Epic Games

Description

Epic Games developed and runs the Epic Games Store, a digital storefront and game launcher on Windows, macOS, Android, and — in the European Union — iOS. Users download the app, sign in with a free Epic account and use it to browse and purchase games, redeem a free game each week, manage their library and launch installed titles. The app also provides developers and creators access to Unreal Engine, Epic’s game development toolkit.

Epic opened the store in December 2018 as a competitor to Valve’s Steam. The company placed it around two main arguments: lower revenue fees for developers, and regular free game giveaways to attract users. The iOS version was released in the European Union in August 2024 as a result of the EU’s enforcement of the Digital Markets Act, which mandated Apple to allow third-party app stores on its platform. The Android version was released worldwide the same month. Epic has announced plans to expand the iOS app to the United States after a separate legal ruling in the Epic v. Apple case.

THE STORE

The Epic Games Store sells games from all genres from major publishers and independent developers. The storefront hosts exclusive titles — games that Epic has arranged to sell only through its platform for a period of time, or permanently. These exclusives have been a defining and controversial feature of the store since launch; Epic pays developers in exchange for releasing on the Epic store before or instead of other PC storefronts, particularly Steam.

Outside of exclusives, many games on the Epic Games Store are available on other platforms. The store supports seasonal sales and limited-time discounts. The store page for each game displays user ratings, system requirements, developer information, and screenshots or trailers. Epic does not have developer-run community forums on game pages and has said it does not plan to add them, instead referring to developers’ own Discord servers, Reddit communities, and social media.

GAME LIBRARY AND LAUNCHER

The Library section of the app shows all the games linked to the user’s account, including purchased games and claimed free games. Users click on a game tile to launch the game, view information about the store, or check for available updates. The launcher checks for and applies updates when a game is opened, or users can set it to update games automatically in the background.

The app allows users to install games to any drive or folder of their choice, including external drives. Download management tools provide the ability to pause and resume downloads. A download manager introduced in early 2025 added the ability to schedule downloads, reorder the download queue and control when updates apply – features users had requested since the store launched.

Pre-loading, introduced in 2025, allows users who have pre-purchased a game to download and install it before the game is released, so that it is ready to play as soon as it is unlocked.

CLOUD SAVES

Cloud save support, added in August 2019, which syncs game progress to Epic’s servers automatically for games that support it. A user playing on one computer can resume from the same save point on another computer logged into the same account. Not all games in the store support cloud saves; it depends on whether the developer has implemented the feature.

ACHIEVEMENTS

The Epic Games Store supports achievements — in-game milestones that are unlocked when a player completes certain tasks or reaches certain points in a game. Full achievement support was rolled out in October 2021. The app shows earned achievements and lets users compare their progress with friends. Achievement support requires implementation by the developer of the game; not all games on the store have achievements.

SOCIAL FEATURES

Users can create a friends list, send text messages, and view what games friends are playing. The app supports voice chat and text chat within games that implement Epic’s social infrastructure, and a party system allows groups of friends to coordinate before entering a game together.

Epic admits that its social features have lagged behind competitors. The company removed some social features during the early 2020s and had not fully restored them by early 2026. Epic announced plans in early 2026 to rebuild the architecture of the launcher and add social features, such as player profiles and richer communication tools, with the rebuilt launcher slated for release in the summer of 2026.

ACCOUNTS AND SIGN-IN

A free Epic Games account is required in order to use the store and launcher. Users can create an account using an email address or log in using Google, Facebook, Apple, PlayStation Network, Xbox, Nintendo, or Steam accounts. Multi-factor authentication is available and recommended. One Epic account connects across all of Epic’s services — the store, Fortnite, Rocket League, Fall Guys, and Unreal Engine all use the same login.

UNREAL Engine and Developer Tools

The Epic Games app is the access point for Unreal Engine, the game development platform that Epic uses internally and licenses to other developers. Creators who use Unreal Engine download and update it through the same launcher. The Epic Games Store Marketplace, available in the app, is used to sell assets, plugins, and tools created by third-party creators for use in Unreal Engine projects.

Unreal Engine is free for personal projects and game development. Epic charges a 5% royalty on games built with Unreal Engine that make more than $1 million in gross revenue — and for games sold through the Epic Games Store, Epic covers this fee out of its own 12% store cut, effectively making Unreal Engine royalty-free for developers selling through the platform.

REVENUE SHARING for Developers

Epic takes 12% of the revenue from games sold through its store, leaving 88% for the developer or publisher. This is in comparison to the 30% cut taken by Steam on most titles. Starting in June 2025, Epic altered its terms so that developers retain 100% of the first $1 million in net revenue per title per year; after that point, the standard 88%/12% split kicks in. Games using Unreal Engine that sell through the Epic Games Store do not pay the engine’s normal 5% royalty — Epic absorbs that cost from within its own 12% store fee.

The store accepts games built with any engine, not just Unreal Engine.

Epic First Run is an optional program that provides developers with a six-month period of exclusivity on the Epic Games Store in return for higher visibility and additional promotional support. Developers in the program get a reduced Unreal Engine royalty rate of 3.5% instead of 5%.