Epic Games is officially working to make Fortnite available on Linux. The company announced these plans in a blog post about a new Epic Games Store launcher that is also being developed for Linux. However, this is not yet a confirmed release: there is no date, and whether the game launches will depend on enough Linux distribution maintainers joining the initiative.

This work matters for more than just players who want to enjoy Fortnite without Windows. Epic intends to address issues with Easy Anti-Cheat that prevent some games using the anti-cheat system from working on SteamOS devices. If the plans are successfully implemented, other game developers will also be able to benefit from the results later.

The broader significance goes beyond Fortnite

Easy Anti-Cheat is owned by Epic Games and is used in dozens of games. Projects that use the system include Fortnite, Dead by Daylight, Rocket League, Apex Legends, and Elden Ring. The technology itself supports Linux, and that support has already been enabled in some games, but technical capability alone is not enough.

Some developers choose not to use Easy Anti-Cheat support in Linux environments because, according to Epic, the current implementation cannot provide the same level of protection as Windows. As a result, a game may be technically capable of running on Linux but still remain unavailable on Steam Deck, Steam Machine, or other SteamOS devices. In such cases, the obstacle is not just getting the game to run, but also providing a level of anti-cheat protection that developers consider acceptable.

The work being done for Fortnite will not automatically change this situation. The games mentioned above will not begin working on Linux or every SteamOS device simply because of Epic’s initiative. The developers of each game would still have to decide whether to enable and support Easy Anti-Cheat on Linux. However, they could take advantage of the solutions that Epic first intends to test with its own game.

What the plans could mean for Steam Deck and Steam Machine

If the proposed security requirements are implemented, Fortnite would likely be playable on SteamOS PCs and handheld gaming devices, including Steam Deck and Steam Machine. For now, this is not confirmation of support for these specific devices or of a compatibility date.

SteamOS is also relevant here as an example of how distributions can differ. Valve’s operating system is based on Arch Linux, so general Linux support does not automatically guarantee that a game will work identically in every environment. Epic says it will continue maintaining open communication with Valve as it seeks to support Steam hardware devices to the greatest extent technically possible.

Why distribution maintainers need to be involved

Linux distributions are not all configured in the same way. They have different goals and priorities for how their systems operate, so Epic cannot assume that the same system-level protections will be provided everywhere. The company intends to work with distribution maintainers to define the security requirements needed to run Fortnite.

Maintainers of distributions that want to support the game would need to implement these requirements in their systems. Fortnite would only be made available through the Epic Games Store launcher if, in the company’s words, a critical mass of distribution maintainers were reached. Epic did not specify how many participants would be needed to meet this condition.

This condition means that the officially announced work still does not guarantee a final release. Epic has not currently specified how many distribution maintainers it would consider sufficient. It is also unclear how many changes users would need to make if their chosen distribution did not meet the requirements by default.

The system protections Easy Anti-Cheat is seeking

One of the technical obstacles is the open nature of Linux. The system-level protections required by anti-cheat software are not guaranteed on the platform. In Windows environments, users can be asked to enable TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot if their PC meets the hardware requirements. These features help create a secure environment.

Some similar protections can also be provided on Linux, but doing so requires the involvement of distribution maintainers. Easy Anti-Cheat plans to use the following Linux capabilities:

• a digitally signed system kernel;
• signed kernel modules;
• Secure Boot with attestation.

According to Epic, these requirements build on work that distribution maintainers are already doing. If more distributions meet them by default, users will need to make fewer system changes before playing. The goal is to ensure that the level of protection available in Linux environments is much closer to what Easy Anti-Cheat can provide on Windows systems.

Fortnite will be the first planned test

Epic first intends to test its announced Easy Anti-Cheat plans with Fortnite. After this stage, the resulting work should become available to other developers who want to bring their games to Linux. The company says it intends to share these results even if it fails to bring together enough distribution maintainers to release Fortnite itself.

No development schedule has been announced, so there is currently no basis for saying when Fortnite might arrive on Linux, Steam Deck, or Steam Machine. The possible announcement of a release date would indicate that work on distribution support and the security system had progressed far enough, but for now, only the fact that this work is underway and the plan to test everything with Fortnite first have been confirmed.