The revised launcher will enter a private beta phase before being made publicly available.
Following comments from an Epic Games executive acknowledging the shortcomings of its current launcher earlier this year, the company has disclosed plans for a complete overhaul. During a recent presentation at Unreal Fest, parts of which were shared on X by LuKaOnIndeed, Epic announced that the new Launcher V2 is expected to be significantly faster, boasting a performance improvement of five times on initial launches and 6.5 times quicker when reopening the app from the system tray.
In the presentation, Epic emphasized that “every developer in this room and every player we have has faced issues with the current launcher.” Many gamers have even resorted to using Steam to access their free titles obtained from the Epic Games Store due to the launcher’s sluggish and cumbersome interface. According to a roadmap highlighted in the presentation, Launcher V2 will first undergo a private beta test before a public launch. While specific release dates have not been provided, a statement from February indicated that the company is in the process of reconstructing the fundamental architecture of the Epic Games Store Launcher, with improvements anticipated to roll out this summer.
In addition to enhancements to the launcher, Epic also shared plans for updates to its storefront at Unreal Fest. According to slides presented by LuKaOnIndeed, upcoming features include in-store patch notes, player reviews, easy-access categories, and a customized homepage.
