Epic Games Launches New AI-Powered Game Launcher, Claims It's Faster Than Steam

Epic Games, nearly eight years after challenging Steam with its own game store and launcher, has announced a significant update. The company has rolled out a public "Preview" build of its new launcher, developed with what it calls "vibe coding" and assisted by artificial intelligence. Epic claims this new version is faster and more responsive than its current launcher and its competitor, Steam.

Highlights

• Epic Games' new launcher has been rewritten from scratch using AI, a process dubbed "vibe coding."
• The company asserts that the new launcher's startup speed is several seconds faster than Steam's.
• The preview version includes highly requested features such as a Recent Games list and a centralized downloads hub.
• Epic has warned users that the preview may contain bugs and is seeking feedback to address them.
• This release follows Epic CEO Tim Sweeney's announcement that the company is shifting to an "AI-first" development model.

Details

Martin Keely, Epic Games Store General Manager and VP, told PC Gamer that the team "started from scratch" and utilized AI as a tool to write and review new features and capabilities in a different tech stack. Speaking to IGN, Keely clarified that using AI for coding the new Launcher made them more efficient, allowing a small team to rewrite the codebase and launch it faster across platforms, supporting Windows, Mac, and an upcoming Linux version.

Ars Technica's own testing confirmed that the new Launcher goes from a cold start to the store page a few seconds faster than Steam. Epic also claims the new Launcher can restore from the system tray to the Library screen slightly faster than Steam, though the claimed difference of 0.06 seconds is noted as being too small to be noticeable. In a June presentation, Epic had previously stated the new Launcher would feature "5x faster cold start" times.

Epic has informed users that the preview build "will have some bugs" and that certain social features and account management options have not yet been ported from the legacy version. However, the company is working towards achieving feature parity between the new and old launchers.

Why it matters

This development underscores Epic Games' ongoing efforts to intensify competition in the game launcher market. The AI-assisted development model highlights the company's strategy to deliver faster and more efficient products. Furthermore, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney's broader announcement about the company's shift to an "AI-first" development model emphasizes the growing role and potential of artificial intelligence in the gaming industry. This could shape future gaming experiences for both players and developers alike.