Epic Games Launcher V2 is a ground-up rebuild that boots 5x faster

Epic Games is rebuilding its PC launcher from scratch, as reported by VGC based on a presentation at Unreal Fest. The new Epic Games Launcher V2 will boot five times faster on average during a cold start, according to Epic's own slides. A private beta comes first, with a public release to follow — though no specific dates were given.

Why Epic admitted the current launcher 'sucks'

Epic Games Store VP and General Manager Steven Allison didn't mince words back in February 2024. "The launcher sucks. Let's call it what it is," he told Eurogamer. "It's really slow. It makes calls to our back-end services to refresh every time you click around, and depending on your connection, you'll have to wait a couple seconds."

That candour set the stage for what Epic announced at Unreal Fest. A slide from the presentation stated: "Every developer in this room and every player we have has experienced challenges with the current launcher — it's time for a change." This isn't a patch or a performance tweak. It's a full architectural replacement.

Allison had described the project as "pulling the guts out, putting new guts in" — and the Unreal Fest roadmap confirms that work is now far enough along to show publicly. For context, Epic cut around 1,000 jobs in 2023, making this kind of investment in platform infrastructure notable.

What's actually changing in Launcher V2?

According to Epic's Unreal Fest presentation, the 12-month roadmap splits into three phases. The first covers the storefront rearchitecture and a private beta of Launcher V2, alongside smaller quality-of-life additions like in-store patch notes, cross-region gifting, and chunked installation for Fortnite.

Phase two brings the public release of Launcher V2, a redesigned store UX, player profiles and avatars, and — long overdue — user-written reviews. Improved search is also on the list.

Further out, Epic has flagged universal controller support, a storefront redesign, and a multi-platform store. That last item may refer to Epic's presence on Xbox's Project Helix, though the company hasn't confirmed that specifically.

What this means for PC gamers

Steam has long been the benchmark for PC launcher performance, and Epic's current client has struggled to compete on basic usability. A 5x cold-start improvement — if it holds up in practice — would close a gap that has frustrated PC gamers for years.

The addition of user reviews matters too. Epic's store has operated without them since launch, which has pushed many buyers back to Steam or third-party sites like OpenCritic. Bringing reviews in-house could meaningfully change how Epic competes for mindshare at the point of purchase.

Worth noting: Epic hasn't disclosed the hardware configuration used to measure the "5x faster" claim, so take that figure as directional rather than guaranteed. The private beta will be the real test. Epic is also pushing forward with Unreal Engine 6, suggesting a broader platform push across its products.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much faster will the new Epic Games Launcher be?

According to Epic Games' Unreal Fest presentation, Launcher V2 will boot five times faster on average during a cold start. Epic hasn't disclosed the exact hardware used to measure this, so treat it as a target rather than a guaranteed result until the beta launches.

What new features are coming to the Epic Games Store?

The 12-month roadmap includes user-written reviews, player profiles and avatars, improved search, universal controller support, cross-region gifting, in-store patch notes, and a full storefront redesign. A multi-platform store — possibly tied to Xbox's Project Helix — is also listed for the later phases.

When does the Epic Games Launcher V2 release?

No specific date has been confirmed. Epic's roadmap shows a private beta first, followed by a public release, both within a 12-month window announced at Unreal Fest. Epic has not provided a more precise timeline.

Will UAE players get access to the new launcher?

Yes. The Launcher V2 rollout is global with no announced regional restrictions. UAE and GCC users will receive the update through the standard Epic Games client with no separate steps required.

Why is Epic rebuilding the launcher instead of updating it?

Epic's own VP Steven Allison described the current launcher as calling back-end services "every time you click around," causing multi-second waits. A patch wouldn't fix the underlying architecture, so Epic is rebuilding it from the ground up to eliminate that structural problem.

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