Back in August, Epic Games announced plans for a native Linux client for its store. In the best-case scenario, this could allow Steam Deck and Steam Machine owners to access their Epic libraries without relying on third-party solutions such as the Heroic Games Launcher. Until now, however, there was no guarantee that Epic would include Valve’s hardware in its plans. That official confirmation has finally arrived.
As Epic’s communications director Jake Jones explained to GamingOnLinux, the company wants to support as many Linux distributions as possible. Alongside Fedora, Cachy and Omarchy, Jones specifically mentioned SteamOS. What this will mean in practice for the Steam Deck and Steam Machine, however, remains unclear.
Fortnite on the Steam Deck?
Steam Deck owners shouldn’t get too excited just yet. For now, the announcement only confirms that the launcher will support SteamOS. Windows games will still require a compatibility layer such as Wine or Proton, and Epic has yet to explain how it plans to handle that. Will this finally make Fortnite playable on the Steam Deck? And will the official launcher offer better game compatibility than Heroic? Those questions remain unanswered. For now, the only confirmed benefit is an officially supported way to access the Epic Games library. Ideally, that would mean no more constantly switching to Desktop Mode and a launcher that can be operated comfortably with a controller.
As a child in the 90s, my Gameboy was my steady companion. After school, the PlayStation was fired up. When I finally got my first PC, I was completely hooked. My passion for gaming has never waned since. For me, writing for Notebookcheck means reporting on topics that are really close to my heart – in addition to gaming, I also like to write about e-mobility, photovoltaics and innovative gadgets. When I’m not sitting at my computer, I’m probably on water rescue duty on the Baltic coast or trying to counteract the downsides of my geek life – namely sitting for long periods – at the local swimming pool.
