According to KitGuru.net, Epic Games Store has finally launched its game gifting feature after confirming it would arrive back in their 2025 year-in-review announcement. The storefront revealed it was nearing 300 million total users earlier this year while looking toward future features. Now players can purchase and send games directly to friends on their Epic friends list, earning Epic Rewards in the process. Recipients have exactly 14 days to accept gifts, and if they already own the game or reject it, the sender gets refunded. However, not everything can be gifted—free games, pre-purchases, subscriptions, and in-game currency are all excluded from the gifting system.
Better late than never?
Here’s the thing: Epic is arriving to this party fashionably late. Like, years late. Steam has had gifting since what feels like the dawn of digital distribution. And other platforms? Same story. So why did it take Epic so long to implement what’s basically table stakes for any modern game storefront?
I think this reveals something about Epic’s priorities. They’ve been so focused on their legal battles with Apple and Google, plus throwing money at exclusivity deals, that basic platform features kept getting pushed back. Now they’re playing catch-up while sitting on nearly 300 million users. That’s a massive audience that’s been waiting for functionality that should have been there from day one.
The fine print matters
The 14-day acceptance window seems reasonable—long enough that your friend won’t miss it while on vacation. But the automatic refund if someone already owns the game? That’s actually smart. Nothing worse than buying someone a game they already have sitting in their library.
What’s interesting is what you can’t gift. No free games (obviously), but also no pre-purchases or in-game currency. That last one feels like a missed opportunity, especially with how much money flows through Fortnite’s item shop. Basically, Epic’s drawing a line between what they’ll let you gift and what they want to keep direct-purchase only.
The Epic Rewards angle
And let’s talk about those Epic Rewards. You get them for gifting, which you can then use for more gifting. It’s a clever way to keep the cycle going—you’re essentially getting a small kickback for spending money on their platform. Smart business move, even if it’s not exactly revolutionary.
But here’s my question: will this actually move the needle for Epic? They’re still the distant second to Steam in the PC gaming space, and features like this should have been there to help close that gap years ago. Now it feels like they’re checking boxes rather than innovating.
Final thoughts
Look, it’s good that the feature is finally here. Better late than never, right? For the millions of people who use Epic Games Store regularly, this is a welcome addition that should have been standard from the beginning.
But let’s be real—this isn’t going to change the landscape. It’s a basic feature that every major platform should have, and Epic’s just finally catching up. The real test will be whether they can innovate beyond what everyone else is already doing. For now, at least you can finally buy your friend that game they’ve been wanting. Even if you’re several years late to the gifting party.
