Epic Games Boosts Store Sales with Fortnite Freebies

Back in 2020, if you picked up Borderlands 3 from the Epic Games Store, you were rewarded with a bundle of free Fortnite cosmetics, including a Psycho Bandit skin. This was a solid incentive for PC gamers to choose Epic’s platform. For Fortnite enthusiasts, it was a no-brainer, and now Epic is making this a regular feature.

Over the past seven years, Epic Games has only provided Fortnite cosmetics as pre-order bonuses for four titles. However, starting in 2026, that number is set to explode. In a discussion about the Epic Games Store’s 2025 Year in Review, Steve Allison, the vice president and general manager of EGS, shared that 40 different games launching in 2026 will include Fortnite items as a “gift with purchase,” with even more on the horizon.

“There’ll basically be a steady drip of these being announced every month and put up in the store,” he noted.

One of the titles featuring Fortnite pre-order bonuses this year is Resident Evil Requiem, which offers a Grace Ashcroft bundle that includes a skin for those who order through EGS. Similarly, pre-ordering Crimson Desert, the upcoming action-RPG from Pearl Abyss, will net you a Fortnite bundle that includes a character skin. While specific titles are still under wraps, Epic is collaborating with studios like Capcom, miHoYo, S-Game, MintRocket, and Kakao Games.

Up to 100 games each year will feature Fortnite items as purchase bonuses. For Allison, this synergy has been a key focus since he joined the company in 2018.

“I’ve been pushing on this since I got here. I actually talked about it with Tim [Sweeney] before I even took a job on the team,” he recalled. “Back when I was at Telltale, we leveraged Team Fortress 2 hats and cosmetics, giving them away with purchases of Sam and Max and a few other games… If you bought the game on Steam, you got the hat in Team Fortress 2, and our titles would rocket to the top of the charts.”

Allison carried that vision to Epic, leading to the successful Borderlands 3 offer, which “crushed,” according to him. So, it’s no surprise that this will become a more frequent occurrence. What’s interesting, though, is how these bonuses will also cater to those who don’t play Fortnite.

With the revamped Epic Games Store launcher experience, Epic is also rolling out customizable avatars for users. These avatars will be visible across the Epic Games Store, replacing the single-letter icons on the social menu. And whether you’re a Fortnite player or not, you’ll be able to use those pre-order bonuses on your avatars as well, so you won’t feel left out if Battle Royale isn’t your style.

The new Epic Games Store launcher is set to launch in May or June.