Epic throws shade at Steam, admits to vibe-coding the new Epic Games Launcher with AI “to be faster than the other guy”

Epic Games has released a preview version of its completely rebuilt Epic Games Launcher, claiming significant performance improvements over Steam’s client. The new launcher, available for Windows, Mac, and Linux for the first time, features a redesigned interface with core components including the store, library, social features, and a developer hub.

According to Epic, the launcher loads 30 times faster than the previous version and achieves a cold-start-to-store-page time that is 46% quicker than Steam, with overall startup time cut in half. The company states these performance claims have been verified by an external vendor.

Notably, Epic disclosed that the new launcher was built using generative AI through what the company calls “vibe coding”—a process where AI generates code without developers necessarily understanding how the resulting program functions. In its announcement, Epic stated: “Programming is hard. So, instead of doing that, we vibe coded a new Epic Games Launcher.” The preview version is acknowledged as “light on features,” with Epic admitting that bugs will exist in this early development stage.

This launch reflects Epic’s broader strategic pivot toward AI-assisted development, announced by CEO Tim Sweeney as a “huge pivot underway” to retool developers for maximum AI integration. The approach represents Epic’s continued commitment to generative AI tools, following recent reports of the company pushing developers to use AI on upcoming projects.

Epic throws shade at Steam, admits to vibe-coding the new Epic Games Launcher with AI “to be faster than the other guy”

Sources