Epic Games Has a New Launcher, and It’s Built with Vibe Coding

Epic Games is giving its PC storefront a fresh start. The company has unveiled a rebuilt Epic Games Launcher in Preview, promising faster performance, smoother navigation, and support for Linux for the first time.

Epic Games Launcher gets faster and lighter

The new launcher is available to test on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Epic says it used vibe coding to build the redesigned app, which currently prioritizes speed over a packed feature set. The company promises faster cold starts, quicker movement between the store and game library, and lower background resource usage. The interface also gives every game a dedicated page for checking details, activity, status, and play controls.

Players can connect their PC game libraries and view their collections alongside their Epic Games Store titles. Other additions include customizable top-bar shortcuts, grid and list views, and search filters that respond as users type.

The redesigned download manager also provides more visibility into active, queued, scheduled, and failed downloads. Users can monitor download speeds alongside read and write activity. A shopping cart is included, while party features and voice chat connect friends across Fortnite, the Epic Games Store, and Epic’s mobile app.

Fortnite is heading to Linux, too

The Linux release is particularly interesting because Epic is also working toward bringing Fortnite to the platform. The company is rebuilding Easy Anti-Cheat and coordinating with Linux distribution maintainers on security requirements.

Fortnite will arrive through the new launcher once Epic secures support from enough distribution maintainers. The company also plans to share its improvements with other developers, potentially making Linux gaming easier across more titles.

How to try the new launcher

Users can download the Preview from the official Epic Games Launcher website. Their Epic accounts, purchased games, installed games, cloud saves, and progress carry over.

However, Epic recommends that competitive players and developers working on live projects stick with the existing launcher during testing. The Preview will receive further updates, optimizations, and features before the full release.