PC gaming's many launchers, reviewed for 2024: Steam still puts the rest to shame

[Gamernyc78]

PC gaming's many launchers, reviewed for 2024: Steam still puts the rest to shame

Let's put a score on them all—the good, the bad, and the GOGly.

www.pcgamer.com

It's been about five years since we last made an accounting of the hobby's many launchers, and it's surprising how much has changed in that time. The publisher-specific launchers that briefly bloomed and spread have shrunk or been forced to change. Uplay is now Ubisoft Connect; Origin has become simply EA; and some, such as Bethesda's launcher, have disappeared entirely. Meanwhile, new players have thrown their hats in the ring, and the longstanding top dogs have changed and grown in new directions.

So how does the launcher landscape lie in 2024? Let's put some numbers to it.

STEAM​

Pros: User-friendly, feature rich, huge range of games

Cons: Inescapable gimmicks, discoverability issues

Score: 90%​

Despite some flaws and frustrations, Steam is the best it's ever been. After all this time, still no other launcher comes close.

EPIC GAMES STORE​

Pros: Free games, good discounts

Cons: Everything else

Score: 41%​

Over five years on from launch, the Epic Games Store still offers barebones features and a dreadful user experience.

GOG GALAXY​

Pros: Unifies your game libraries, wide selection of older and retro games

Cons: Can be a bit fiddly, often desyncs

Score: 77%​

An impressive, if quite fiddly, attempt to unify our game libraries under one launcher.

XBOX​

Pros: Game Pass, simple but effective layout

Cons: Library doesn't distinguish well between owned games and Game Pass games

Score: 65%​

A nice platform for accessing Game Pass on PC, but if you aren't subscribed it has little to offer.

MICROSOFT STORE​

Pros: Er?

Cons: Slow, awkward, poor library functionality

Score: 21%​

A dreadful launcher that's also totally redundant when it comes to gaming.

AMAZON GAMES​

Pros: Solid interface, free games through Prime Gaming

Cons: No store functionality means it has limited use

Score: 61%​

PC gaming's most easily overlooked launcher may be limited, but as a platform for free Prime Gaming games, it does the job.

EA LAUNCHER​

Pros: Marginally better than Origin

Cons: Limited selection of games, very slow, barebones library

Score: 33%​

The textbook example of a launcher you only have installed because you have to, and resent every time you're forced to use it.

UBISOFT CONNECT​

Pros: Marginally better than Uplay

Cons: Limited selection of games, barebones library, annoying meta-layer

Score: 35%​

Another launcher only used under duress, Ubisoft Connect's most notable feature is adding even more things to earn and buy to Ubisoft's already overstuffed games.

BATTLE.NET​

Pros: Snappy, all your Blizzard games in one place

Cons: Awful layout, confused identity, extremely limited selection of games

Score: 31%​

One of the ugliest launchers, in service to a small selection of games muddled by the inclusion of other Activision properties.

 

[flaccidsnake]

lol as if this is even a competition. even with steam decisively winning, they still undersold it. i don't ever have a problem with "Inescapable gimmicks" on Steam, and I completely ignore the trading cards and shit. they didn't mention that Steam is has a full screen, gamepad accessible mode, which none of the other "launchers" have. they cite "the sheer amount of games on the store" as a con ffs.

I'm sympathetic to people who like GoG as a preservation, anti-DRM thing, but it's not great software. I wouldn't want to have a huge library there.

Everything else is trash and should not exist.

Props to PC Gamer who were disgusting EGS promoters for a while for at least clearly stating the problem up front, which many posters don't seem to understand:

Whether you're a Steam devotee or have a taskbar overflowing with different logos, launchers are a staple (and unavoidable) part of modern PC gaming. And because they're so ubiquitous, it's hard not to have strong feelings about them, adding to your book of grudges every time one of them bugs out on you, changes a key feature you loved, or just commits the crime of making you stretch your game library across yet another app.

 

[Jim Ryan]

Sounds about right.

 

[Gamernyc78]

Steam powah! "Full steam ahead" (I know I know I'm cheesy )

 

[flaccidsnake]

Steam powah! "Full steam ahead" (I know I know I'm cheesy )

It would be legitimately interesting if EGS was good out the gate. Then we could talk about competition actually driving innovation. But every other attempt at a store/launcher is so half-assed it's insulting. The publishers don't only want 100% of store revenue, they also want to put malware on your computer that does all the shady shit by default. close to background by default, run at startup by default. They all say they're going to improve, that they have a roadmap, and none of them do. EA's current store is barely better than Origin in 2016. They benefit the publishers only and offer nothing to the player/customer.

 

[Systemshock2023]

I'll upgrade to a 78003D just to open EGS launcher at startup. Gives prime95 a run for it's money.

Can't say no to those freebies though.

 

[JAHGamer]

Steam shills are whack, Epic is arguably better than Steam!

 

[flaccidsnake]

not for nothing resetera mods are epic games store shills. whose side are you on?

 

[Gamernyc78]

not for nothing resetera mods are epic games store shills. whose side are you on?

Wouldn't be surprised.

 

[JAHGamer]

not for nothing resetera mods are epic games store shills. whose side are you on?

im on the side of truth and justice

 

[flaccidsnake]

im on the side of truth and justice

"Cons: Everything else"

 

[JAHGamer]

"Cons: Everything else"

EGS has almost no cons tho....

 

[Hezekiah]

Still not used the EGS. Recently rebought the Remastered trilogies of Crysis and Mass Effect on Steam so hardly ever use EA Play or Ubisoft Connect. Same goes for Witcher 3 which I had on GoG from back in the day. Xbox is OK if you like GamePass but not something anyone else will use much. Basically the EA, Ubisoft, and Xbox launchers exist for people who like their subscription services.

Epic are going to have get their wallet out to compete with Valve. And even then it will likely takes ages. Just look at the impact Alan Wake 2 has made in the PC space - basically none.

 

[flaccidsnake]

Still not used the EGS. Recently rebought the Remastered trilogies of Crysis and Mass Effect on Steam so hardly ever use EA Play or Ubisoft Connect. Same goes for Witcher 3 which I had on GoG from back in the day. Xbox is OK if you like GamePass but not something anyone else will use much. Basically the EA, Ubisoft, and Xbox launchers exist for people who like their subscription services.

Epic are going to have get their wallet out to compete with Valve. And even then it will likely takes ages. Just look at the impact Alan Wake 2 has made in the PC space - basically none.

I kinda can't believe the makers of Unreal Engine are so bad at it. Especially when you can just copy a lot of what Valve has already done. It's an engineering problem, not a content problem.

 

[Hezekiah]

I kinda can't believe the makers of Unreal Engine are so bad at it. Especially when you can just copy a lot of what Valve has already done. It's an engineering problem, not a content problem.

Too busy pumping out shite for (the admittedly valuable) Fortnite?

Thinking of it, I know Valve are a small tight-knit company but if Epic are struggling for some reason, cant they poach some of Valve's people?

 

[flaccidsnake]

Too busy pumping out shite for (the admittedly valuable) Fortnite?

Thinking of it, I know Valve are a small tight-knit company but if Epic are struggling for some reason, cant they poach some of Valve's people?

They probably could, but I think the main problem is they don't believe in building beyond a store. It's the same as Origin and UPlay and the others. They're not trying to be a platform. They're not trying to make PC gaming easier/better and fix annoying problems. Valve are the main ones doing that, and MS sometimes (also the cause of many problems).

 

[Systemshock2023]

Valve is beyond games at this point. Love how they are pushing Linux adoption. I might switch to Linux next year after W10 support ends.

 

[Nhomnhom]

Steam is by far the best and offer great support for Linux. All the others range from shit to radioactive shit (like EA Play and Xbox Store).

Steam shills are whack, Epic is arguably better than Steam!

No it's not in pretty much any way except that Epic tries to lure people with free games, like a criminal in a van giving candy away.

 

[JAHGamer]

Steam is by far the best and offer great support for Linux. All the others range from shit to radioactive shit (like EA Play and Xbox Store).


No it's not in pretty much any way except that Epic tries to lure people with free games, like a criminal in a van giving candy away.

 

[Nhomnhom]

Sure now you love and know everything about PC... Epic Store of all things. Disgusting.