The Epic Games Store is getting rebuilt for speed and ease of use
Expect the Epic Games Store to become faster and more stable in 2026
Epic Games has confirmed that its Epic Games Store is getting rebuilt this year. The company is working on the “underlying architecture” of its launcher and plans to ship these improvements this summer. This should make the Epic Games Store more responsive and user-friendly. Users can expect faster load times and greater stability once these changes are implemented.
Alongside technological improvements, Epic Games plans to give gamers a better social experience. With new “community spaces” and cross-platform text-chat, Epic Online Services will give both gamers and developers new options. In Q2, Epic also plans to add voice-chat and game-independent parties to its social framework.
To help developers, Epic Games is also working on new ways for developers to utilise Fortnite to market their games. Players who purchase participating games on the Epic Games Store will be able to get Fortnite Cosmetics and Epic account character avatars. This will come during the first half of this year. Partnered developers will include Capcom, miHoYo, Pearl Abyss, S-Game, MintRocket, and Kakao Games.
Rebuilding the storefront and what’s next for 2026
This year, we’re focused on delivering long-requested features and deeper platform improvements.
We’re in the process of rebuilding the underlying architecture of the Epic Games Store Launcher and plan to ship improvements this summer. These changes will make the storefront on the launcher responsive and feel good to use, with fast load times and greater stability.
To create a better social experience for players, we’re creating community spaces in the Epic Games Store and enhancing cross-platform text chat with features like avatars, player profiles, and private messaging. These social capabilities will be extended to Epic Online Services, opening up text chat for other developers to include in their games later this year. In Q2, we will add voice chat and game-independent parties to our social framework.
We’re also launching an official program to help developers sell more games on the Epic Games Store by leveraging the marketing power of Fortnite. Players who purchase participating games will get a Fortnite cosmetic along with a matching character avatar for their Epic account profile. This will be available in the first half of the year. Upcoming partners include Capcom, miHoYo, Pearl Abyss, S-Game, MintRocket, and Kakao Games, as the first to participate. We’ll share more IP announcements in the coming months.
In the fall, we’re adding a cross-platform library for players across PC and mobile, and we’re introducing regional storefronts with localized discovery.
On mobile, we’ll roll out library management in Q2, so it’s easier to find the games you want to play. We’re expanding on iOS in Japan in March and Brazil in June. We also plan to launch third-party APIs and expand our Self-Publishing Tools to our mobile partners this summer.
Our Mission Continues
In short: we’re building a fairer, more open marketplace for players and developers. As we move into 2026, we remain committed to empowering developers and delivering the best possible experience for players, wherever they play.
Thank you for continuing to be part of this journey with us.
(Epic Games Free Game Stats)
Other changes to the Epic Games Store include cross-platform libraries. This will allow PC and Mobile Epic Games Store users to view their libraries in one place. Additionally, new regional storefronts will enable localised game discovery and more. Epic Games also plans to expand its iOS mobile store to Japan in March and to Brazil in June.
2026 will bring some big changes to the Epic Games Store, and that’s good news for gamers. That said, will this be enough to draw PC gamers away from Steam?
You can join the discussion on the Epic Games Store getting rebuilt on the OC3D Forums.
