“EGS Is a Shop, and Steam Is a Home” Developer Breaks Down Why PC Players Stay Loyal to Valve’s Platform
It has been a little over 7 years since Epic challenged Valve head on by launching the Epic Games Store as a direct competitor to Steam on PC. From day 1, Epic positioned the store with a developer friendly revenue split of 88% to 12%, a sharper offer than Steam’s widely cited 70% to 30% model, while also using exclusive releases, weekly free games, and heavy discounting to pull players into its ecosystem.
By the end of 2025, it is clear Epic’s investment has created a sizable footprint. Epic has publicly cited a community of more than 295 million total users. At the same time, Steam has not slowed down. Valve’s platform has continued expanding, reportedly hitting 41.6 million concurrent users about 2 months ago, reinforcing Steam’s status as the default PC library hub for core players.
So why does Steam still feel untouchable for many PC gamers, even when Epic is willing to spend aggressively and offer better economics for developers.
The Astronauts founder Adrian Chmielarz laid out a blunt, practical explanation in an interview with FRVR. In his view, Epic Games Store still behaves like a checkout counter, while Steam operates like a living community space. His reasoning is rooted in product design, not brand mythology: Steam has written user reviews, forums, and community hubs that keep players engaged even when they are not buying. By contrast, he argues Epic offers far fewer reasons to stay, browse, discuss, and emotionally invest beyond making a purchase.
That distinction matters because it turns Steam from a storefront into a habit loop. Community hubs become part of a player’s daily routine: checking patch reactions, reading performance notes, posting guides, debating balance, sharing screenshots, and tracking modding conversations. Over time, that creates a psychological anchor: players do not just own games on Steam, they live there. Chmielarz describes the result in human terms: when a game goes exclusive to Epic, some players feel like they are being asked to split their identity and their library, not simply install a second launcher.
Epic has made progress, but the pace has been a recurring critique. The store has added meaningful quality of life upgrades over time, including gifting around Black Friday 2025 and a cross platform text chat feature, but Chmielarz’s central point remains: without robust community infrastructure and the social gravity that comes with it, Epic is competing on pricing and perks against a platform that also offers belonging.
From a market strategy angle, this is the core challenge Epic must solve if it truly wants to compete with Steam long term. Deals and free games create transactions. Community features create retention, advocacy, and a home base effect that can outlast any sale.
Do you agree with Chmielarz that Steam feels like a home while Epic still feels like a shop, or do you think Epic is already good enough for how you play on PC.
