Epic Games Store's bold moves slash Steam's dominance in PC gaming

Epic Games Store, the PC gaming platform known for its crazy games and cool math games, has seen remarkable growth in the past five years. Starting with a mere 5% of downloads, it now commands roughly 15–20%, with Steam maintaining a 70–75% share. This expansion can be attributed to aggressive strategies, such as offering higher revenue splits for developers and providing free weekly game giveaways. Epic Games Store's presence on social media platforms like Instagram is also notable.

Between 2021 and 2026, Epic invested over $2 billion in exclusive titles like The Outer Worlds and Borderlands 3. It also offered developers an 88% revenue share, far above Steam's standard 70%, and adjusted its pricing model to charge just 12% after the first $1 million in sales. These moves helped attract major releases, with 70% of new big-budget games now launching on Epic's platform.

Free game promotions played a key role, with over 250 million claims and a user base exceeding 270 million active accounts. The company spends $20 to $30 million annually on this initiative, which will continue for the foreseeable future. Despite its growing audience—35 to 40% of monthly active PC gamers—Epic still earns only 5 to 8% of total PC gaming revenue.

Steve Allison, head of the Epic Games Store, has stated the goal is coexistence with Steam rather than dominance. However, the company acknowledges its launcher has shortcomings. Plans are in place to improve it and close the feature gap with competitors within two years.

Epic's focus now shifts to making the platform more appealing to players while increasing its revenue share to 30%. The company's investments in exclusives, developer incentives, and free games have narrowed Steam's lead. Yet, further improvements to the launcher and user experience will determine its long-term success.