Steam vs Epic Games Store 2024: review, features, pros and cons

Over the years, Steam has been the go-to platform for PC games, but the Epic Games Store is one of the biggest and best competitors for the crown. But what is the best digital platform? In this article, we compare Steam vs Epic Games Store, looking at things like how easy it is to use the stores and how much games cost. Shopping is all about making choices, not only about what you buy but also about where you buy it. But for a long time, when you wanted to buy PC games online, you didn’t have many options.

Valve’s Steam marketplace was the only one that mattered. So, what’s different? While a few smaller stores focused on niche audiences, Epic Games opened the Epic Games Store to give Steam its first serious competitor that wasn’t Microsoft. If your company is behind something as big as Fortnite, you can do that. For a long time, people didn’t have many options when they went online to buy PC games. Since it opened in 2003, the Steam game store has been the only one of its kind, but that is starting to change.

The Epic Games Store, which was made by Epic Games, has become the biggest threat to Steam. Valve also made the Source game engine, which was used to make games like Counter-Strike, Portal, Half-Life, and Dota, which were all big hits. You can use Steam with either your browser or a programme you download to your PC. Valve also gives its users Steam’s forums, where they can talk about and rate games, and Steam’s great user interface (UI).

Pricing

When it comes to prices, both platforms have their pros and cons, but Steam wins when it comes to getting cheap games. First of all, Steam has a lot more games from small developers and independent developers than Epic does. So, most games on Epic will cost you AAA prices, while you can find a good game on Steam for only $5.

Epic is better than Steam in one way: it gives away free games every week. Epic gives away free AAA games that are a lot of fun all the time. Steam doesn’t give away free games very often, let alone weekly or AAA games. So, go to Epic if you want to build up your game library quickly and for no cost. Steam doesn’t have a lot of free games, but it has a lot of sales, which is why I think it’s the best.

Steam: Features

Epic Games Store: Features

Steam vs Epic Games Store Games/Collection

The biggest reason to check out each platform’s store first is, of course, the games it has. And, if we’re being honest, it’s not even a race. Steam is way better than the Epic Games Store. Even if you don’t believe it, there are over 50,000 games running on Steam in 2022, and that number keeps going up. On the other hand, there are almost 500 games in Epic Games Store. Like we said, Steam was a clear winner.

This is because any game developer, no matter how big or small, can put their game on Steam. With that, the sheer number of people on Steam will help spread the word about the game. Because of this, almost every game is put out on Steam. The only exception is if the game is only available on another platform, like Epic Games Store, or on a specific console. Besides that, it’s rare that you can’t find a game on Steam.

On the other hand, Epic Games Store is geared towards the most popular games. There will be a lot less unique titles and ones that don’t get a lot of attention. The only thing they have going for them over Steam is that they have exclusive Epic Games, like Fortnite and Rumbleverse, that can’t be found anywhere else. Even though the Epic Games Store gives away two free games every week, it’s hard to compare it to Steam’s huge library of free games.

Steam vs Epic Games Store Features

Aside from the games they have and how they look, each storefront has different features and perks that make it stand out. There is a better recommendation engine in the Steam game store that helps players find the best games to play. When users browse the platform, they are given a hand-picked list of games to try. Steam also sells minigames and has a marketplace for collectibles from games.

After playing a game, members of the community can leave a review. This gives valuable feedback that helps new members figure out how good a game is. But this makes the system open to “review bombing,” in which people leave fake negative reviews to hurt a competitor.

There are also some great deals for people who download the Epic Games launcher. There are limited-time offers on certain games that let users download them for free through the Epic Games Store. GTA V, Batman Arkham, and Alan Wake are all big games that have been given away for free to players.

Steam vs Epic Games Store User Interface

Both are easy to use, but Steam’s user interface is a lot busier than the Launcher from Epic Games. On Epic Games Launcher, all you have to do to find a game and start it is find its icon and click on it or click on the “Launch” button.

On Steam, you have to choose a game from a list. This can be quick and easy if you only have a few games, but as you add more games, it can be hard to keep track of everything. The Steam user interface can look a lot messier and stays true to the classic Valve style, while the Epic Games Launcher looks more modern, clean, and sleek. Epic doesn’t give a lot of information about the game while you’re on the go, but the Steam store does.

Steam vs Epic Games Store Library

Both Steam and Epic Games Store sell digital games for PCs. Both have fewer Mac games than the other. Steam even sells Linux games. This is a holdover from its failed Steam Machines console project. Their libraries try to have something for everyone, from people who like AAA hits to people who like indie games to people who have VR headsets.

But the fact that Steam has been the default PC game store for so long has given it a huge head start in building up its software library. You can find almost everything on Steam. There are big third-party games like Monster Hunter: World and Red Dead Redemption 2 in the library. Death Stranding, Halo, Horizon: Zero Dawn, and other games that used to be exclusive to first-party consoles are now available on Steam.

Don’t forget that Valve is also a top-notch game company that has made great games like Dota 2, Half-Life, and Portal, which are all available on Steam. On Steam, you can even watch random movies.

Steam vs Epic Games Store Performance

In terms of how well they work, both platforms are about the same. The winner is neither Steam nor Epic. Also, the games on Epic tend to be a little harder than the games on Steam, so if you don’t have a good computer, you might want to avoid Epic Games. I’ve used both platforms and haven’t noticed any difference in how they work. The only exception is when I used an old, broken laptop to play.

If your computer isn’t very good, leaving Steam open could cause your FPS to drop. But the same reasoning works for Epic Games, so in the end, both platforms pretty much do the same thing.

Steam: Pros and Cons

Epic Games Store: Pros and Cons

Which one should you consider?

After comparing both platforms in different ways, it’s clear that Steam is still the best PC game store, even after almost 20 years on the market, as it beats Epic Games Store in most of the ways that were looked at.

Even so, the best platform depends on the player. Some like the many options that Steam offers, while others like the free options, simpler interface, and exclusive deals that Epic offers. Get in touch with GamerSEO if you want more information or help making well-optimized content about the gaming universe and other things. We can help your site grow!

FAQs

Which has more users Steam or Epic Games?

31.3 million people play the game every day, which is a 192% increase. In 2020, there will be a peak of 13 million players at the same time (up from seven million in 2019). The infographic for Epic. On the other hand, Steam had 62.6 million daily active users and a peak of 24.8 million users at the same time last year.

Why gamers use Steam?

Steam has many features, such as digital rights management (DRM), game server matchmaking, anti-cheating measures, social networking, and game streaming. Users get automatic game updates, cloud storage for their game progress, and community features like direct messaging, in-game chats, and a community market.