Epic Games is entering 2026 with rare momentum. According to new performance data shared by the company, the Epic Games Store (EGS) closed 2025 with its highest player engagement to date and a dramatic surge in third‑party game sales. Epic reports that more than 400 million players engaged with the store throughout the year, marking a new all‑time high for the platform and reinforcing its position as one of the largest PC gaming ecosystems outside Steam.
The most striking figure is a 57% year‑over‑year increase in third‑party game sales, a metric Epic has historically emphasized as proof that its revenue‑share model—88% to developers, 12% to Epic—continues to attract publishers and studios. While Epic’s own titles, including Fortnite and Rocket League, remain major traffic drivers, the company says the majority of 2025’s revenue growth came from external partners.
Epic attributes the surge to several factors: a more aggressive cadence of weekly free games, expanded regional pricing, and a stronger slate of day‑one PC launches from major publishers. The company also highlighted the success of its “Epic First Run” and “Now on Epic” programs, which offer developers improved revenue splits in exchange for timed exclusivity or first‑time PC releases on the platform.
A Storefront Growing Faster Than Its Infrastructure
Despite the commercial success, Epic acknowledges that the user experience of the Epic Games Launcher has not kept pace. The launcher has long been criticized for slow load times, inconsistent performance, and a lack of basic quality‑of‑life features that competing platforms have offered for years. In a candid update shared with the community, Epic admitted that the launcher “doesn’t meet modern expectations” and confirmed that a full rebuild is underway.
The company says the new launcher is being redesigned from the ground up with a focus on speed, responsiveness, and stability. Early internal benchmarks reportedly show significant improvements in startup time and memory usage, two of the most common complaints from players. Epic also plans to modernize the UI, streamline library management, and improve patching behavior—areas where users have frequently expressed frustration.
While Epic did not provide a public release date, the company confirmed that the rebuilt launcher will roll out in phases throughout 2026, beginning with a technical preview for select users. The update is expected to coincide with broader improvements to the store’s backend infrastructure, which Epic says is necessary to support its growing user base and the increasing number of large‑scale third‑party releases.
A Strategic Reset After a Turbulent Period
The strong performance of the Epic Games Store comes at a pivotal moment for the company. Epic spent much of 2023 and 2024 restructuring its business, including layoffs and a renewed focus on core products. The 2025 results suggest that the company’s long‑term investment in its storefront is beginning to pay off, even as it works to address longstanding technical shortcomings.
Industry analysts note that Epic’s transparency about the launcher’s flaws marks a shift in tone. For years, the company defended its platform against criticism by pointing to its developer‑friendly revenue model and its role in challenging Steam’s dominance. Now, with a record‑breaking year behind it, Epic appears ready to confront the user‑experience issues that have held the platform back.
What Comes Next for Epic’s Ecosystem
Epic’s roadmap for 2026 centers on three pillars: a rebuilt launcher, deeper integration with Unreal Engine tools, and continued expansion of third‑party partnerships. The company also hinted at new community features and improved social tools, though details remain under wraps.
If Epic can deliver a faster, more reliable launcher while maintaining its aggressive support for developers, the company may be positioned for another year of growth. With more publishers warming to multi‑storefront strategies and PC gaming continuing to expand globally, the Epic Games Store’s record‑setting 2025 may be a sign of even bigger shifts ahead.
