Epic Games is no longer just for gamers, and that's a good thing.

When I think of Epic Games, the first thing that comes to mind is Fortnite or the company's many free games. It's evident that Epic Games has become more than just a video game company, and that's a good thing. Tim Sweeney began the company in 1991 as Potomac Computer Systems. It swiftly grew and became known for titles like Unreal and Gears of War. But now its effects go well beyond the world of video games. They affect everything from how we design cars to how we get to our digital libraries. It shows how a business may change and develop, really affecting the way several industries work.

In December 2018, the business opened the Epic Games Store to compete with other online stores like Steam. From the very beginning, what set it different was its promise to give away free games almost every week. This plan, together with a better revenue share for developers, immediately drew in a lot of users. But the company is considerably bigger than that; its Unreal Engine is a formidable tool for things other than making games. It makes me think about how Epic Games is silently changing our world in ways that many of us don't even know about.

I'm amazed that the Epic Games Store has given away more than 500 free games.

It's a dream come true to be able to build a library without spending any money.

I recall when the Epic Games Store first started giving away free games. It seemed too good to be true. The business has handed away more than 500 free books since June 2025. That's a huge milestone, and it's simple to see why supporters are happy. From December 12 until December 27, 2018, Subnautica was the first free game. Since then, we've seen a wide range of games, from little independent games to huge hits like Grand Theft Auto 5.

If you claim a free game before the promotion ends, you can keep it forever. This has let a lot of players, including me, construct huge digital libraries without spending a single cash, which feels very charitable in the gaming world today. The Operator and Doodle God: Infinite Alchemy Merge are free until June 26. After that, Sable will be free from June 26 to July 3. It's a strategy that has definitely made the Epic Games Store the best place to play PC games, and I hope it stays that way for a long time.

Unreal Engine is changing more than just the gaming industry.

Unreal Engine is a game-changer for everything from designing cars to making machines work with people.

Epic Games is recognized for making great games, but their Unreal Engine (UE) has become a major player in other areas, especially car design. I was really amazed to find out how widely it might be used, from early-stage prototyping and visualization to design reviews and marketing. Companies are adopting UE and its partner product, Twinmotion, to get rid of silos and have design teams work together more closely. This lets you turn raw 3D data into interactive, cinematic experiences far more quickly than ever.

Colin Smith, a senior product manager at Twinmotion, calls UE a "huge magic toolbox" for making complicated, high-end experiences. Twinmotion is a simple way for designers to get started. They can import CAD files, assign materials, and improve lighting in a flexible environment. From there, they can easily go on to the more complicated features of Unreal Engine. Over the past five years, this change has been big. Car designers have seen what they can do with tools that go beyond what they already have. Mike Weiss, a senior solution architect for Unreal Engine, said that static content and short product videos were no longer enough. UE sped up the process of making more dynamic and interactive content.

The effect may also be observed in the development of Human-Machine Interfaces (HMIs), which are the interactive screens that are built into cars. Unreal Engine lets HMI designers make photorealistic renderings in minutes or hours instead of days or weeks like they used to. General Motors, Lotus, Rivian, and Volvo Cars are just a few of the car companies who are now adopting Unreal Engine to power their HMIs. They want to improve the driving experience and make the graphics look better. Unreal Engine is more than just a tool for making games; it's a flexible platform that's changing the way people build and use goods in many fields.

Some people might not need the Epic Games Store Launcher anymore because of the Xbox App.

A Unified Library Sounds Great, But There's a Problem

The idea of a single library is quite interesting to me because I use more than one PC gaming launcher. Microsoft is working hard to improve its software on devices that aren't Xbox, such as the ability to launch games that aren't Xbox via the Xbox App. Xbox Insiders can presently use this functionality to start games from different PC stores, which are strongly suggested to be Steam and the Epic Games Store, all from the same area. This might be quite helpful for mobile gaming PCs that want to feel more like consoles.

You can't install games from other stores with the Xbox App, but it does get rid of the need to open separate launchers. The Epic Games Store launcher is often hard to use, hard to update, and annoying to start up. So, the idea of skipping it altogether for everyday use, especially for games I play a lot like Fortnite or Genshin Impact, is really attractive. Microsoft's decision to centralize gaming experiences is a wise one, and I'm excited to see how it affects PC gamers' experiences.

Epic Games has really developed beyond what it was originally meant to be, showing that being open to new ideas and willing to change can lead to success. Epic Games is still making a name for itself by giving out hundreds of free games and enabling the design of future autos. They always go above and beyond, and I'm excited to see what they do next.