Epic Plans SteamOS Support for Its New Linux Games Launcher
Epic Games says its rebuilt launcher, now in preview on Linux, will support Valve's SteamOS and other distributions, but Fortnite still faces hurdles.
Epic Games, the company behind Fortnite and the Epic Games Store, plans to bring its rebuilt desktop launcher to SteamOS, the Linux-based operating system that Valve uses on its Steam Deck handheld. Epic named SteamOS among several Linux distributions it intends to support. The plan widens a Linux push the company began with a preview release in October. But the company’s biggest game, Fortnite, still faces technical hurdles before it can run on Valve’s hardware.
What happened
Jake Jones, communications director at Epic Games, outlined the plans in a statement to GamingOnLinux, a news site that covers gaming on the Linux operating system. The outlet published the statement on Nov. 6. Jones said the launcher “is still in Preview” and that Epic intends to “support as many Linux distributions as possible.” He listed Fedora, SteamOS, CachyOS and Omarchy, adding “and more.” A Linux distribution, or distro, is a packaged version of Linux. Each one bundles the core system with its own software and tools.
Jones said Epic is still “testing and evaluating packaging formats” for shipping the software. The packaging has already changed more than once. GamingOnLinux reported that the Linux preview first shipped as an AppImage, a single-file format that runs on many distros. Epic then swapped it for a .deb package, which works on Debian and Ubuntu. Jones said Epic would bring back the AppImage version this month but did not give a date. Epic’s own FAQ says Fedora support is “coming soon,” according to the outlet.
GamingOnLinux suggested Epic could also publish the launcher on Flathub, a popular Linux app store. That would let Steam Deck owners install it through Discover, the built-in software center in SteamOS’s desktop mode. Epic has not announced any such plan.
How Epic got here
For years Epic did not offer its store on Linux. Players who wanted Epic titles relied on unofficial tools such as Heroic Games Launcher and Lutris. In August, an Epic developer said during a question-and-answer session on the company’s Discord server that a Linux version was coming “soon,” GamingOnLinux reported at the time. The developer said it would not arrive with the first preview of the redesigned store. They added that Epic needed to do more than just build a launcher that runs natively on Linux.
The Linux build arrived on Oct. 14, when Epic released a preview of its redesigned launcher for Windows, macOS and Linux. According to GamingOnLinux, Epic officially supports:
- Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or newer
- Fedora 43 or newer
- Debian 12 or newer
Epic said other distributions may work but will not be tested or supported. In GamingOnLinux’s testing, the launcher offered a one-time download of a compatibility layer based on GE-Proton when the tester installed a Windows game. GE-Proton is a community-maintained version of the Proton software that lets Windows games run on Linux.
Why Fortnite is the sticking point
A launcher alone does not make Fortnite playable. The game uses Easy Anti-Cheat, Epic’s cheat-detection software. Epic’s help pages say Fortnite is not yet available on Linux. Alongside the October preview, Epic announced a rebuilt system called EAC Linux v2 and said Fortnite would be the first game to use it. Epic said it would “bring Fortnite to Linux via the Epic Games Launcher” once the technology works with a “critical mass of distro maintainers,” GamingOnLinux reported.
Dexerto, a gaming news outlet, reported that the new system relies on security features already built into Linux. These include Secure Boot, TPM 2.0 security chips and signed kernels, which are versions of the operating system’s core that have been verified as untampered. Unlike the Windows version, it does not need its own kernel driver. Instead it uses a service that runs only while a protected game is open. Dexerto said players whose systems fall short will see an error message rather than a cheating ban. Epic plans to test the system in Fortnite before offering it to other developers. It has not given a release date.
That leaves the Steam Deck in an awkward spot. “The Steam Deck does not support the required features for our EAC v2 solution,” Epic said, according to Dexerto. The company added that it is talking with Valve about the issue. Joe Barrett, a developer at Epic, said on X that Epic would like to support the device, Dexerto reported. So for now, SteamOS support for the launcher does not mean Fortnite will run on Valve’s handheld. Until it does, Steam Deck owners can stream the game through cloud services such as Nvidia’s GeForce Now.
What comes next
Epic has given no timeline for SteamOS support or for Fortnite on Linux. GamingOnLinux noted that the packaging may keep changing until Epic settles on a format. Epic is not the only store moving in this direction. GamingOnLinux reported that GOG, the digital games store owned by CD Projekt, is working on a Linux version of its GOG Galaxy app, expected in 2027. The site argued that direct, official support from major stores matters for the long-term health of Linux as a gaming platform.
