The Epic Games Store has taken a step forward in its quest to compete with Steam, but the gaming community's response is less of a cheer and more of a collective, sarcastic slow clap.
If you’re a PC gamer, you know the landscape. The Epic Games Store has firmly planted its flag as a major player, becoming one of the leading digital storefronts alongside titans like Steam and GOG. Yet, its rapid rise to prominence hasn't been built on the strength of its platform features. Instead, it's been fueled by a powerful combination of free weekly games and lucrative developer exclusives.
Now, in a move that highlights just how far the platform has to go, Epic has proudly announced a new, long-requested feature. The internet’s response? They can’t stop laughing.
A Store Built on Freebies, Now Acknowledging Its Flaws
Let's be honest: many of us have a library of dozens, if not hundreds, of games on the Epic Games Store, most of which we got for free. It's a fantastic consumer benefit, but it hasn't forced Epic to innovate on the user experience front. The launcher itself has long been criticized for being barebones, slow, and lacking basic social and community features that gamers have come to expect.
This isn't just player grumbling; it's a sentiment echoed from the very top. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney himself has publicly described the launcher as “clunky.” More recently, at Unreal Fest Orlando, Epic Games Store Director Steve Allison admitted the team is “still a long way from an ideal user experience.” It’s a rare moment of corporate self-awareness in the gaming world.
But awareness is one thing; action is another. And the first major action in this new phase of improvement has left many players bewildered.
The "Groundbreaking" New Feature: Preloading
So, what is this monumental new feature that Epic is rolling out? Preloading.
Yes, you read that correctly. In an official announcement made on the Unreal Engine forums, Epic revealed that players can now preload pre-ordered titles up to five days (or 120 hours) before their official release date. The game files are encrypted during this period and only become unlocked and playable once the game launches.
On the surface, this is a genuinely useful feature. The benefit is obvious: for massive, day-one titles like the next Call of Duty or Battlefield—which can easily balloon past 100 GB—players with slower internet connections no longer have to spend the entire launch day staring at a download bar. They can have the game ready to go and jump in the moment it goes live. It also helps developers by easing the massive server load that often cripples launch days.
For now, the feature is limited to select titles, as developers must actively request it from Epic Games Support and meet certain technical requirements. Epic states the rollout will be gradual.
The Internet's Verdict: "Welcome to 2004"
As one might expect, the gaming community’s reaction to this announcement has been saturated with sarcasm and disbelief. On platforms like Reddit, the sentiment is overwhelmingly mocking.
The core of the criticism is simple: preloading is not a new or innovative feature. It has been a standard offering on platforms like Steam for well over a decade.
One Reddit user captured the collective disbelief perfectly: “I had to read the headline three times to understand it… they’re announcing a feature that’s been standard for decades.”
Another commenter offered a backhanded compliment, writing, “Welcome to 2025, Epic Games Store.” The implication is clear—while other platforms are evolving, Epic is just now catching up to technology from the mid-2000s.
Amid the jokes, some users voiced a hope that this is a sign of more substantial improvements to come, such as the ability to preload not just games, but also large updates and DLCs, or the long-awaited arrival of a shopping cart (a feature Epic has since added, but which also became a meme due to its prior absence).
A Step in the Right Direction, But a Long Road Ahead
There's no denying that preloading is a positive addition. It’s a pro-consumer feature that will genuinely improve the experience for many players. However, its announcement serves as a stark reminder of the significant feature gap that still exists between the Epic Games Store and its competitors.
For Epic, this is a classic case of "better late than never." But for a player base that has been patiently waiting for a more robust and feature-rich platform, this long-overdue addition feels less like a triumph and more like a reminder of how far they still have to go. The laughter echoing across the internet isn't just mockery; it's a testament to just how high the bar has been set—and how Epic is still working to clear the first hurdle.
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