Epic Games Releases AI Redesigned Launcher in Preview, Claims 46% Faster Startup Than Steam

Epic Games Unveils Vibe Coded Launcher in Preview

Epic Games has a new launcher available to download now, which it says was redesigned with AI. In a blog post, the company wrote, "Programming is hard. So, instead of doing that, we vibe coded a new Epic Games Launcher that's way faster and more responsive than the current one, and has a new look." The app is currently in a preview phase, described as something of an open beta, and Epic is gathering feedback ahead of a planned stable release.

The company claims the new launcher is 46% faster to start up compared to Steam from a cold start, and 14% faster when restoring from the system tray, though that latter metric amounts to a 0.06 second difference. Epic commissioned the testing from Keywords Studios and says the results were gathered from five tests across 13 Windows platforms. The company has not published performance details comparing the new launcher with the old one, beyond saying it is "way faster and more responsive."

New Library Features

Alongside the speed claims, the updated launcher adds several features long available on Steam, including dedicated pages for games in the library, a unified downloads page, and collections for organizing titles into categories. Epic's landing page also describes the new library as "30x faster," though it provides no details to support that figure.

Known Gaps and Warnings

The launcher is still rough around the edges. The new social menu follows users from the store to the library with no option to close or resize it, and Epic acknowledges that certain social features and account management options are missing while it works toward feature parity. The company also suggests developers working on Unreal projects and competitive players in Fortnite and Rocket League continue using the old launcher, without explaining the reasoning.

The preview is available with native versions for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Supported systems include Windows 10 and 11, macOS 12 or newer, and on Linux at least Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, Fedora 43, or Debian 12.

AI First Direction

The release fits Epic's recent pivot to what boss Tim Sweeney calls an AI first company. Epic has reportedly delayed a Disney based shooter, with another director telling staff there should be "no more handwritten code" and that art will be "generated with full AI workflows."

Sources: Tom's Hardware · The Verge · Engadget