Epic Games recently claimed its launcher was faster than Steam's, a statement made on the same day Valve announced a performance boost for its own client. A direct benchmark reveals that the Epic Games Launcher does indeed load more quickly, though the difference is measured in seconds.
In testing conducted on an iBuyPower prebuilt PC with an RTX 4070 Super, the Steam client took an average of 9.32 seconds to load into its storefront with all images displayed. The Epic Games Launcher, by comparison, loaded in an average of 5.98 seconds. This testing involved opening each client from the system tray and timing their full load into the storefront.
While some users have reported faster Steam library load times, the Epic Games Launcher consistently proved faster on this particular system. However, the user experience surrounding closing the launchers differs significantly. Steam offers a straightforward 'Exit' option in its top-left menu, and task manager checks confirm it does not continue running in the background. In contrast, closing the Epic Games Launcher via its 'x' button or system tray icon does not always terminate the process, with the launcher sometimes reopening itself.
This behavior required multiple attempts to fully close the Epic launcher during testing. Beyond these operational differences, Steam offers features that many users, including the author, find valuable. The recent 'Big Art' update has enhanced the visual presentation of game libraries, and features like the 'personal calendar' aid in discovering upcoming titles. Despite these positives, Steam is not without its quirks. Issues with local game transfers have been a recurring point of discussion, and the client's bouncing logo screensaver has been noted as a minor annoyance. The store page itself can also appear cluttered due to these added features.
While the Epic Games Launcher exhibits a speed advantage in loading times, the overall user experience and feature set of Steam remain preferred by many, despite its own minor drawbacks.