Epic’s published comparison puts the Epic Games Launcher Preview at 5.47 seconds to cold-start to the storefront, versus 10.07 seconds for Steam. For returning from the system tray to the library, it reports 0.36 seconds for the Preview and 0.42 seconds for Steam. In Ars Technica’s separate test, Kyle Orland found that 0.06-second tray-return gap imperceptible. Epic’s October 14 announcement published the figures.
| Launcher operation | Epic Games Launcher Preview | Steam |
| Cold start to the storefront | 5.47 seconds | 10.07 seconds |
| Return from the system tray to the library | 0.36 seconds | 0.42 seconds |
The cold-start result comes from an Epic-commissioned test
A cold start measures launching the client and reaching its storefront. The reported times put the Preview 4.60 seconds ahead of Steam in that operation. That is the larger difference between the two tasks Epic compared.
3DJuegos reported that Epic commissioned Keywords Studios to run the benchmark. Its account describes five measurements per computer across a 13-computer test setup, excluding the three least powerful computers, with a test account containing 250 games. These are results from that specific commissioned comparison.
Ars found the tray-return gap imperceptible
The system-tray figure measures how long it takes to bring an already running launcher back to its library. Epic’s comparison gives the Preview a 0.06-second lead on that task. Kyle Orland reported that Ars Technica’s own test found a difference that small imperceptible. The cold-start advantage was more noticeable in Ars’s test: the Epic storefront appeared a few seconds sooner than Steam’s. Ars Technica’s report describes Orland’s observations.
For someone who mainly notices the wait when opening a storefront from scratch, Epic’s published figures show the clearer difference. If you usually return to a launcher already running in the background, Ars’s observation suggests the reported tray gap may be hard to notice. Those two operations offer a narrow performance comparison, not a verdict on every reason to use either platform.
What the Preview changes
Epic made its Launcher Preview available for Windows, macOS and Linux on October 14, 2026. NeoTeo covered the rollout in its earlier report on the Preview.
The redesigned client includes dedicated game pages, connected PC libraries, collections, grid and list views, a customizable top bar, and search filters that update as you type. Its download view displays download, read and write speeds, along with active, queued, scheduled and failed downloads. Epic describes the Preview as light on features and warns that testers may encounter issues; some social and account-management features from the legacy client have not yet arrived.
Linux launcher support and Fortnite are separate
The Launcher Preview supports Linux, but Epic describes Fortnite on Linux as a future plan that depends on further Easy Anti-Cheat work and cooperation with Linux distribution maintainers. Epic says it will bring the game to Linux once that work reaches a critical mass of support among distribution maintainers.
