Epic Games Store unveils new updates to rival Steam

The State of Unreal conference was held on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, giving Epic Games Store an opportunity to unveil a whole range of new features for its launcher. It's about time Epic implemented major advances to bring its offering more in line with what competitors like Steam have, in terms of user experience.

So, without further ado, the first new feature concerns the preloading of games before their release, which will be rolled out in September 2025. And this is a major step forward, especially given that currently only pre-orders are available. Users will also be able to offer games to their loved ones or others around Christmas.

But that's not all, because while the Epic Games Store already offers various features, there is what may be perceived as a big weakness. Epic has never been a great platform for social interactions. That is about to change. Text and voice chat will now be available, as will a system that allows players to group together, and a new tool for invitations.

As a result, the introduction of these new features could greatly enhance the user experience on this launcher.

One might wonder why have these innovations taken so long to get off the ground. After all, rival platforms integrated them several years ago, earning them huge success worldwide.

And let's not forget that Epic Games Store has just announced some good news for publishers. They are now entitled to more advantageous terms and conditions than in the past, with 100% of revenues up to the first million dollars now going straight to game makers. Once this target has been exceeded, the split will revert to the original 88% for the publisher and 12% for the Epic Games Store.