Epic Games is finally addressing one of the biggest complaints regarding its PC storefront: the notoriously sluggish launcher. Epic officially released a public preview of its brand-new, completely rebuilt Epic Games Launcher, available right now for Windows, macOS and, for the very first time, Linux. The new client boasts a streamlined UI, vastly improved performance metrics and a rather unconventional development story.
According to Epic's slightly tongue-in-cheek announcement blog, the developers decided that “programming is hard,” so instead they “vibe coded” the new client. While the term vibe coding, which typically refers to the heavy use of generative AI tools to assist in writing code, drew some immediate laughs from the community, the performance results Epic is claiming are no joke. For more storefront and launcher coverage, see our Video Games hub.
Faster than Steam?
The primary focus of this new client is raw speed and reduced resource consumption. Epic claims that the new launcher boasts cold start boot times that are up to 46% faster than Steam, tested across 13 different PC configurations by the independent firm Keyword Studios. Additionally, restoring the launcher from the system tray is allegedly 14% faster than Valve's client.
While the preview build is admittedly light on features, acting more like a speedboat and not a yacht, it does introduce several highly requested quality-of-life updates:
- Improved Download Manager: Players can finally see live download, read and write speeds all in one place, alongside queued and failed downloads.
- Unified Library Views: You can now connect your PC libraries to view all of your owned titles together, switch between grid and list views, and utilize faster search filtering.
- Cross-Platform Social: Integrated party and voice chat now works seamlessly across Fortnite, the Epic Games Store and the Epic Games mobile app.
A massive win for Linux gamers
Perhaps the biggest news to come out of the preview launch is Epic's sudden, full-throated embrace of the Linux operating system. The new launcher officially supports native Linux installations, specifically targeting Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or newer, Fedora 43 or newer and Debian 12 or newer. While simply having the launcher on Linux doesn't guarantee that Windows-exclusive games will suddenly work without a compatibility layer, it is a massive foundational step.
Even more surprising is the confirmation that Fortnite is officially coming to Linux. Historically, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney has been heavily opposed to bringing Fortnite to Linux, and by extension the Steam Deck, due to cheating concerns. To solve this, Epic announced they are rebuilding their security software into EAC (Easy Anti-Cheat) Linux v2. The company plans to pilot EAC Linux v2 specifically with Fortnite in a live environment before making the upgraded anti-cheat available to other developers looking to bring their multiplayer games to Linux.
If you want to test the new vibe coded client yourself, the installer is available to download today from the Epic Games Store website. Note that installing the preview will automatically replace your existing legacy launcher, though all installed games and cloud saves will carry over seamlessly.