Epic Games has rebuilt its launcher, and the company proudly admits that AI wrote most of the code behind it. The redesigned Epic Games Launcher is now available in preview for Windows and Mac. Epic claims it now goes from a cold start to the store page 46% faster than Steam.
Epic’s launcher is built with AI from the ground up
Epic openly calls the new launcher vibe coded, a term usually used to describe software built mostly through AI prompts instead of code written by humans.
Epic Games Store boss Martin Keely confirmed the team used AI to write brand new code on an entirely new architecture, not just to clean up the old one. He said the goal was to replicate existing functionality while building everything from scratch in a different tech stack.
The library experience has been redesigned so you can import shortcuts from Steam and other launchers you already use. The current release is intentionally light on extra features for now, with Epic promising more down the line.
What changes can you expect from the new Epic launcher?
The redesigned launcher includes a cleaner game library, with dedicated pages showing each title’s status, activity, details, and play controls. You can also connect other PC game libraries to view your games together in one place.
Search and filters will now respond as you type, and customizable collections will let you organize your games. You can also switch between grid and list layouts or personalize the top bar with favorite games and apps.
The download manager now displays download, read, and write speeds. It also shows active, queued, scheduled, and failed downloads, making it easier to track installations. Epic has also added party and voice chat that works across Fortnite, the Epic Games Store, and the Epic Games app
The company says this launcher is an early preview and not a finished product. So the initial release has fewer features, although it does include a shopping cart. Epic plans to use player feedback to improve performance and add capabilities before the full release. You can download it right away if you want to see the AI powered speed gains for yourself before the wider rollout happens.
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