Epic Games is taking a shot at Steam while showing off its rebuilt launcher. In a post on X, the company declared: “We vibe coded the Epic Games Launcher to be faster than the other guy.”
The wording leaves the rival unnamed, but Epic’s preview website makes the target clear with direct comparisons against Steam. Players can now try the launcher and judge the speed improvements themselves.
In brief:
- Epic says its “vibe coded” launcher is faster than Steam.
- Its published benchmarks claim a 1.8x faster startup.
- The preview is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
- The performance figures come from testing commissioned by Epic.
Epic Games Launcher Takes Aim at Steam’s Speed
Epic’s comparison lists a 5.47-second cold startup for its new launcher versus 10.07 seconds for Steam. It also claims the Store opens three times faster.
The testing details deserve attention. Keywords Studios conducted the benchmarks in October 2026 on Epic’s behalf. The results average five tests on each of 13 machines, excluding the three lowest-end machines tested. Epic also acknowledges that individual results will vary.
Those exclusions limit what the figures tell players using older hardware. Testing the preview on your own PC will give you a better sense of how much time it actually saves during everyday use.
Epic’s “Vibe Coded” Launcher
The AI angle is a major part of Epic’s pitch. According to The Verge’s interview with Epic executive Martin Keely, the team used AI to help reproduce existing launcher functionality and handle testing.
Keely said agents wrote and reviewed code, with developers managing and supervising the process. He also explained that the launcher team had not adopted the complete move away from handwritten code reportedly seen elsewhere within Epic.
Epic Games CEO Says they are moving developers around to “retool for maximum AI acceleration”.
So, this new launcher drama and taking a dig at their biggest competitor makes sense. They are trying to stir up a conversation around the high focus on AI-accelerated development.
How to Try the New Epic Games Launcher Preview
Players can download the preview from Epic’s launcher website. Installing it automatically removes the legacy launcher, while purchases, installed games, cloud saves, and progress carry over.
Epic warns that some features remain unavailable or may behave unexpectedly during the preview. Mac support currently requires Apple Silicon.
