Steam vs Epic Games Store: which is better in 2026?

Epic Games Store has spent 7 years trying to take ground from Steam. Result in 2026: Steam still dominates, but Epic can no longer be ignored. If you only use one, the question is legitimate. If you use both, there’s a way to take advantage of the best of each.

This is the honest comparison without marketing — what each does better, where the other wins, and the optimal strategy.

The fundamental difference

Aspect	Steam	Epic Games Store
Founded	2003	2018
PC market share	~75%	~12%
Games in catalogue	~100,000	~3,000
Client	Polished, 20 years of iteration	Functional, fewer features
Refund policy	14d + 2h	14d + 2h (copies Steam)
Dev cut	30%	12% (lower)
Weekly free games	No (except F2P)	Yes — 2-3/week

Where Steam clearly wins

1. Library and ecosystem

Steam has 30x more games than Epic. If you play indies, retro, old games — Steam has them, Epic probably doesn’t.

2. Workshop (mods)

Steam Workshop has millions of mods integrated directly in the client. Epic has no native equivalent — mods are done manually.

3. Community

Forums per game, screenshots, videos, community guides, massive reviews (millions). Epic has reviews but less volume and less engagement.

4. Trading Cards + items + Market

You sell cards/skins for Wallet money. Epic has no comparable internal economy.

5. Steam Deck integration

SteamOS is optimised for Steam (obviously). Epic on Steam Deck = manual installer + Heroic Launcher.

Complete Steam Deck OLED guide →

Where Epic wins (yes, there are things)

1. Free games every week

Epic’s biggest argument. Every week they give away 2-3 games for keeps. Some big AAAs:

GTA V (given away in 2020)
Civilization VI (given away 2020)
Control (given away)
Death Stranding (given away 2022)
Tomb Raider trilogy, Borderlands, Bioshock pack, etc.

If you log in every week and claim the free ones, in 2 years you have ~150 games without spending a dollar. The most generous offer in PC gaming.

2. Temporary exclusives (with asterisk)

Some AAAs launch first on Epic with 6-12 month exclusivity:

Alan Wake 2 (2023, still Epic exclusive today)
Hades II Early Access
Some Ubisoft/Square Enix temporary

If day-1 play matters, sometimes Epic is required.

3. Lower commission → some devs prefer Epic

12% vs Steam’s 30%. Some devs offer better deals on Epic. Steam Awards and special events on Epic often have competitive discounts.

4. Lighter client

Epic launcher uses less RAM/CPU than open Steam. Real difference if your PC is modest.

Where it’s a TIE

Aspect	Reality
Refund policy	Identical (14d + 2h)
Security	Both have decent 2FA
Payment methods	Both accept card + PayPal + crypto in some regions
Cloud saves	Both support it
Achievements	Both have achievements

The winning strategy: use BOTH

Smart people have accounts on both. It’s not exclusive — choose one.

Recommended flow:

Your main library on Steam (catalogue, community, mods, Family Sharing)
Epic free every week (claim the free games, they’re yours forever)
Epic for specific exclusives (Alan Wake 2, Hades II, etc.)
Steam for everything else (AAA + indie + multiplayer)

Technical setup:

Heroic Launcher (free, open source) unifies Epic + GOG + Amazon in a single UI
On Steam Deck: Heroic + Junk-Store mod integrates Epic with SteamOS
Cloud saves separate per platform — use GameSave Manager if you want to sync

The trap of buying everything on one store

When a game is available on Steam AND Epic, the Steam price is almost always lower (except during specific Epic events). But there are exceptions — some AAAs are 10-30% cheaper on Epic during their Mega Sales.

Smart workflow:

You want to buy game X
Check Steam price
Check if it’s on external store (Eneba, IG) — usually 20-50% cheaper
If on Epic, check price there too
Buy on the cheapest option

Compare prices across stores →

What NOT to do

❌ Don’t lock to a single platform. Epic’s freebies are too much value to ignore
❌ Don’t buy Epic exclusives if you’ll wait 6-12 months (they usually come to Steam later)
❌ Don’t use Epic launcher if you only play Steam — consumes resources without benefit
❌ Don’t sell your Epic account with accumulated free games — Epic detects and bans

Cases for choosing Epic exclusively

If you only use 1 platform (strange but valid):

Your PC is very modest → lighter client
You only play recent AAA → Epic may have exclusives
You care about weekly free → Epic offers this
You migrated from PlayStation and are used to PSN monthly free model

For everything else: Steam, no discussion.

Conclusion

Steam = the base. Your main account, library, mods, community.

Epic = the complement. Free games every week, occasional exclusives, alternative for Mega Sales.

They cost $0 extra to have both. The only reason not to do it is laziness.