The Epic Games Launcher Is Finally on Linux: Here’s What You Need to Know
For years, playing games from the Epic Games Store on Linux required workarounds like Lutris, Heroic Games Launcher, or custom Wine configurations. Now, big news has arrived for Linux gamers: Epic Games has released an official preview version of the Epic Games Launcher for Linux.
Here is a simple breakdown of what’s new, how it works, what games currently run, and what is coming next.
1. What’s Happening?
Epic Games is rolling out an official native preview (beta) of its redesigned launcher. When you visit the official download page on a Linux machine via Epic Games Launcher, you will see a direct "Download for Linux" button.
Key Highlights
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Format: It is distributed as an AppImage, making it simple to run across most Linux distributions (such as Ubuntu, Fedora, or Arch) without complicated package managers.
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Performance: The redesigned launcher is built to be significantly faster and more responsive from the first click compared to the legacy desktop app.
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Automatic Compatibility Setup: The first time you launch a Windows game, the launcher automatically downloads and sets up a required compatibility layer (around ~500 MB) so Windows binaries can run on Linux.
2. The Big Promise: Fortnite and Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC v2)
The most exciting part of this announcement is the road ahead for competitive multiplayer:
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Fortnite on Linux: Epic Games is actively preparing to bring Fortnite directly to Linux systems.
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Rebuilt Anti-Cheat: Running anti-cheat on Linux has historically been one of the biggest hurdles for multiplayer gaming. Epic is working on EAC Linux v2 (Easy Anti-Cheat v2)—an anti-cheat setup engineered specifically to support Linux environments securely.
3. Hands-On Testing: What Works Right Now?
Because the launcher is still marked as a preview / beta, the current experience comes with a few growing pains.
What Ran Successfully:
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Indie & Story-Driven Titles: Lighter games, such as INSIDE by Playdead, installed cleanly and ran smoothly right out of the box.
What Ran Into Issues:
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Third-Party Launchers: Games that rely on external clients (like Watch Dogs requiring Ubisoft Connect, or Grand Theft Auto V requiring the Rockstar Games Launcher) will show errors or state that external platforms are unsupported.
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Heavy Anti-Cheat & AAA Games: Titles like ARK: Survival Evolved and PUBG: Battlegrounds either crashed on startup or failed to launch due to current compatibility and anti-cheat constraints.
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Native Crash Errors: Some Unreal Engine games (such as Bus Simulator) encountered crash reports during the launch cycle.
4. Current Limitations & What Needs Improvement
If you are thinking of switching exclusively to the official launcher today, keep these points in mind:
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No Compatibility Badges (Yet): Unlike the Steam Deck / ProtonDB verification badges on Steam, the Epic Launcher does not yet clearly indicate whether a game will run on Linux before you purchase or download it.
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Third-Party DRM Blocks: Games that hook into secondary launchers cannot currently configure those dependencies automatically.
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Early Beta Stability: Occasional crashes and startup hangs are expected while the underlying compatibility layers are actively tuned.
The Verdict
The official Epic Games Launcher on Linux is a major milestone for open-source gaming. While it is not yet as seamless or feature-complete as Steam’s native runtime, having first-party support and an upcoming dedicated anti-cheat system (EAC Linux v2) is a massive leap forward.
If you are eager to experiment, grab the AppImage directly from launcher.epicgames.com and give your favorite lightweight titles a spin!
I’ve also made a video on this topic — you can watch it below.
Check out my other posts, I post useful tutorials and tech tips, maybe you will find something useful 😉.
