Epic Games Store is officially coming to Linux. A native Linux version of the games storefront is in the works, Epic Games has confirmed. The launcher will get Linux support “soon”, Epic said, but the company did not share a timeline for the official release. The update means Epic Games Store could at some point natively run on Steam Deck and Steam Machine, which run Linux-based SteamOS.
The company recently shared its plan to bring official Linux support for Epic Games Store on its community Discord (as reported by SteamDeckHQ). In response to a query about a potential Linux version of Epic Games Store, an Epic staffer confirmed that native Linux support for the launcher was coming “soon”.
The Epic Games employee did not share a timeline for the planned Linux release, but said it would not come with the next preview release of the Epic Games Store launcher. “As you can imagine, we need to do more than simply have a build of the launcher that can run natively on Linux,” they added.
Epic Games Store on Linux
Currently, Epic Games Store runs on Linux through unofficial open-source solutions like Heroic Games Launcher or Lutris, that utilise compatibility layers like Proton or Wine to manage Epic Games Store libraries and play Windows titles on the platform.
Epic’s response to the Discord user suggests the company is planning a native release that brings a complete solution to running Epic Games Store on Linux and playing games via the launcher.
Linux support would also mean that Steam Deck and Steam Machine users will likely be able to access the official build of Epic Games Store, though the company did not specifically confirm if the Linux version of the store would be optimised for SteamOS. It’s also unclear if Epic Games’ popular Battle Royale shooter Fortnite would be supported on Steam hardware.
