Epic rewrites its games launcher using AI to outpace Steam

Epic Games has released a public Preview build of a completely redesigned Epic Games Launcher, relying heavily on artificial intelligence to rebuild the application from the ground up. Nearly eight years after entering the digital PC storefront market, the company utilized AI tools to assist a small development team in authoring and reviewing code across a brand-new technology stack. According to Epic Games Store Vice President Martin Keely, the goal was to replicate legacy functionality rather than porting old code, allowing rapid deployment across Windows and Mac, with a Linux build planned next.

The primary benefit of the overhaul is improved responsiveness and reduced latency. Epic claims the new software delivers a "5x faster cold start" compared to its legacy build, a target first outlined during an Unreal Fest presentation in June. Independent testing shows the new launcher reaches its store page a few seconds faster than Valve’s Steam from a cold start. Epic also highlighted a 0.06-second improvement over Steam when restoring the launcher from the system tray, though that micro-benchmark yields negligible real-world difference.

For software engineers and industry practitioners, Epic's initiative offers a high-profile test case for leveraging AI code generation to overhaul legacy software quickly. However, the release highlights typical trade-offs associated with rapid AI programming. Epic warned that the preview build currently contains bugs and is "light on features," omitting certain social features and account management options present in the legacy version. Despite missing tools, the update introduces long-requested functionality, including a Recent Games list and a centralized downloads hub, with Epic targeting eventual feature parity.

This launcher overhaul aligns with a broader structural shift toward generative automation across Epic's operations. The release follows recent internal directives from Epic CEO Tim Sweeney emphasizing a pivot toward "maximum AI acceleration" to expand developer output. Epic is already applying these AI-first workflows to upcoming major titles, including a shooter based on Star Wars and Marvel properties.