Epic Games Launcher will officially support SteamOS and Steam Deck

Epic Games has confirmed that its Linux launcher will officially support SteamOS, Valve's Linux-based operating system, along with the Steam Deck handhelds that run it. According to The Verge, the confirmation came from Epic communications director Jake Jones, who named SteamOS among the distributions the company plans to support while speaking to the site GamingOnLinux.

The statement resolves a question that had been open since October. At that time, Epic said it was "investigating" making Fortnite run on SteamOS, and while a Linux build of the Epic Games Launcher existed in preview, SteamOS was not specifically listed as a supported distribution.

What Epic actually committed to

Jones was responding to a question about the launcher's AppImage build being replaced with Debian and Ubuntu .deb downloads. His answer, as quoted by The Verge:

"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. We're testing and evaluating packaging formats for distribution, and we'll restore AppImage this month."

Two things stand out in that statement. First, the distribution list goes well beyond the Debian and Ubuntu family, naming Fedora, SteamOS, Cachy and Omarchy as targets. Second, AppImage users will not be left behind: Jones said that packaging format will return within the month while Epic continues to evaluate how it ships the launcher.

Fortnite is a separate question

Launcher support does not mean Fortnite is coming to SteamOS. According to The Verge, support for Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC) Linux v2 remains an open question, and it is the component standing between the Steam Deck and one of Epic's flagship games.

When Epic announced its work to bring Fortnite to Linux, the company said the 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." The launcher's arrival on SteamOS therefore puts Epic's storefront onto Valve's platform ahead of the game most people associate with it.

Why it matters

SteamOS and the Steam Deck have been built around Steam as the primary storefront, and rival launchers have never had this kind of official backing on the platform. An Epic Games Launcher build that treats SteamOS as a supported target gives Steam Deck users a sanctioned route to their Epic libraries without leaving Valve's operating system.

It is also a vote of confidence in desktop Linux more broadly. Naming Fedora, Cachy and Omarchy alongside SteamOS signals an intent to treat Linux as a first-class platform rather than a single-device afterthought, and the packaging discussion around .deb files and AppImage shows Epic engaging with the distribution details that matter to Linux users.

The caveat is significant, though. A launcher is the easy part; Fortnite's absence is the visible gap, and it hinges on anti-cheat technical work and ongoing conversations between Epic and Valve rather than storefront software. Until EAC v2 support is settled, SteamOS gains a competing storefront but not the game that would make the biggest headlines.