Epic's new games launcher is faster, runs on Linux and was built with AI

"Vibe coding" means building software by telling an AI tool what you want and letting it write the code. PC Gamer describes it as "a term for prompting AI tools to produce code."

Epic leaned into it with a joke. "Programming is hard," the company wrote in its blog post. "So, instead of doing that, we vibe coded a new Epic Games Launcher that's way faster and more responsive than the current one, and has a new look."

The catch: the joke is the headline, but the process was more careful than it sounds. Martin Keely, who runs the Epic Games Store, explained it to The Verge:

"We definitely had agents write and review all of the code. We used it to replicate the core functionality."

The team, Keely added, "managed that process" and "supervised the entirety of what we did."

No. It built a new one. Keely told PC Gamer that Epic started from scratch:

"This is a completely new architecture for both the store and the launcher shell. So we did look at functionality that existed and said we want to replicate that, but not the code itself."

Think of it like building a new house next to the old one. You walk through the old house, note every room you need, then build fresh. You don't move a single brick across.

Keely told The Verge that AI was "super helpful" for testing and for copying the old launcher's core features. He also said it's part of what made a Linux version possible. The launcher team has worked on the project for "most of this year."

Epic has been promising a better launcher for months. Its own former store boss was blunt about the old one.

• February 2026: then store general manager Steven Allison told Eurogamer "the launcher sucks," GamesBeat recalls.
• August 2026: Martin Keely took over the Epic Games Store from Allison, according to PC Gamer.
• October 14, 2026: the rebuilt launcher arrives as a preview.

It also fits a busy year at Epic. In March, the company laid off more than 1,000 staff, The Verge notes. Sweeney said at the time that those layoffs weren't related to AI.

Epic shared several numbers. These are the company's own figures. PC Gamer says Epic told it an outside vendor checked them, and independent tests aren't out yet.

• Startup: about twice as fast as the current launcher.
• Versus Steam: from a cold start to the store page, 46% faster than Steam.
• Library loading: up to 30 times faster than the old launcher, according to figures Epic shared with GamesBeat.
• Waking from the system tray: up to 15 times faster, also per GamesBeat.

PC Gamer saw a demo before launch and said the speed difference "appeared significant."

The look changed, and a few features arrived. Here's what PC Gamer and GamesBeat describe:

• A redesigned library: the biggest visible change, according to PC Gamer.
• Your other games, in one place: the launcher can find games installed through Steam and other apps like the Xbox PC app, and show them in your Epic library.
• Epic Parties: a voice chat with friends that stays on while you move between different games.
• A custom navigation bar: you choose what sits at the top.
• In-app feedback: you can send feedback to developers without leaving the launcher.

In real life You own games on both Steam and Epic. Today you open two apps to find them. With the new launcher, you open one, and your Steam games show up next to your Epic ones.

This is the part that surprised Linux fans. The new launcher has a native Linux build for the first time, and Epic plans to bring Fortnite to Linux too.

GamingOnLinux lists the supported systems:

• Ubuntu: 22.04 LTS or newer.
• Fedora: 43 or newer.
• Debian: 12 or newer.

Other versions of Linux may work, but Epic won't test or support them.

Fortnite needs more work first. Multiplayer games use anti-cheat software, which checks that nobody is running tools to cheat. Epic's anti-cheat is called Easy Anti-Cheat, and the company says it is rebuilding it for Linux as "EAC Linux v2."

Here's the plan Epic laid out, as quoted by GamingOnLinux:

• Step 1: Rebuild the anti-cheat using built-in Linux security features, like secure boot.
• Step 2: Work with the people who maintain Linux distributions so their systems meet those requirements by default.
• Step 3: Test it in Fortnite first, then offer it to other game developers.

Epic says Fortnite comes to Linux once a "critical mass" of distributions is ready. It hasn't given a date. Epic also said the Steam Deck doesn't yet support the features the new anti-cheat needs, and that it's talking with Valve about it.

The launcher is one piece of a bigger shift. On Monday, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney said the company has a "huge pivot underway" and is "moving developers around to retool for maximum AI acceleration."

"The aim isn't to do the same stuff with fewer people," Sweeney said, "but to enable everyone here to build MORE and BETTER stuff, and to bring the benefits to all teams using Unreal."

Bloomberg also reported this week that a director on an unannounced Disney game told staff there would be "no more hand-written code," according to The Verge. Keely said the launcher team didn't adopt that rule. Still, he called the launcher "on the same train."

The big picture: Epic is using its own app as a public test of AI-built software. Keely told The Verge the launcher shows "the speed and efficiency" that give Epic "confidence that the direction that we're headed in is a positive one." If you want the basics of how these coding helpers work, our explainer on AI agents is a good start.

Not yet. Epic is treating this like a beta. Keely told GamesBeat the preview is "in lieu of a beta."

• Now: the preview is a free download at launcher.epicgames.com for Windows, Mac and Linux.
• Old launcher: stays available. PC Gamer reports Epic isn't even promoting the preview inside the current app.
• Your data: GamesBeat says you can move installed games, settings and cloud saves to the new launcher.
• Later: Epic will switch everyone over when the new launcher is "stable" and has everything it needs, Keely told The Verge. "It will be soon," he told GamesBeat, without a date.

• Faster startup: if Epic's numbers hold up, the store and library should open noticeably quicker.
• One library: your Steam and Xbox PC games can show up next to your Epic games.
• Linux gamers get a native app: on Ubuntu, Fedora or Debian, you can install it today. Fortnite will follow later.
• No rush: it's a preview, the old launcher still works, and your games and saves can come with you whenever you switch.