Epic's AI-built launcher claims it beats Steam's boot time by five seconds

Epic Games just rolled out a completely rebuilt launcher for the Epic Games Store, and the company isn't shy about how they made it: generative AI, or what they're calling "vibe coding." The new launcher is live now, and Epic's making some bold claims about performance.

The big talking point? Epic says the launcher boots in five seconds less time than Steam does. Epic Games Store general manager Martin Keely says the launcher was rebuilt entirely from the ground up with a completely new tech stack. The whole thing is supposed to feel snappier, load faster and generally outpace Valve's client.

The timing lines up with a bigger shift at Epic. CEO Tim Sweeney announced the company is undergoing a major AI pivot to retool for maximum AI acceleration. This launcher redesign is apparently exhibit A.

Linux users finally get in

One concrete win: the redesigned launcher is now available on Linux for the first time. If you've been dual-booting or running Proton workarounds to play Fortnite or grab free weekly games, you've got a native option now.

But about that speed claim.

The speed war nobody asked for

User testing after Valve's recent updates suggests Steam actually boots quicker than Epic's new launcher. The five-second advantage Epic's touting is disputed. In the real world, a few seconds of boot time matters way less than library size, features and whether your friends are on the platform.

Epic's been trying to crack Steam's dominance for years with free games, exclusive releases and lower dev cuts. Now they're leaning on AI to rebuild the tech. Whether that wins over players who already have 300 games in their Steam library is another question.

The new launcher works. It's faster than the old Epic launcher, at least. And if you're on Linux, it's your first real shot at using the Epic store without jumping through hoops. But faster than Steam? That's still up for debate, and most of us just want to click play and get into the game.