Steam vs Epic Games Store: Which launcher is best?

Steam had few serious rivals in the PC gaming world until the Epic Games Store came along. There are some key differences that set them apart. Let’s dive in.

Epic Games Store (and Epic Games Launcher) will see its fifth anniversary in December of this year and it’s been an interesting watch, seeing Steam have a well-funded alternative to take it to task. Do note we’ll be referring to Epic Games Store and Launcher as one of the same in this article.

Steam has always defined itself on openness while Epic Games Store began its run by inviting developers to enter into exclusivity arrangements.

Along with these key differences in ethos, the Steam vs Epic Games Store matchup has plenty of other points of the convention. These are all the important battlegrounds if you’re curious about what’s on offer – either way, you can use both.

Steam is better for finding new games

There’s no contest if you’re looking for the biggest game library possible. Steam offers access to around 50,000 titles while Epic Games Store came in at under 2,000 – as of 2022. So, if quantity matters to you, then Steam is well ahead.

Not only is Steam ahead on quantity but it’s better at helping you find games you might like within its huge selection. Discovery Queue offers recommendations to you in Steam based on titles you’ve played as well as what’s new and popular. The Explore Queue does a similar job but based on your game searches.

Epic Games do something less personalised with a general Discovery page available to all users, showcasing new stuff. You could argue there is less need for a recommendation engine on the Epic Games Store with fewer titles to wade through, but it’d be nice to have it regardless.

Epic Games Store offers streamlined navigation

Steam’s look has been iterated upon over its 20 years in existence but it doesn’t necessarily have the most contemporary of looks. For some, the added range of features in Steam and its breadth of menus may lead to confusion rather than a freeing feeling of choice.

This is where its advantage Epic Games Store. As a platform developed in the past 5 years, Epic’s store has a modern design language. That’s basically meaning an interface that’d work well on a touchscreen if desired, so it’s extremely easy to navigate.

The fewer features and menus, along with clear user navigation signposting, mean you can glide from section to section with speed and ease.

Epic has free games and exclusives

Epic Games Store kicked off its existence by showcasing that it would offer exclusive titles as well as free games.

This is still the case with titles like Fortnite, The Wolf Among US 2, Alan Wake Remastered and more all being exclusive to the Epic Games Store.

Free games come in the form of a weekly download per user from a collection of titles. At the time of publication, the games on offer are medical slasher Mordhau and early access title Second Extinction.

You’ll get more social features on Steam

Both Steam and Epic Games Store allow you to chat with your friends but the former has a few extra inclusions.

With Steam, you’ve got access to Communities pages, where you can find discussions on games as well as select reviews, additional content, and guides. The combination makes for a feeling of a living community within Steam.