Since having come out all the way back in December 2018, Epic Games Store has seen slow and steady development, with Epic having added several features over the years. Now, almost seven years later, Epic Games Store finally allows users to gift games to each other. Games available on the digital distribution platform now also have a “Buy as a Gift” option alongside the Buy Now, Wishlist, and Add to Cart buttons.
When a user has bought a game as a gift, the recipient has 14 days to accept the gift. If the recipient already owns the gift, the purchase is automatically refunded for the original buyer. Gifts can also be rejected by recipients, which also automatically refunds the purchase. Gifts can only be sent to those already on your friends list on Epic.
Epic has also confirmed that Epic Rewards can be used to augment your Epic Games Store balance when purchasing a gift.
“Gifting is live on the Epic Games Store,” wrote Epic in the official announcement. “Players can now purchase and send games directly to friends on their Epic friends list, making it easier to celebrate special occasions, share favorite titles, or just surprise a friend with a new game.”
It is worth noting that, while most paid games, editions, add-ons and bundles can be gifted, there are a few things available on Epic Games Store that aren’t eligible. These include free-to-play games, pre-purchase offers, subscriptions, and in-game currency or other consumable items. Gifting is currently supported when using Epic Games Store through either the Launcher or through a web browser.
A major limitation of the new gifting feature on Epic Games Store is the fact that it is only available for friends in the same region. Trying to buy a gift for a friend in a different region will present an error before check-out. According to the gifting FAQ, cross-region gifting is a planned feature that will arrive in a future update. Gifts can also only be bought individually for each friend.
While progress has been slow for Epic Games Store, the online storefront has slowly been catching up to the biggest online game store for PC right now: Steam. Valve’s storefront had launched all the way back in 2003, and over time has gotten several features aside from simply purchasing games. These features have ranged from social ones, like expansive options for friends list management, game communities and the marketplace, to more behind-the-scenes features, like SteamInput ensuring most games are playable with modern controllers, and even mod support through Steam Workshop.
Steam might have a stranglehold on the PC gaming market for now, but Epic has also been trying to chip away at its competitor’s grasps. Epic Games Store, for instance, has been quite attractive to developers thanks to the smaller cut that the storefront takes for each sale of a game. Along with this, the company has also been continuously giving away major titles for free, while also funding the development of AAA games like Alan Wake 2, the PC version of which remain exclusive to Epic Games Store.
