Key facts
- Epic Games stated that the new launcher is roughly 46% faster on a cold start and 14% faster for the restore‑to‑library action than Steam (S4).
- Epic Games said the native Linux version of the launcher needs Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or later, Fedora 43 or later, or Debian 12 or later (S2).
- Epic Games warned that the preview launcher may contain bugs and urged players to share feedback to improve it (S3).
- Epic Games said the new launcher places recently played games front and center, integrates social features, and lets users customize the top bar (S3).
Epic Games disclosed a refreshed version of its Store Launcher that it described as ‘vibe coded,’ meaning it was created using AI prompts rather than manual coding.
Restoring the library from the system tray takes an average of 0.36 seconds with the new launcher, compared with 0.42 seconds for Steam. Epic Games said the launcher is roughly 46% faster on a cold start and 14% faster for the restore‑to‑library action than Steam.
Epic Games said the launcher makes the library about 30 times faster than the previous version, allowing users to switch between Details and Grid views, create visual collections, and hide games they do not play. It places recently played games front and center, integrates social features, lets users customize the top bar, and the preview build includes voice chat, additional game information, customizable library views, faster filtering options, and more data on download speeds.
Epic Games gave conflicting statements about whether the preview of its new launcher is available on Linux, with one source saying it is available and another saying it is not. The company said the native Linux version needs Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or later, Fedora 43 or later, or Debian 12 or later, and that it is reworking Easy Anti‑Cheat to enable Fortnite to run on Linux through the Epic Games Launcher, pending a critical mass of distribution maintainers.
Epic Games warned that the preview launcher may contain bugs and urged players to share feedback to improve it. The company acknowledged using generative AI to help create Fortnite cosmetic skins. Tim Sweeney said on X that Epic is moving developers to retool for greater AI use, and Martin Keely, vice president and general manager of the Epic Games Store, told IGN that Epic used AI as a tool to improve code efficiency and architecture, letting a small team rewrite the code base and launch faster on Windows, Mac, and a planned Linux version. Epic Games released an AI‑generated Darth Vader non‑player character that users manipulated to utter slurs.
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