Is Fortnite still free on PC in 2024?

The short answer is – yes, absolutely! Fortnite remains 100% free-to-play on PC over 5 years after bursting onto the scene in 2017. While no longer the undisputed king of battle royales, Fortnite nonetheless continues to be massively popular as a free download from the Epic Games Store. Read on for a deep dive into Fortnite‘s past, present and future as a leading free-to-play game on PC.

Fortnite‘s Pivotal Shift to Free-To-Play

Let‘s rewind a bit and explore how Fortnite came to adopt the free-to-play model that skyrocketed it to fame.

Originally launched in July 2017 as a paid early access title focused on the Save the World PvE mode, Fortnite looked destined to be a modest hit at best. But the emergence of battle royale shooters like PUBG gave Epic Games an idea.

In September 2017, Epic announced Fortnite Battle Royale – a new free-to-play 100-player PvP mode. This strategic decision changed the trajectory of Fortnite forever.

Making the hottest new gameplay format (battle royale) completely free and available on all major platforms was a stroke of genius. Literally anyone could download and play Fortnite, no barrier to entry.

The impact was immediate and immense. Within 2 weeks over 10 million players had tried the new free mode. By June 2018, just 9 months after launch, Fortnite had grown to a staggering 125 million players worldwide.

Being free to play was absolutely critical in enabling this explosive early growth and capturing the battle royale zeitgeist. Had Fortnite remained a $40 paid early access title, it likely would have never achieved such phenomenal popularity.

Fortnite‘s Core Gameplay Loops Remain Free

The most important takeaway for new players in 2024 – all of Fortnite‘s core gameplay functionality is still completely free including:

• The main Fortnite Battle Royale mode
• Fortnite Creative mode
• Limited Time Modes (LTMs)
• Core progression systems and mechanics
• Events like live concerts or narrative events

Epic continues to monetize primarily through cosmetics and battle passes while keeping the moment-to-moment gameplay free. This preserves a huge playerbase and fair competition.

For example, Epic hosted an in-game concert series featuring global superstars like Ariana Grande and Travis Scott free for all players to enjoy. Even free users get access to these ambitious live events that keep Fortnite culturally relevant.

Ariana Grande‘s in-game concert was free for all Fortnite players to enjoy

So rest assured – new players in 2024 can download Fortnite and experience all the buzzworthy events and gameplay modes without spending a dime.

Analyzing Fortnite‘s Wildly Successful Monetization Model

Epic Games managed to build Fortnite into a multi-billion dollar franchise despite giving away the core game for free. How? Through masterful monetization centered around cosmetics and seasonal Battle Passes.

Some key numbers that put Fortnite‘s free-to-play revenue into perspective:

• $5+ billion in total revenue earned each year at Fortnite‘s peak in 2018 and 2019
• >25% of all Fortnite players spend real money on in-game purchases
• $1.8 billion spent by players on cosmetic items like skins and emotes in 2019 alone
• $150 million in sales from the Chapter 2 Season 7 Battle Pass
• $2 million in average daily revenue during strong seasonal periods

For a free game, these sales figures are simply unheard of. Let‘s explore the primary drivers:

In-Game Cosmetics

The bulk of spending comes from players purchasing optional cosmetic items like:

• Outfit skins – alternate looks for your character to stand out for $5-$20
• Pickaxes – colorful variants on the harvesting tool for $5-$15
• Gliders – customize your glider for $5-$15
• Emotes – fun taunt and dance moves to show off for $2-$10
• Wraps – change the textures on weapons and vehicles for $2-$5

Epic rotates and adds new cosmetics daily to keep players checking the Item Shop. Fear of missing out drives sales of limited-time cosmetics.

Top-tier skins like the Galaxy, Batman and Frozen Legends outfits have sold over $100 million worth of copies individually. In total players have spent well over $10 billion on Fortnite skins and emotes to date.

Battle Pass Subscriptions

Fortnite popularized the concept of a seasonal Battle Pass – a subscription service that offers challenges and 100 tiers of unlockable cosmetic rewards.

Available for ~$10 each season, the Fortnite Battle Pass has been a smash hit:

• Over 80 million players purchased the Chapter 2 Season 2 pass
• Total Battle Pass revenue to date is estimated at $2+ billion
• Playing to unlock skins and items taps into gamers‘ psychology

Epic has elevated the Battle Pass from a bundle of goodies into an engrossing metagame with lore and narrative woven throughout each season.

Promotional Partnerships

Collaborations with brands like Marvel, DC Comics and the NFL also drive sales by releasing special skins themed around popular entertainment properties.

Some examples:

• Marvel‘s Avengers: Endgame event coincided with the movie release, earning over $144 million
• Icon Series skins featuring global superstars like Neymar Jr. and LeBron James
• In-game concerts with real artists (Ariana Grande, Travis Scott) keep Fortnite culturally relevant

These high-profile crossovers attract media buzz and get lapsed players to log back in to buy the latest cool skin.

Competitive Events

Lastly, competitive Fortnite tournaments organized by Epic offer in-game purchases and draw millions of viewers.

The 2019 Fortnite World Cup awarded a total prize pool of $30 million. The 2022 FNCS event offered $3 million in prizes and 25% revenue sharing with top performers.

With so many revenue streams, it‘s no mystery how Fortnite turned free-to-play into billions in earnings.

Tracking Fortnite‘s Player Count and Popularity Over Time

Since exploding onto the scene in 2017 and dominating the industry in 2018, Fortnite has gone through major evolutions in terms of player counts and revenue:

Fortnite‘s rise, peak, and decline in monthly active users

The Early Explosion (2017-2018)

Riding the massive hype wave around battle royale games, Fortnite experienced meteoric growth in its first 18 months:

• Hit 1 million players within 2 weeks of launch
• Grew to 30 million players by Sep 2017, just 1 month after launch
• Reached a peak of 3.4 million concurrent players in early 2018
• 250 million registered players by March 2018, just 6 months after going free-to-play

This initial explosion cemented Fortnite as a global gaming sensation and true crossover into mainstream pop culture.

Continued Dominance (2018-2019)

Fortnite remained a near-unrivaled juggernaut through 2018 and 2019:

• Consistently had 200+ million monthly active users
• Monthly player spending peaked at $300 million in May 2019
• 1.2 billion hours watched of Fortnite on Twitch in 2018
• The Fortnite World Cup in 2019 peaked at 2.3 million viewers

Thanks to regular content updates and live events, Fortnite retained its spot as the most popular free-to-play game by a large margin during its apex.

Gradual Decline (2019-Present)

From late 2019 onwards, Fortnite began a slow decline in popularity and player base as rival titles emerged:

• Monthly active players dropped from a peak of 350 million to well under 100 million
• Revenue fell nearly 30% from 2018 ($5.5B) to 2019 ($4B) and has continued decreasing
• Twitch viewership hours declined 75% from 1.2 billion (2018) to 307 million (2022)
• Google search volume is down over 80% since 2018

While Fortnite remains widely played and profitable, it has unquestionably lost mindshare among gamers who have moved on to newer battle royales and live service games.

However, Epic continues investing huge effort into events like live concerts with global pop stars to create occasional spikes in players when new seasons drop or crossover promotions occur.

So while far from its undisputed prime, Fortnite has seemingly settled into a highly comfortable new normal with a consistently massive base of tens of millions of monthly players.

How Does Fortnite Stack Up Among Top Free-To-Play Games on PC?

Fortnite‘s revolutionary free-to-play model has reshaped gaming. Here‘s how Fortnite compares currently to some other massively popular free PC titles:

A few key takeaways:

• Fortnite remains the most-played free battle royale game by a large margin
• League of Legends boasts incredible longevity as a free-to-play titan
• No other breakout game has matched Fortnite‘s peak popularity
• Apex Legends and PUBG represent Fortnite‘s biggest direct competition
• Newer games like Valorant and Genshin have found big audiences

Epic‘s runaway success with Fortnite‘s free model has encouraged other studios to follow suit leading to an explosion in high quality F2P titles. The competition has certainly taken a toll on Fortnite. But it still stands tall as a top free-to-play title.

Fortnite‘s Future Outlook on PC

What does the future look like for Fortnite as it enters its 6th year post-launch? Here are a few predictions:

Free-To-Play Model Remains

There is essentially zero chance of Epic backtracking on the free-to-play model that was so crucial to Fortnite‘s meteoric rise. The game will almost certainly remain 100% free on PC indefinitely.

Flip-flopping to a paid game would alienate much of the existing player base and remove the low barrier to entry for new players to try it out.

Focus on Spectacle Over Esports

While Fortnite originally emphasized competitive esports, Epic seems to have shifted focus toward splashy in-game events open to all players.

Massive concerts, narrative storylines and promotional tie-ins appeal more to the casual majority of the player base versus high-skill tournaments.

Slow Decline or Steady State?

It‘s unlikely Fortnite ever returns to the stunning highs of 2018-2019. But with such a massive installed base, it may remain incredibly profitable at a lower plateau, similar to stalwarts like Counter-Strike and Minecraft.

Epic will continue evolving monetization and gameplay in an effort to halt declines and retain players better over the long term.

Epic‘s Unreal Engine Cash Cow

Regardless of Fortnite‘s trajectory as a game, Epic wins big from powering so many other titles with Unreal Engine. So even if popularity wanes, the company remains in great financial shape.

In summary, Fortnite remains one of the world‘s most popular games as a free download, backed by an incredibly savvy monetization strategy and Epic‘s UE engine dominance.

While the days of utterly dominating the zeitgeist have passed, Fortnite seems destined to remain a staple of the industry for years to come. Any gamer who hasn‘t tried this iconic free title should install it on PC and see what all the fuss has been about since 2017!