Add Any Epic Launcher Game to Steam, Even Ones That Are Glitchy When Added By Game EXE

This will add any Epic Game to Steam with all features intact (like Epic cloud saves, etc.) while also allowing Steam Overlay features (like custom controller profiles, screenshots, friends, etc.), especially for games that don't work properly when added to Steam by using the game's *.exe directly.

Intro

Sadly not all games work well from other services when you try to add them by using their *.exe (executable) directly.

This method will add any Epic Game to Steam with all features intact (like Epic cloud saves, etc.) while also allowing Steam Overlay features (like custom controller profiles, screenshots, friends, etc.), especially for games that don't work properly when added to Steam by using the game's *.exe directly.

Caveat: If your game works well by adding the *.exe directly to Steam, the Epic game doesn't have cloud saves, and you don't care much about any other Epic features (like updates, etc.), I would recommend just adding the the game's *.exe directly to Steam instead (sometimes an extra launch option of -epicportal is need to make it run without Epic Launcher). BUT if you do need any of those things or run into any weird issues, this guide fixes all of that by hooking Steam directly into the Epic Launcher and then automatically launching the game.

Extra Plus With GOG!!!
This works with GOG too, but you run GalaxyClient.exe and use the launch argument code from the desktop GOG shortcut that looks more like this
/command=runGame /gameId=1234567890 /path="C:\PathToGame"

Process

1️⃣-------------------------- Step 1 --------------------------1️⃣

Copy a special launch code that's inside the properties for the game's desktop shortcut that is typically created by the Epic Launcher during install. It can also be made again later by using the "manage" option for its Epic Launcher entry for the game.

Do this by right clicking on the game's Epic-made desktop icon, going to properties, and copying the entire (some is hidden) code from the "URL:" section of the properties window.



It will look like this:

com.epicgames.launcher://apps/UniqueGameCode?action=launch&silent=true

WARNING this will need to have a dash ... - ... added to the front of this code during 4️⃣Step 44️⃣ when it is pasted into the launch option so it will look like this instead

-com.epicgames.launcher://apps/UniqueGameCode?action=launch&silent=true

and the UniqueGameCode will be different for each game.


2️⃣-------------------------- Step 2 --------------------------2️⃣

Add the Epic Games Launcher as a Non-Steam game using the option in the bottom left of the main Steam window:



You will need to do this again for each new game so that each game has its own entry.


3️⃣-------------------------- Step 3 --------------------------3️⃣

Choose the Epic Games Launcher and "Add Selected Programs"




4️⃣-------------------------- Step 4 --------------------------4️⃣

Go to the properties of this newly added Non-Steam game labeled "Epic Games Launcher" by either right-click --> properties or by using the gear icon and choosing properties. You will then paste the code with a dash ... - ... added the front into the launch options as well as changing the name of the new entry (and you could change the icon at this stage or later in 6️⃣Step 66️⃣, I always do):




5️⃣-------------------------- Step 5 --------------------------5️⃣

Make sure that the Epic Launcher is closed, and then try to run this new entry. The Epic Launcher will load first and then shortly after the game will load. WARNING the Epic Launcher must be closed before launching a game this way because we want Steam to first hook into the Epic Launcher and then (as a result) hook into the game that will automatically launch. You must also manually close the Epic Launcher afterwards (sometimes it needs a few seconds to cloud sync).



If all goes well, you will have access to all Epic Launcher features (like cloud saving, etc.) as well as the Steam Overlay and all its features like custom controller profiles, screenshots, friends, etc!


6️⃣-------------------------- Step 6 ⭐OPTIONAL⭐ --------------------------6️⃣

⭐OPTIONAL⭐ (but highly recommended) change the game art and icon. The website steamgriddb.com is extremely helpful at this stage, but really any art will do. I recently discovered that site after Nintendo hit them with take-down notices and have been using it ever since. I haven't tried their plugin that will apply art automatically yet, I'm still doing it manually as detailed below:

The icon is changed by clicking on the icon in the properties window we used in 4️⃣Step 44️⃣.

The hero art and logo can be changed by right clicking in the blank space after selecting the entry.




The grid art can be changed by right clicking on the entry after you have selected its category.




The header art is trickier to find, but you will see it show up after launching the game and clicking on the home button for Steam (it's in the recent games category so you may have to scroll to see it) and then you can right click and customize the header art.




Now your entry will look all fancy!

Background

I made another guide here a while back with a harder symlink method:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2476375614
but now both guides use a much easier method that has worked consistently over the past year by adding the Epic Launcher directly to Steam multiple times and only changing launch options for each instance to have the launcher fire up with the unique game each time.

I posted in this new Borderlands 3 location (in addition to the old one in the Hand of Fate 2 community hub) because I recently played Borderlands 3 on Epic, got the super pack on Steam, and so now Borderlands 3 is my most recent game played that I have on both Epic and Steam so decided to post it here to make it easier to find.

[chaospearl]

About 15 hours later I wake the PC, launch the devkit, and controller isn't working. Didn't take long to realize the Steam overlay wasn't available and Play was green. I tried everything I know to try and Googled for more possibilities to try. Nothing has worked. I am baffled.

I have not checked on Steam beta status, I'll look in the morning. In the meantime GlosSi works beautifully so I'm happy, just confused.

[chaospearl]

It launches the Epic Launcher fine, yep. And when I do add the URL, it launches the devkit fine. It just isn't recognizing either one. No Steam overlay and Play goes back to green within seconds.

The only other non Steam game I launch via Steam still works fine. It's absolutely bizarre. It worked FINE initially!!! Now it doesn't, and I have not touched a thing.

If I were you, I'd be assuming that obviously I did change something and maybe I've forgotten or don't think it's important. I swear that isn't the case. I spent the afternoon working in the devkit using my controller for testing. I closed the devkit, closed Epic Launcher since it doesn't close automatically, put my PC into sleep mode and went to bed... (continued next comment)

[Ducain]

Interesting!
Funnily enough, that was going to be my next suggestion and just have Steam launch only the Epic Launcher as a game, then try to run the game after the Epic Launcher pops up. That's also odd that the play button resets so quickly. Does it actually start the Epic Launcher though, or does nothing happen?

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Epic Games\Launcher\Portal\Binaries\Win32\EpicGamesLauncher.exe"

Also one curiosity, are you on the Steam Beta channel, and if so try turning it off to get back on regular channel, and if you aren't, try getting on the Beta channel to see if that changes anything.

Also curious, does it work fine for other games anymore or was the first one trying?

[chaospearl]

It's not open, I killed all the processes and even tried rebooting the PC, and I do not have it set to run on start. This isn't actually a game, it's the devkit for Conan Exiles. I know it works because it worked beautifully the first time I tried it, and I had my controller working within the devkit for the whole day. Next day it just did work anymore. It's baffling.

I'm using GlosSi now so it's not urgent, but I can't wrap my head around how suddenly Stesm won't acknowledge the Epic launcher. I launch via Steam and as soon as it's running thr Play button is green again as if it isn't running at all. I tried doing it all over with just the Epic launcher itself added as a game, without adding the URL for the devkit, and Steam will not acknowledge it.

[Ducain]

@chaospearl
The fact that it worked the first time is a good sign, but just in case to confirm, did you confirm that the Epic Launcher is not open when trying to launch from steam (tray icon for epic might still be open in bottom right inside the ^ menu)? The Steam overlay has to hook back into the Epic Launcher and then into the game each time, so you have to close epic launcher after playing each time so it can hook in again.
Also, is this happening with Borderlands 3 or some other game? Usually these guides get traffic from different games but figured good to check just in case it matters or rings a bell.

[chaospearl]

hit post before I was done. It WAS working the first time I tried it, I made zero changes and now it just does not. It's not just the game with no Steam overlay, the entire Epic launcher also doesn't have the overlay. It acts like it was not launched by Steam at all.

[chaospearl]

This isn't working. The app launches correctly via the Epic launcher by way of Steam, but Steam doesn't recognize it at all. No Steam overlay, no controller profiles, no nothing.

[Ducain]

@Avine
Which game is this behavior seen with? Does this only happen with that one game or has it been happening with every game you've tried this method with?

[Avine]

Works, it will launch the game bu no steam overlay, it hooks the overlay to EGS launcher rather than the game itself.

[Ducain]

@Bonesman
Glad it's working out and looking pro, very welcome!