Google drops Play Store cut on in-app purchases to 20% after Epic settlement

Google says it’s settling its long-running fight with Epic by changing how money works on the Play Store. The headline change: Google is lowering its standard commission on in-app purchases from 30% to 20%, and splitting out separate “service fees” depending on region and program.

Details came via Google’s Android team in a blog post. In the European Economic Area, the UK, and the US, developers who use Google Play billing will pay an extra 5% service fee on top of the 20% IAP commission. In other regions, Google says the service fee will vary by market.

Google also says devs in its Apps Experience program or the updated Google Play Games Level Up program will get lower rates: 20% service fees for existing installs, and 15% for new app installs. (Google’s post doesn’t go deep on exactly how those programs qualify apps, but the numbers are there.)

The timing is staggered. Google says the new service fees kick in by June 30, 2026 in the EEA, UK, and US. Australia follows by September 30, 2026, then Korea and Japan by December 31, 2026. Google’s aiming for a global rollout by September 30, 2027.

On top of that, Google plans an optional program to help developers support sideloading “qualified” third-party app stores, launching outside the US first. Google notes this part depends on court approval of the Epic settlement.

Epic CEO Tim Sweeney also chimed in on X, saying Fortnite will “soon” return to Google Play globally, and that installing the Epic Games Store on Android should get easier later in 2026.

This is ultimately a huge win for game developers everywhere as the less money Google takes in app store fees, the more that’s left over to fund development.