Steam vs. Epic Games Store: The Battle for PC Gaming Supremacy – Who Has More Users?

In the ongoing war for PC gaming dominance, the question of user base is a key indicator of success. The short answer? Steam currently boasts a larger user base than the Epic Games Store. While both platforms are titans in the digital distribution of PC games, Steam maintains a significant lead in terms of monthly active users (MAUs), number of games offered, and overall community engagement. However, the Epic Games Store (EGS) has been aggressively pursuing growth, making strides in user acquisition and challenging Steam’s long-held position. Let’s delve deeper into the numbers and the factors that contribute to each platform’s popularity.

Understanding the Numbers: Steam’s Dominance vs. Epic’s Ascent

Several key metrics help paint a clear picture of the user landscape.

• Monthly Active Users (MAUs): In 2021, Steam recorded 132 million MAUs. While more recent official figures are not always readily available, industry estimates and trends suggest that Steam has maintained or slightly increased this number. In comparison, while prior to that, in 2020, Steam recorded 120 million MAUs, more than double that of EGS’s 56 million MAUs.
• Epic Games Store’s Growth: The Epic Games Store has experienced substantial growth, fueled by its strategy of offering free games, securing exclusive titles, and providing developers with a more favorable revenue split. There are now over 194 million Epic Games Store PC users, an increase of 34M from 2020.
• Daily Active Users (DAUs): Epic Games Store has 31.3 million daily active users. Steam’s DAUs are considerably higher, reaching 62.6 million people.
• Game Library Size: Steam boasts a massive library of over 50,000 titles, dwarfing the Epic Games Store, which had under 2,000 games as of 2022. This vast selection is a major draw for gamers who value variety.
• Concurrent Users: Steam’s peak concurrent online users reached over 32 million, setting a new record. Epic Games Store’s peak concurrent users reached 13.2M.

While Steam clearly leads in overall user numbers and library size, it’s crucial to acknowledge the Epic Games Store’s impressive growth trajectory. The store’s aggressive tactics, particularly its free game giveaways and developer-friendly revenue model, have attracted a significant number of users and established it as a legitimate competitor in the PC gaming market.

Why Steam Remains the King: Key Advantages

Steam’s enduring popularity can be attributed to several factors:

• Established Ecosystem: Steam has been a dominant force in PC gaming for nearly two decades, building a robust ecosystem with a large community, extensive features, and a massive game library.
• Community Features: Steam’s social networking features are highly valued by gamers. Features like friends lists, groups, forums, and the Steam Workshop (for modding games) foster a sense of community and engagement.
• Feature-Rich Client: Steam offers a feature-rich client with tools for managing games, streaming gameplay, communicating with friends, and discovering new titles.
• Frequent Sales and Discounts: Steam is known for its frequent sales and discounts, making it an attractive platform for budget-conscious gamers.
• User Interface (UI) Preference: Many gamers prefer Steam’s user interface and find it to be faster and less buggy than EGS and other storefronts.

Epic Games Store’s Strategy: Disrupting the Status Quo

The Epic Games Store has adopted a different approach to compete with Steam:

• Free Games: Epic Games regularly offers free games to its users, attracting new players and expanding its user base. Users can claim and keep a game at no cost every week.
• Exclusives: Epic Games has secured exclusive rights to certain titles, meaning they are only available on the Epic Games Store, at least for a limited time.
• Developer-Friendly Revenue Split: Epic Games offers developers an 88% revenue share, compared to Steam’s standard 70%. This incentivizes developers to release their games on the Epic Games Store.
• Unreal Engine Integration: Developers using Epic Games’ Unreal Engine can benefit from a reduced revenue share.

The Future of the PC Gaming Market

The competition between Steam and the Epic Games Store is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. While Steam currently holds the lead in user numbers and overall market share, the Epic Games Store is making significant progress. The future of the PC gaming market will depend on factors such as:

• Continued investment in platform features and content.
• The ability to attract and retain users.
• The success of new game releases.
• Shifts in consumer preferences.

Ultimately, both platforms are beneficial for gamers, providing access to a wide variety of games and features. The ongoing competition drives innovation and ensures that gamers have more choices than ever before. To understand more about the dynamics of games and learning, explore the resources at the Games Learning Society through GamesLearningSociety.org.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Is Steam bigger than Epic Games?

Yes, Steam is currently bigger than the Epic Games Store in terms of monthly active users, daily active users, and the number of games available on the platform.

2. Why is Steam more popular than Epic Games?

Steam is more popular due to its established ecosystem, community features, vast game library, frequent sales, and preferred user interface by many gamers.

3. How many users use Epic Games?

The Epic Games Store has over 194 million PC users.

4. Will Epic Games overtake Steam?

It’s unlikely that Epic Games will overtake Steam in the near future, but with a massive change in strategy to accelerate its growth or years of steady investment to come close to Valve’s user base. Still, Epic’s growth is significant for the game industry.

5. Why is Steam cheaper than Epic Games?

Steam is not inherently cheaper than the Epic Games Store. Prices are set by developers and publishers, and can vary across platforms. Both platforms offer sales and discounts. Developers get 88% of their games’ income, and Epic Games take 12%. Steam takes 30%. So developers get less money if they use Steam, compared to the Epic Games Store.

6. What percentage of games does Steam take vs Epic Games?

Epic Games takes a 12 percent commission on game sales, while Valve generally takes a 30 percent cut on its Steam marketplace, though that cut decreases if your game hits certain sales milestones.

7. How many users on Steam?

Steam has approximately 120 million monthly active users.

8. Is Fortnite still popular?

Yes, Fortnite remains immensely popular, with regular updates and events keeping the gameplay fresh and engaging.

9. Do people still use Epic Games?

Yes, people still use Epic Games. There are over 194 million Epic Games Store PC users.

10. Is Steam the best gaming platform?

Whether Steam is the “best” gaming platform is subjective and depends on individual preferences. However, its extensive features, vast library, and strong community make it a popular choice for many gamers.

11. Is Steam the most popular gaming platform?

Yes, Steam is considered the largest digital distribution platform for PC gaming.

12. Is Fortnite on Steam?

Fortnite is not available for download on Steam. It is playable on other platforms like GeForce Now, Mac OS, and Microsoft Windows.

13. What percent of gamers use Steam?

Steam accounts for 50% to 70% of all PC game downloads around the world and has around 75% of the global market.

14. Why doesn’t Steam give free games like Epic Games?

Free games are a way to attract business. Epic Games uses free games as an incentive to draw users to its platform. Steam does not need it as it is the dominant platfrom for PC games.

15. Should I buy GTA 5 from Steam or Epic Games?

The choice is largely indifferent. Both platforms provide access to the same game, which ultimately uses Rockstar’s Social Club DRM regardless of where you purchase it.