Valve has released a new Steam client update that appears to significantly improve startup performance, arriving less than a day after Epic Games highlighted the speed advantages of its redesigned launcher.
Epic recently released a preview of its new launcher and claimed it was 46% faster than Steam during a cold start and 14% faster when restoring from the system tray to the game library.
A new community test now suggests Steam can launch in 5.23 seconds after Valve's latest update, compared with a previously measured 10.07 seconds.
If that result is representative, the update would cut Steam's measured startup time almost in half and erase one of the performance advantages Epic had just highlighted.
Steam Startup Time Reportedly Falls From 10.07 to 5.23 Seconds
The latest Steam client update includes several changes to Big Picture Mode and numerous bug fixes, but the startup improvement has attracted the most attention.
An online video reportedly measured the updated Steam client taking 5.23 seconds to start.
The previous comparison used a Steam startup time of 10.07 seconds.
| Launcher measurement | Reported result |
|---|---|
| Steam before latest update | 10.07 seconds |
| Steam after latest update | 5.23 seconds |
| Approximate reduction | 48% |
| Epic's earlier cold start claim | 46% faster than Steam |
| Epic restore claim | 14% faster than Steam |
Based on those figures, Steam's measured startup time was reduced by roughly 48%.
However, this result comes from a community test rather than a controlled benchmark across multiple PCs. Hardware, storage speed, background processes and whether the launcher was fully cached can all affect startup measurements.
Epic Had Just Used Speed as a Selling Point
The timing is notable because Epic had made performance one of the main talking points for its new launcher.
The preview version was described as partly developed with AI assisted coding and was promoted as substantially faster than Steam in specific startup scenarios.
Epic claimed its launcher had a 46% advantage during a cold start and a 14% advantage when being restored from the system tray.
The company is attempting to address one of the most common complaints about its PC launcher, which has historically been criticized for slower navigation and fewer features than Steam.
Valve's latest Steam update now complicates that comparison.
If Steam consistently launches around the reported 5.23 second mark, the performance difference between the two clients could be much smaller than Epic's original comparison suggested.
The Update Includes More Than Startup Improvements
Startup performance is only one part of the latest Steam client update.
Valve has also introduced improvements to Big Picture Mode alongside a broader collection of fixes.
The supplied information does not provide a complete list of those changes, so the most significant confirmed detail in this report is the faster startup measurement.
It is also unclear whether Valve specifically accelerated development of the update in response to Epic's announcement.
The close timing makes the comparison interesting, but there is no confirmation that Steam's optimization work began because of Epic's claims.
AI Coding Is Not the Important Part of the Comparison
Epic has described its redesigned launcher as “vibe coded,” referring to the use of AI tools during software development.
There is no information confirming whether Valve used similar tools for its latest Steam improvements.
That means the speed comparison should not be treated as evidence that AI generated code is inherently better or worse than traditionally written software.
What matters for players is the finished product, including startup speed, stability, navigation, compatibility and available features.
Epic's new launcher preview appears focused on addressing performance and platform support, while Steam continues to improve an already mature client with a much larger collection of established PC gaming features.
For now, the reported 5.23 second startup time suggests Valve has substantially improved one of the areas Epic had chosen to highlight as a competitive advantage. The more useful comparison will come once both updated launchers are widely available and can be tested under identical conditions across multiple systems.
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