Epic Games Launcher SteamOS support has been officially confirmed, meaning Valve’s handheld and other SteamOS-based machines will soon be able to run the Linux build of Epic’s storefront app. The confirmation came from Epic’s communications director, Jake Jones, who told the outlet GamingOnLinux that SteamOS is now on the list of distributions the launcher is being built to support.
Key takeaways
- ✓Epic Games confirmed its Linux launcher will officially support SteamOS, alongside Fedora, CachyOS and Omarchy
- ✓Communications director Jake Jones made the confirmation to GamingOnLinux after October's compatibility investigation
- ✓AppImage packaging is returning this month after being dropped during testing of other formats
- ✓Fortnite's arrival on SteamOS still depends on unresolved Easy Anti-Cheat v2 support for Steam Deck
- ✓Valve and Epic are reportedly in active talks to solve the anti-cheat compatibility gap
It’s a notable shift from where things stood just last month. Back in October, Epic Games said only that it was “investigating” compatibility between Fortnite and Valve’s Linux-based operating system. At that point, the Epic Games Launcher for Linux was still sitting in preview, and SteamOS wasn’t formally named as one of the supported distributions. That ambiguity is now gone, at least as far as the launcher itself is concerned.
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What Epic actually confirmed about SteamOS
Jones didn’t just confirm SteamOS. He named a handful of other distributions the launcher is targeting as part of its ongoing preview phase, including Fedora, CachyOS, and Omarchy. The comment came in response to a specific question about packaging, after some users noticed the AppImage version of the launcher had disappeared in favour of Debian and Ubuntu-based .deb downloads.
According to Jones, that was a temporary side effect of testing different packaging formats rather than a permanent decision. “The new Epic Games Launcher is still in Preview and we plan to support as many Linux distributions as possible, including Fedora, SteamOS, Cachy, Omarchy, and more,” he said, adding that AppImage support would return within the month. For anyone unfamiliar, AppImage is a portable packaging format that lets Linux apps run across different distributions without needing separate installers for each one, which matters a great deal on a locked-down, console-like system such as SteamOS.
Why Fortnite still isn’t guaranteed
Getting the launcher itself running on SteamOS is only half the story. Launching the app is one thing; actually playing Fortnite through it is another matter entirely, and that hinges on Easy Anti-Cheat. Epic’s EAC v2 solution, the newer version of its anti-cheat system, currently lacks the kernel-level support that Steam Deck’s locked-down SteamOS build can offer.
When Epic first announced its push to bring Fortnite to Linux, the company was blunt about this gap, stating that Steam Deck “does not support the required features for our EAC v2 solution, but we are actively talking with Valve and hope to support it in the future.” Nothing in Jones’s latest comments changes that picture. The launcher may run, but Fortnite itself remains stuck behind an unresolved technical negotiation between two major gaming companies.
How this fits into the wider Linux gaming push
SteamOS has spent years as a niche concern, but Valve’s Steam Deck turned it into one of the most widely used Linux distributions on the planet, at least among gamers. That installed base is clearly significant enough that Epic now wants a presence on it, even if Fortnite support itself lags behind the launcher.
It also reflects a broader trend of publishers and platform holders treating Linux, and SteamOS specifically, as a serious third platform alongside Windows and consoles. Valve has continued expanding SteamOS compatibility beyond its own hardware, and other developers have been building tools and launchers aimed squarely at Linux-based setups, much like another launcher built for Linux gaming that recently added support for Xbox Game Pass titles. Elsewhere, the appetite for running Steam and Windows games on unconventional hardware shows just how far the ecosystem around Steam’s platform has stretched beyond a single operating system.
What it means for Steam Deck and SteamOS owners
For now, the practical upshot is modest but meaningful. SteamOS and Steam Deck owners will be able to install the Epic Games Launcher directly, browse their library, grab free weekly titles, and launch anything that doesn’t rely on EAC v2 protection. Many of Epic’s non-anti-cheat titles should work without issue once the launcher is stable outside preview.
Fortnite remains the headline absence, and it’s likely to stay that way until Epic and Valve iron out the anti-cheat question. Given how publicly both companies have acknowledged the problem, a fix seems more a matter of when than if, though neither side has offered a timeline. Players keeping an eye on recent changes to how Steam handles achievements and other platform updates will likely see this story develop further as the launcher exits preview.
Frequently asked questions
Is Fortnite coming to Steam Deck and SteamOS?
Not yet. The Epic Games Launcher will run on SteamOS, but Fortnite specifically needs Easy Anti-Cheat v2 support that Steam Deck currently lacks. Epic has said it’s in talks with Valve to resolve this.
Which Linux distributions does the Epic Games Launcher support?
Alongside SteamOS, Epic’s communications director named Fedora, CachyOS, and Omarchy as distributions the preview build is being tested on, with plans to expand further.
What happened to the AppImage download for the launcher?
It was temporarily removed while Epic tested other packaging formats, including Debian and Ubuntu-style .deb files. Epic has said AppImage support would return within the month.
Can other Epic Games Store titles be played on SteamOS now?
Games that don’t rely on Easy Anti-Cheat v2 should generally work through the launcher once it stabilises outside preview, though individual game compatibility can still vary.
