Steam vs Epic Games Store: Which Is Better?

Steam and the Epic Games Store are the two largest PC game stores, and the better platform depends on library size, store features, free-game offers, and developer revenue terms. Valve launched Steam in 2003, building the largest PC catalog with tens of thousands of titles, while Epic Games launched the Epic Games Store in 2018 with a smaller curated library and weekly free games. This article defines both stores, then compares library size and exclusives, store features such as the Workshop and reviews, the free-game programs, the developer revenue share, and the user experience.

A comparison table summarizes every dimension. Each section answers one question and states the measurable difference between the two PC game stores. The result identifies which store fits a buyer who wants the largest library, a developer choosing a storefront, and a player collecting free titles, without listing prices that change over time.

What Are Steam and the Epic Games Store?

Steam is Valve’s PC game store and client launched in 2003, and the Epic Games Store is Epic Games’ PC game store launched in 2018, both selling and running games through a desktop application. The two stores serve the same purpose of distributing PC games yet differ in catalog size, features, and revenue terms. The two stores are defined below:

• Steam is the largest PC game store, offering tens of thousands of titles, a community marketplace, and the Steam client that installs and updates games.
• The Epic Games Store is a curated PC store with a smaller catalog, weekly free games, and a developer revenue split more favorable than Steam’s.
• Both stores require a client application to buy, download, and launch games, and both apply digital rights management to most titles.

Steam built its lead through a two-decade head start and a large community ecosystem, while the Epic Games Store competes on developer revenue terms and free-game promotions. Both stores are types of platform clients called game launchers that store and run a PC library. The comparison below weighs each store across the factors that decide where a buyer purchases a game.

Which Store Has the Larger Game Library?

Steam has the larger game library, listing tens of thousands of titles compared to the smaller curated catalog of the Epic Games Store, though Epic secures timed exclusives. Library size and exclusives shape where a specific game is available. The library difference splits as follows:

• Steam’s catalog exceeds 50,000 titles according to Valve’s store data, spanning major releases, independent games, and early-access projects.
• The Epic catalog stays smaller and curated, with Epic reviewing submissions rather than opening the store to every developer.
• Epic exclusives include timed-exclusive launches where Epic funds a game to release first or only on the Epic Games Store for a period.

Steam’s open submission model through Steam Direct produces the largest PC catalog, while Epic’s curation keeps its store smaller and more selective. Epic funds timed exclusives to draw players, so certain titles launch on the Epic Games Store before appearing on Steam. A buyer searching for a specific game checks which store carries it, since exclusivity deals temporarily limit availability to one storefront.

What Features Do Steam and Epic Offer?

Steam offers more store features, including the Workshop, user reviews, a community market, cloud saves, and a refund policy, while the Epic Games Store provides cloud saves and a simpler feature set. Store features affect how players discover, manage, and share games. The feature difference is listed below:

• Steam Workshop hosts user-created mods and content, letting players download community modifications directly into supported games.
• Steam reviews provide a user rating system on every store page, summarizing player feedback as positive or negative percentages.
• Cloud saves sync game progress across devices on both stores, restoring saves after a reinstall or on a new computer.
• Steam refunds allow returns within 14 days and under 2 hours of playtime according to Valve’s refund policy.
• Epic features include cloud saves, achievements, and a mod marketplace on select titles, with a smaller community feature set than Steam.

Steam’s Workshop and review systems give it a deeper community layer that the Epic Games Store has added more slowly. Both stores sync cloud saves and support controller input.

Players who stream their sessions pair either store with capture software, which the guide to streaming games on Twitch explains for live broadcasts. The feature gap narrows over time as Epic adds reviews, achievements, and mod support.

Which Store Gives Away More Free Games?

The Epic Games Store gives away more free games, offering at least one free title every week, while Steam offers periodic free weekends and permanently free-to-play titles. The free-game programs differ in frequency and ownership. The two approaches are listed below:

• Epic weekly free games grant one or more titles each week that a player keeps permanently after claiming, including past major releases.
• Steam free-to-play titles stay permanently free, including large games such as Dota 2 and Team Fortress 2 supported by in-game purchases.
• Steam free weekends let players try paid games at no cost for a limited period, after which the game returns to its purchase price.

Epic’s weekly giveaway lets players build a permanent library at no cost, a program Epic has run since the store launched in 2018. Steam focuses on free-to-play titles and temporary free weekends rather than permanent giveaways. A player who claims every Epic weekly title accumulates a large owned library over time, while Steam’s free model centers on free-to-play games and trial periods.

How Does Developer Revenue Share Compare?

The Epic Games Store takes a 12 percent cut of sales while Steam takes 30 percent on most sales, making Epic’s revenue share more favorable to developers. The revenue split determines how much a developer earns per sale. The two models differ as listed below:

• Steam’s revenue share takes 30 percent of each sale, dropping to 25 percent after 10 million dollars and 20 percent after 50 million according to Valve.
• Epic’s revenue share takes a flat 12 percent of each sale according to Epic Games, leaving developers 88 percent of revenue.
• Engine royalty waiver applies on Epic, where games built in Unreal Engine pay no separate engine royalty when sold on the Epic Games Store.

Epic’s 12 percent cut leaves developers more revenue per sale than Steam’s standard 30 percent, which Epic uses to attract titles to its store. Steam’s tiered reductions lower its cut for high-revenue games.

A developer building in Unreal Engine gains an additional benefit, since Epic waives the Unreal game engine royalty on Epic Games Store sales. The revenue terms influence where developers choose to launch, especially smaller studios.

Which Store Has the Better User Experience?

Steam offers a more mature user experience with a faster client, richer community features, and broader hardware support, while the Epic Games Store provides a simpler interface that has improved since launch. User experience covers the client, discovery, and reliability. The two experiences differ as listed below:

• Steam’s client includes a shopping cart, wishlists, a friends system, a community hub, and detailed library management built over two decades.
• Epic’s client presents a lighter interface focused on the store and library, with fewer community tools than Steam.
• Steam hardware support extends to the Steam Deck handheld and Big Picture mode for televisions, broadening how players access the library.

Steam’s client matured over two decades, adding features such as the Steam Deck and Remote Play that the Epic client has not matched. Epic’s client loads a smaller catalog with a simpler interface, which some players prefer for speed.

A player optimizing a PC for either client adjusts system settings the guide to optimizing Windows for gaming documents. The experience gap reflects Steam’s longer development history.

How Do Steam and Epic Handle Account Security?

Steam secures accounts through Steam Guard two-factor authentication and a mobile authenticator, while the Epic Games Store offers two-factor authentication through email, an authenticator app, or SMS. Account security protects a library of purchased games. The two approaches differ as listed below:

• Steam Guard requires a one-time code from the Steam mobile app or email at each new sign-in, protecting the account from password theft.
• Steam Mobile Authenticator generates rotating codes and confirms market trades and logins from within the Steam mobile application.
• Epic two-factor authentication supports an authenticator app, email codes, or SMS, and Epic has required it to claim certain free games.

Both stores tie a large purchased library to one account, so two-factor authentication guards against unauthorized access. Steam’s mobile authenticator also secures community market trades that Steam supports.

Epic requires two-factor authentication to claim some promotional content, which raises adoption among its players. Account security matters more as a library grows, since a compromised account exposes every purchased and free game.

Which Store Performs Better on Different Operating Systems?

Steam supports Windows, macOS, and Linux natively and runs on the Steam Deck through Proton, while the Epic Games Store focuses on Windows with more limited support elsewhere. Operating system support decides where each store runs. The platform support differs as listed below:

• Steam on Windows runs the full catalog and client, with the widest game compatibility and driver support of any platform.
• Steam on Linux runs through Valve’s Proton compatibility layer, the same technology that powers the Steam Deck handheld.
• Epic on Windows serves as the primary platform, since the Epic client and most of its catalog target Windows first.

Steam’s investment in Proton extends its Windows catalog to Linux and the Steam Deck, broadening where the store runs. The Epic Games Store concentrates on Windows, with narrower support on other systems.

A player choosing a store on Linux finds Steam the more compatible option. Both stores run on Windows, where the guide to optimizing Windows for gaming applies to either client for steadier performance.

Steam vs Epic Games Store Comparison Table

The table below compares Steam and the Epic Games Store across library size, features, free games, revenue share, and user experience, summarizing the choice between the two PC game stores.

Key Takeaways

• Steam holds the larger library, with over 50,000 titles through open submission, while Epic keeps a smaller curated catalog.
• Epic secures timed exclusives, funding games to launch first or only on the Epic Games Store for a period.
• Steam offers more features, including the Workshop, user reviews, a community market, and a 14-day refund policy.
• Epic gives away more free games, offering at least one permanent free title every week since 2018.
• Epic’s revenue share favors developers, taking 12 percent versus Steam’s 30 percent that lowers by tier.
• Steam has the more mature client, with the Steam Deck, Remote Play, and deeper community tools.

Last Thoughts on Steam vs Epic Games Store

Steam and the Epic Games Store both distribute PC games, yet each leads in different areas. Steam offers the largest library, the deepest features, and the most mature client, while the Epic Games Store offers weekly free games and a developer revenue share that favors creators.

The better store depends on whether a person buys the widest catalog, collects free titles, or publishes a game. Readers can continue with the overview of game launchers, the explanation of game engines, or the software applications guide that links the full software cluster.