Epic Games Store

The Epic Games Store is the first digital games storefront in a long time to provide some real competition to Steam. And while an aggressive approach to spending and platform exclusives has a large part to play in Epic's success, the software itself is a polished and well-built platform that can stand admirably on its own.

The other side of this double-edged sword is that it's not functionally that different from Steam. If you're already using Valve's client for playing your games, the only real lure from Epic Games is going to be the exclusives. That isn't to say that the Epic Games Store is lacking. Considering its relatively young age, there's an impressive depth and breadth of features here.

But there are a few distinctions here. The most notable comes down to how the games are presented. Whereas Steam can sometimes feel like the Wild West, the Epic Games Store fosters a more curated experience. Hypothetically, that means the best games - and the games best suited to your particular tastes - will surface at the top of the list. But it also opens the door for Epic Games to prioritize games that have their explicit backing or support.

To a large extent, that competition breeds some user-friendly practices. Just like with Steam, all games come with a pretty generous refund policy. As long as you haven't played a game for more than two hours and haven't waited more than two weeks since the date of purchase, you can get all of your money back on a purchase. On a modest level, you can consider the Epic Games Store as a free rental service in addition to a more traditional digital gaming storefront.

Social interaction is a key component of Steam's success, and the Epic Games Store has struggled to keep pace regarding that factor. Part of the issue is that there's less of a built-in install base, but there are some general interface issues here as well. There's nothing in the way of chat or voice features, nor is there an achievement system to encourage competition between friends. While friends lists are available, they're pretty bare-bones and lacking in any real sense of engagement. The game descriptions are muted when compared to Steam as well. Game documentation can vary pretty wildly, though that's another issue that can be credited towards the youthfulness of the Epic Games Store.

As it stands, the Epic Games Store offers a respectable if somewhat redundant alternative to Steam. It doesn't do enough to separate itself from its more established competition, but it doesn't do anything particularly wrong either. And as the two platforms vie for the appreciation of their consumers, the future success of this software will probably come down to the quality of its exclusive content. Fortunately, they have an advantage in that regard. Developer-friendly rates and a front-facing approach to exclusives could help Epic dominate in terms of actual deliverable content. If you've already bought into Valve's ecosystem, a migration to Epic probably isn't going to provide you with a lot of value. But you may have to wait and see as to whether Epic sinks or swims. Without a significant boost to user install, it could be a lonely place to game.