Eurogamer’s piece on Valve’s Steam Machine and Polygon’s GTA 6 patch-notes coverage made the same quiet observation in different words: PC gaming in 2026 is more fragmented than at any point since the early-2000s CD-ROM era. Steam, Epic, GOG, EA, Ubisoft, Blizzard, Microsoft, Riot. Each ships its own launcher, each launcher wants to run at startup, and a fresh Windows install with a serious game library now boots into five tray icons before anything else. We tested eight Windows game launchers and the aggregator that ties them together, and ranked them by what each one is genuinely good at.
Every option below runs on Windows 10 and Windows 11. Several have macOS or Linux equivalents we note where relevant. The aggregator at the end is the answer if you want one library that sees all the others.
What to look for in a game launcher
The launchers are not interchangeable. Five things matter when picking which ones you keep installed:
- Catalogue exclusivity. Some titles are launcher-locked; you cannot avoid the launcher if you want the game.
- Subscription value. Game Pass, EA Play, and Ubisoft+ unlock catalogues that change the math on which launcher earns its tray icon.
- Cloud save and family sharing. Quality varies wildly; Steam still leads, EA App lags.
- Mod support. Steam Workshop, GOG Galaxy plus Mod.io, and Playnite plus folder scanning all do this differently.
- Background overhead. Some launchers idle at 200 MB of RAM; others sit at 1 GB with background updaters running.
Quick comparison
| Launcher | Best for | Catalogue | Subscription | Standout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam | The default and the best | Largest on PC | None native | Workshop, deep cloud save, Remote Play |
| Epic Games Store | Free weekly games and exclusives | Mid-size, growing | None | Free game every week |
| GOG Galaxy | DRM-free preservationists | DRM-free indie and classic catalogue | None | DRM-free downloads, aggregator built in |
| EA App | EA-published games and EA Play | EA-only | EA Play from $5/mo | EA Play library on top tier |
| Ubisoft Connect | Ubisoft games and Ubisoft+ | Ubisoft-only | Ubisoft+ from $18/mo | Ubisoft+ Premium includes day-one releases |
| Battle.net | Activision Blizzard catalogue | Blizzard + Call of Duty + King | None | Best chat for guilded titles |
| Xbox app (PC) | Game Pass for PC and Play Anywhere | Microsoft + Game Pass library | PC Game Pass from $11.99/mo | Day-one Microsoft first-party releases |
| Playnite | One library, every launcher | Aggregates all the above | Free | Single front end for every launcher |
The 8 best Windows game launchers
1. Steam — best default for everything
Steam remains the default for a reason. The catalogue is the largest on PC, the Workshop ships modding into the launcher as a first-class feature, Remote Play and Steam Link extend to phones and the Steam Deck, cloud save is deep and silent, and the regional pricing system genuinely respects price differences across markets. Valve’s Steam Machine push in 2026 reinforced this: Steam is increasingly an OS more than a launcher.
Where it falls short: Refunds tighter than they used to be on long-play titles. Some publishers route around Steam (Activision moved Call of Duty between launchers, EA games periodically left and returned). The chat features lag Discord by a generation.
Pricing: Free.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux (and SteamOS).
Download: store.steampowered.com
Bottom line: Keep this one. Everything else competes against it.
2. Epic Games Store — best for free weeklies
Epic Games Store earned its install primarily through the weekly free game (rolling since 2018) and exclusivity deals. The free games are not always small: full AAA titles cycle through regularly, and a patient player builds a respectable library at zero cost. The Mega Sales discounts (twice a year) are the best on PC. Unreal Engine integration is the publisher selling point for indie devs releasing here first.
Where it falls short: Reviews, forums, and modding tools lag Steam by years. Achievement system arrived late and remains incomplete. Cart functionality only matured in the past two years.
Pricing: Free.
Platforms: Windows, macOS.
Download: epicgames.com/store
Bottom line: Worth installing for the free weekly alone. Whether you actually play the games is up to you.
3. GOG Galaxy — best for DRM-free
GOG Galaxy is the launcher that does not lock its downloads. Every game on GOG ships DRM-free; you can back up an installer and run it without ever signing in again. The catalogue is strongest on classics (CD Projekt’s library, the LucasArts back catalogue, old Black Isle and Interplay RPGs) and a healthy indie selection. Galaxy 2.0 also acts as an aggregator: it can integrate Steam, Epic, EA, Xbox, and several others into a unified library.
Where it falls short: Smaller modern AAA catalogue than Steam or Epic. Aggregator features need community plugins to feel complete. Cloud save is implemented per-game and inconsistent.
Pricing: Free.
Platforms: Windows, macOS.
Download: gog.com/galaxy
Bottom line: Install it for the DRM-free guarantee and for the aggregator. The catalogue alone is reason enough for collectors.
4. EA App — best for EA games and EA Play
EA App replaced Origin in 2022 and runs leaner than its predecessor. The reason to keep it installed is the EA catalogue (Battlefield, FIFA / EA Sports FC, The Sims, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Star Wars Jedi) and the EA Play subscription, which is included in Game Pass Ultimate but cheaper as a standalone if you only want EA games.
Where it falls short: Cloud save flaky in long-running franchises. Background updater can hammer disk on big patches. Reinstall sometimes loses save folders if you do not back up The Sims save tree manually.
Pricing:
- Free launcher
- EA Play from $4.99 per month, EA Play Pro from $14.99 per month
Platforms: Windows, macOS.
Download: ea.com/ea-app
Bottom line: Install only if EA’s catalogue or EA Play is on your list. Otherwise it is a tray icon for nothing.
5. Ubisoft Connect — best for Ubisoft and Ubisoft+
Ubisoft Connect is the launcher for Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, Tom Clancy titles, Anno, and the rest of Ubisoft. The Ubisoft+ subscription includes day-one access to Ubisoft releases at the top tier, which is the closest direct competitor to Game Pass for a single publisher. The launcher itself is stable but unremarkable.
Where it falls short: Background services have been intrusive in the past. Some Ubisoft titles require both Steam and Ubisoft Connect to run, which doubles the tray icon count.
Pricing:
- Free launcher
- Ubisoft+ Classics from $7.99 per month, Premium from $17.99 per month
Platforms: Windows.
Download: ubisoft.com/connect
Bottom line: Keep it if you actively play Ubisoft games or subscribe to Ubisoft+ Premium for day-one releases.
6. Battle.net — best for Blizzard and Call of Duty
Battle.net is the home of Diablo IV, Overwatch 2, World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, StarCraft, and (currently) Call of Duty. The launcher’s chat features are genuinely good for guilded titles. The integration of King mobile titles in 2024 expanded the catalogue but the focus remains on the Activision Blizzard core.
Where it falls short: Call of Duty has moved between launchers historically; trust that any specific game stays here at your own risk. The launcher itself is heavier at idle than Steam or Epic.
Pricing: Free launcher.
Platforms: Windows, macOS.
Download: battle.net
Bottom line: Required if you play Blizzard titles. Otherwise skip.
7. Xbox app for PC — best for Game Pass
The Xbox app on Windows is the entry point to PC Game Pass, the most aggressive subscription deal on PC right now. Day-one Microsoft first-party releases (Halo, Forza, Starfield, the Bethesda catalogue, Activision Blizzard titles as they migrate), plus EA Play at the Ultimate tier, plus a rotating catalogue of third-party titles. The launcher has matured significantly since the rough Game Pass for PC launch in 2019 and now handles mods cleanly for most titles that support them.
Where it falls short: Some Game Pass installs use protected folders that make mods harder than a Steam copy. Cloud sync still misses some titles. Performance overhead from the Microsoft Store backend is non-trivial on slower disks.
Pricing:
- Free launcher
- PC Game Pass from $11.99 per month
- Game Pass Ultimate from $19.99 per month
Platforms: Windows 10, Windows 11.
Download: Microsoft Store
Bottom line: The right pick if you want the broadest subscription value on PC. Game Pass is the best single-launcher catalogue available.
8. Playnite — best aggregator for all of the above
Playnite is the answer to the fragmentation problem. The open-source launcher imports your libraries from Steam, Epic, GOG, EA, Ubisoft, Battle.net, the Xbox app, Amazon Games, Itch.io, emulators, and folders of local games, and presents them as one unified library. The interface mimics a console dashboard with a fullscreen mode that works well on TVs and Steam Deck-style setups. Plugins extend it with metadata scrapers, theme variants, and per-launcher actions.
Where it falls short: Does not host games; you still need the underlying launchers installed. Initial library import takes time. Some launchers require API keys or local credential setup.
Pricing: Free, open-source.
Platforms: Windows.
Download: playnite.link
Bottom line: The pick to tame the launcher proliferation. It will not save disk space, but it gives you one library to launch from.
How to pick
Keep Steam always.
Add Epic Games Store for the weekly free game.
Add GOG Galaxy for DRM-free downloads and as a secondary aggregator.
Add Xbox app if you subscribe to Game Pass.
Add EA App, Ubisoft Connect, Battle.net only when you actively play games on those platforms; the tray icons are not worth it otherwise.
Install Playnite to wrap all of the above into a single library, especially if you use the PC from the couch.
FAQ
Is Steam still the best PC game launcher? Yes. The catalogue, the cloud save, the Workshop, and Remote Play together are still ahead of every competitor. Other launchers exist because publishers route around Steam, not because they are better.
What is the cheapest way into PC Game Pass? A new-account trial deal followed by stacking three-year Xbox Live Gold codes (purchased third-party and converted to Game Pass Ultimate) was the cheapest path historically. Microsoft has tightened the conversion ratio recently, so check current rates before stacking.
Can I play GOG games offline? Yes. Every GOG download is DRM-free; you can keep an installer on a drive and run it without ever signing into Galaxy again.
Is Playnite legal? Yes. Playnite reads your library data from the official launchers’ APIs (or local files), it does not crack DRM or distribute games. You still need the underlying launchers and licenses.
Why is EA App always asking me to update? The EA App ships background services that aggressively check for client updates. Disabling its startup entry and launching only when needed reduces the prompts.
Does Battle.net work with mods? Most Battle.net titles do not officially support mods. Hearthstone and Overwatch 2 are anti-mod. Diablo IV permits cosmetic UI mods only. Workshop-style modding is a Steam feature.
