this post was submitted on 18 Jan 2026
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I don't get this. Probably because I don't grab those 'free' games from Epic. but... Why buy the game on steam if you already have it? Can you not play it on a steam deck through steam all the same?
Steam just works better. Their cloud save is reliable, and library organizing is actually a thing. I can see someone using the free Epic game as a sort of demo. Plus, if they really liked they game they may want to support the developer
The day Steam enshittifies will be a dark day for me.
I feel that's going to happen as soon as Gaben retires
Yeah an SSD just crapped out this weekend, reinstalled Linux and steam and was back to my save spot in my game. That alone saves so Mich time and effort of backup retrieval or playing 100 hours over again
Totally agree. Plus if there's DLC or mods you wanna mess with you often use the Steam game as a jumping off point
The article suggests that people are willing to pay to have all their games in one place.
A not-insignificant amount of people would rather buy a game they just got free than have to remember to open epic.
That sounds like such a massive failing on Epic's part to make an attractive launcher/platform.
It's really, really bad. Slow, janky, unintuitive layout, full of ads.
It launched in a terrible state and they took ages to make it even tolerable tbh. I used it anyway for free games but I get why a lot of people want nothing to do with it.
Tim Sweeney was too cheap to pay a dev to put in a shopping for two fucking years while in that same time he spent hundreds of millions of dollars on paid exclusives.
Tim Swiney is a fucking idiot, and the board should vote to remove him as CEO. He's been a liability for years.
I don't use it very much at all but the other day I saw a news item that they had introduced gifting games to other users. After how many years are they missing basic features? It's not like they need to put thought into it. All they need to do is build the same features as Steam. It's clearly not a budget issue with the millions they get from Fortnite and throw at exclusives
The worst part of Epic is that unlike GOG or Steam, if you can't connect to Epic servers. You can't play your game.
I would rather pay money than use Epic, not because I don't want another launcher but because it's Epic.
I am 100% one of those people. I try to check Epic weekly, to see if the current freebie is a game I'm undecided on. If so, I'll grab it to try for free but if I actually like the game I then add it to my Steam wishlist to purchase next time it's on sale.
Because its easier on Steam, at least for some (on Linux, or no hassle on Steam Deck in example) with more features if you care that too. Often the games are on sale on Steam too, so its not like paying full price. I think what is actually happening is, that people read about the game, find it interesting, the articles talk about it, people ask or want to try, because their friends tried maybe. And then they buy it on Steam, because they do not care giving a little money (me included), and don't want to mess around or use Epic.
Back then when when the GTX 970 was brand new, I got Witcher 3 on GOG for free buying the card. A little later I purchased it on Steam, because I wanted to have it on Steam. And because the updates were somehow broken on the old GOG launcher... But that's another story. The point is, lot of people prefer Steam over the other stores / launchers for multitudes of reasons and buying the game is not a big deal for most. Depending on the price off course.
I would assume the people buying it on Steam while it's free on Epic aren't bothering to claim it on Epic, so they don't "already have it"
Probaly coz people start talking about the game again after it was free and others jist buy the game on steam after reading the social chatter
You can, but it requires some setup in the desktop mode. I guess some people do not bother or don't know you can do that.
People hate Epic* games.
I don't think that's what's happening. It being free on Epic made people discuss it, then people saw that and purchased it on Steam. That's my assumption at least. I'm sure there's some people who just wanted it on the Steam launcher, but I'd bet on that being a minority.
It's been great advertising for sequels. I got 20XX free on Epic, then bought 30XX on Steam when it came out. Great games.
That also assumes they got it on Epic in the first place, instead of the increased awareness of the game leading them to decide to get it, just from Steam instead.