Epic Games Store is being rebuilt to deliver up to 6.5X faster performance

Valve's Steam is the number one platform for PC gaming; that much is true. Even though it's the place to play popular multiplayer titles like Fortnite and Rocket League, and a place that has been handing out high-profile free games for years now, the Epic Games Store is not only a distant second when it comes to reach, but in overall features and performance. The good news is that Epic is looking to overhaul everything about the Epic Games Store and the Epic Games Launcher over the next 12 months.

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This arrives via the Epic Games PC subreddit, where 'ImAnthlon' shared images from a presentation outlining what's in store. First up, the Epic Games Launcher, the app created to rival Steam, is getting rebuilt from the ground up. And with that, Epic Games notes that it will load up to 5X faster from a cold start, on average, and get you to your library 6.5X faster, on average, when restoring the app from its system tray icon.

The Epic Games Store and its storefront are also being redesigned with new features, and the company added that user reviews a la Steam are coming at some point. Now, a lot of this stuff is already there on Steam, like a personalized home page with recommendations based on interests and playstyles, but 'feature parity' makes sense if the Epic Games Store is to compete.

Some of the top-level features and things coming include:

• More detailed profiles with avatar support
• Faster access to game categories
• Community support and progress/achievement tracking
• Universal controller support
• User reviews
• Integrated Patch Notes on a game's storefront page with rich text and images
• Cross-region gifting

Naturally, this is all good stuff, especially for gamers who regularly engage with the Epic Games Store. As for what effect it will have on Valve's Steam, odds are very little, as Valve's platform continues to be the defining one for PC gaming.