Epic Games has officially acknowledged that the Epic Games Store requires significant improvements. In a recent statement, Vice president and general manager Steven Allison admitted that the platform “sucks,” confirming that the company is shifting its focus toward long-overdue quality-of-life features and performance enhancements.
Upcoming Storefront Improvements
The company has laid out an extensive development roadmap aimed at addressing years of criticism regarding missing features. The planned updates include:
- New library interactions
- Cross-region gifting
- Native patch notes and player profiles
- Integrated user reviews
- Discovery and recommendation improvements
- Universal controller support
- A comprehensive notifications overhaul
- A technical shift away from Unreal Engine
While these features are considered standard by many in the PC gaming community, their implementation marks a change in strategy for the storefront, which previously prioritized the addition of a shopping cart and other basic infrastructure.
Industry Outlook and Challenges
Despite the planned technical upgrades, industry analysts remain divided on whether these changes can bridge the gap between Epic and Steam. Emmanuel Rosier, director of market intelligence at Newzoo, noted that while Epic successfully attracts users through its free games program, the storefront has failed to cultivate a consistent daily user base. “People just go, they log in, they get the free games, they don't even play them,” Rosier stated.
Furthermore, the storefront continues to face reputational challenges. Public sentiment has been impacted by CEO Tim Sweeney’s frequent social media activity and the company’s aggressive use of exclusivity deals. While Epic has spent significant capital to secure these titles, some have underperformed, leading even Sweeney to admit that several exclusivity agreements were not “good investments.”
As of August 2026, the storefront reports monthly peaks of 78 million active users. However, analysts suggest that for the store to thrive, Epic must evolve beyond its current identity as a destination for free titles and find a way to compete with the established habits of PC players.