Fortnite Player count reaches an all-time high in 2026

The total number of registered Fortnite players currently stands at over 650 million, with 400+ million of those being considered “active” in 2023. If projections are correct, this figure will surpass the 500 million mark in 2026.

The overall Fortnite player count has risen yearly since 2017, without ever plateauing or dipping at any point. This is very impressive considering many other top games, including LoL and Dota 2, have seen peaks and troughs over time. On top of that, the release of Chapter 5 Season 2 on March 8 saw peak figures so far for 2024.

Interesting facts

• The current total registered Fortnite player count is 650+ million
• The number of active uses in 2023 was over 400 million
• This is expected to rise above 500 million by the end of 2026
• The total play count has risen every year since Fortnite was released in 2017
• March 9 says the peak number of daily players so far in 2024 (5,152,863)
• This marked a gain of over 680k players from February 2024
• The March 9 peak was the day after the release of Chapter 5 Season 2

How many people play Fortnite in 2026?

The total Fortnite player count as of September 2026 stands at well over 650 million and is only continuing to grow. However, this figure refers to the total number of registered users and therefore includes accounts that have been dormant for weeks, months and even years.

A better measure of how many people play Fortnite comes from the active player coin, which was over 400 million in 2023. If current trends continue, the metrics would suggest that there will be more than 500 million active Fortnite players by the end of 2024.

Fortnite player count - 2017 - 2026

As you can see below, the total number of active players for Fortnite has grown steadily every year since its release in 2017:

• 2017: 20 million
• 2018: 125 million
• 2019: 250 million
• 2020: 300 million
• 2021: 350 million
• 2022: 390 million
• 2023: 400 million

Daily number of Fortnite people hits 2024 high after Chapter 5 Season 2 release

There were some teething problems with the release of Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 2 on March 8, including the server going down right after the launch. Despite this, the day after the launch, March 9, saw the daily Fortnite Player count rise to the highest it has been in 2024 at just over 5.1 million.

This is still less than half of the 2023 high, which saw over 11.6 million players in December. However, we're only just about to end the first quarter of 2024 so there’s still plenty of time for that figure to be matched.

Figures always tend to soar in December, as people have more time off work and kids get new consoles, PCs and mobile, Moreover, most of the Fortnite player base is in the Northern Hemisphere, so the mix of the Christmas holiday seasons, cold weather and dark days tends to lead to an increase in video game player numbers in general.

How many people are betting on Fortnite in 2026?

Finding the exact figures for how many people play Fortnite is very easy, as there are numerous sources with active and accurate data. Getting the exact figures for esports betting data, on the other hand, is a bit trickier.

One thing we can say for sure is that Fortnite betting sites had their best period to date back in 2020 and 2021. This was due to the pandemic canceling a lot of professional sports leagues across the world, which means that traditional sports betting fans crossed over into esports.

Once the restrictions were lifted and sports resumed, most gamblers went back to wagering on real sports using their free bets apps of choice. Some experts have predicted that Fortnite and esports betting’s heyday has been and gone.

However, given that more and more so-called “mainstream” sportsbooks, like Bet365 and Betway, are now embracing esports, we think that the best days are yet to come.

Conclusion

In summary, the Fortnite player count is higher than it’s ever been and only looks set to rise. Chapter 5 Season 2 may have had its issues early on, but as the creases get ironed out, it looks like it will only work to attract new players.