The Epic Games Store (EGS) launcher is causing unusual behavior in AMD and Intel CPUs. Users at Reddit have reported that the software is not only causing their CPUs to run hotter but also decreasing their laptop battery life. While it is not totally uncommon for a game launcher to use system resources in the background, this appears to be more intensive. Hot Hardware has also verified some of the claims.
The first user reported how their AMD Ryzen 7 5800X’s idle temps dropped from 50°C to 37°C after disabling the launcher. Shortly after, a number of users reported similar behavior but also that their laptop battery life shortened by roughly half when the app was running. Some have also reported seeing the same effects with their Intel processors. Hot Hardware tested with a liquid-cooled AMD Ryzen 9 5950X that averaged around 53°C with it running. The CPU dropped to 34.35°C when it was disabled. The author had the following to say about it.
Ultimately, these CPU temperature and usage spikes are not typical of game launchers. When experimenting with the Steam and GOG launchers, CPU idle temps and usage remained nominal and much lower, after an initial brief spike on loading. So what exactly is happening with the Epic Games Launcher that idle temps are spiking and CPU usage is unnecessarily engaged?
An hour-long test with a freeware network traffic monitor showed that the launcher and associated processes were sending data back to no less than 22 different servers. The author stated that this was around 14 times the amount of data seen with either GOG or Steam.
The obvious solution is to close the app and disable it from startup until Epic provides a solution. For those wanting access to their EGS game library without the launcher, users can link their account to GOG Galaxy 2.0, which does not exhibit this behavior.