original Save the World mode entered early access on July 25, 2017.

A few months later, Epic released Fortnite Battle Royale on September 26, 2017, which became the breakout success.

By late 2018, Fortnite also introduced Creative mode, cementing it as more than just a battle royale and setting the stage for its growth into a global platform (Epic Games, 2017; Epic Games, 2018).

How Much Money Has Fortnite Made?

All-Time Fortnite Revenue

Since its release in 2017, Fortnite has generated over $23 billion in revenue across all platforms. This makes it one of the most profitable video games ever created.

Fortnite Revenue by Year

Fortnite’s yearly revenue highlights just how quickly it became a global phenomenon:

2018: $5.4 billion (Epic Games court filings)
2019: $3.7 billion (Epic Games court filings)
2020: $5.1 billion (Business of Apps, 2025)
2021: $5.8 billion (Business of Apps, 2025)
2023: $3.5 billion (Business of Apps, 2025)

Together, these figures confirm Fortnite’s ability to consistently bring in billions each year.

Platform Revenue Breakdown

Court documents from the Epic v. Apple trial revealed how Fortnite revenue is split across platforms:

PlayStation 4: 46.8% of total revenue
Xbox One: 27.5%
iOS: 7%
Other (PC, Switch, Android): remainder

On iOS alone, Fortnite amassed 116 million registered users and generated more than $1.1 billion in spending before being removed from the App Store in 2020 (Epic Games filings; Sensor Tower, 2025).

How Fortnite Makes Money

Fortnite’s income comes entirely from in-game purchases. Players spend money on V-Bucks, the in-game currency, which can be used to buy:

Battle Passes (seasonal progression rewards)
Cosmetics (skins, emotes, wraps, pickaxes)
Fortnite Crew (monthly subscription with exclusive items and perks)

This model ensures Fortnite remains free to play while still being able to generate billions annually.

How Many People Play Fortnite?

Fortnite has built one of the largest gaming communities in history.

Epic confirmed the game had surpassed 500 million registered player accounts worldwide (Epic Games, 2023).

Monthly Active Users (MAU)

Fortnite regularly maintains tens of millions of active players. In November 2023, during the launch of the Fortnite OG season, Epic reported over 100 million monthly active players – the highest since launch (Epic Games, 2023).

Peak Daily Players

On November 4, 2023, Fortnite had its biggest day ever with 44.7 million unique players logging in and recording 102 million hours of play in a single day (Epic Games, 2023).

Mobile Players

Before being removed from the App Store in 2020, Fortnite had 116 million iOS users, with 73 million of them only playing on iOS (Epic Games court filings, 2020).

According to Sensor Tower, iOS players spent more than $1.1 billion on Fortnite during its availability (Sensor Tower, 2020).

Fortnite Demographics and Usage

Age and Gender

Fortnite’s audience skews young.

Surveys show that the majority of its players are teens and young adults, with a large share under 18. A 2020 survey found that 62% of U.S. teens aged 13–17 played Fortnite, highlighting its dominance among younger gamers (Pew Research Center, 2020).

In terms of gender, Fortnite remains more popular among men, but its female audience is steadily growing. There are 72% male players and 28% female players (Statista, 2024).

Regional Distribution

Fortnite is a global hit, but the United States accounts for the single largest player base.

Court filings revealed that nearly 25% of Fortnite’s total players were in the U.S. during 2018–2020 (Epic Games filings, 2020).

Other large markets include Brazil, the United Kingdom, and Japan, supported by regional events and local partnerships.

Time Spent Playing

Fortnite players are highly engaged. Epic reported that the average session lasts around 20 minutes, with many players playing multiple matches per session.

Industry research found that a typical Fortnite player spends 6–10 hours per week in-game, while about 30% of players spend more than 11 hours weekly.

Spending Behavior

Although Fortnite is free to play, a large majority of its players spend money.

A 2018 LendEDU survey found that 69% of Fortnite players made at least one in-game purchase, with the average spend at $85 that year (LendEDU, 2018). Spending habits revolve mostly around Battle Passes and cosmetic skins, which have become core to Fortnite’s business model.

Fortnite Streaming and Esports

Twitch and YouTube Viewership

Fortnite has consistently ranked among the top streamed games since its rise in 2018. On Twitch alone, it generated over 1.1 billion hours watched in 2020 (StreamElements, 2020).

Even years later, Fortnite remains a staple, with hundreds of millions of hours watched annually across Twitch and YouTube Gaming.

Peak Streaming Moments

The game has delivered record-breaking streaming events. In March 2018, streamer Ninja and rapper Drake set a then-Twitch record with 635,000 concurrent viewers on a single Fortnite stream (Twitch, 2018). The 2019 Fortnite “Black Hole” event, which ushered in Chapter 2, drew 1.7 million concurrent viewers on Twitch alone, one of the platform’s biggest spikes ever (TwitchTracker, 2019).

Esports Prize Pools

Fortnite esports also made headlines. The 2019 Fortnite World Cup featured a $30 million prize pool, at the time the largest in esports history (Epic Games, 2019).

The solo champion, Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf, won $3 million at age 16, cementing Fortnite’s place in competitive gaming.

Record-Breaking Fortnite Events

Largest In-Game Event

On December 1, 2020, Fortnite’s Galactus event brought in 15.3 million concurrent players in-game, setting a record for live participation (Epic Games, 2020).

Biggest Day in Fortnite History

On November 4, 2023, Fortnite’s OG season launch hit an all-time high with 44.7 million players in a single day and 102 million hours played (Epic Games, 2023).

Virtual Concerts and Collaborations

Fortnite has pioneered virtual entertainment.

The Travis Scott Astronomical concert in April 2020 had 12.3 million concurrent in-game participants, while Marshmello’s 2019 show drew 10.7 million live attendees (Epic Games, 2019; Epic Games, 2020). These events blurred the line between gaming and live entertainment, inspiring copycats across the industry.

Final Thoughts on Fortnite

Fortnite has become more than just a game.

Since 2017, it has generated over $23 billion in revenue, attracted hundreds of millions of players, and set records with events that draw tens of millions in a single day. Its mix of competitive play, creative tools, and massive live events has made it one of the most influential titles in gaming history.

With its constant evolution and global audience, Fortnite is set to remain a defining force in the gaming industry for years to come.