Fortnite is coming to Linux once Epic improves Easy Anti-Cheat
Epic Games has announced that Fortnite will come to Linux, marking a significant milestone for the battle royale’s platform availability. However, the launch is conditional on Epic completing a major rebuilding effort of its Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC) software.
The company is developing a new version called EAC Linux v2 specifically to enable Fortnite on Linux systems. According to Epic’s announcement, once the new anti-cheat system is “working with a critical mass of distro maintainers,” Fortnite will launch through the Epic Games Launcher on Linux. The Epic Games Launcher itself is releasing in preview today, including a preview version for Linux, though Fortnite won’t be immediately available on the platform.
The move comes after years of hesitation. In February 2022, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney stated the company lacked confidence in combating cheating “at scale under a wide array of kernel configurations” on Linux. While Easy Anti-Cheat has supported native Linux game clients since 2014 and added Wine/Proton support in 2021, Fortnite specifically remained unavailable due to these anti-cheat concerns.
Epic has not provided a timeline for Fortnite’s Linux launch, and Steam Deck support is not expected in the foreseeable future. However, the company plans to make the EAC Linux v2 improvements available to other developers, potentially enabling additional multiplayer games on Linux.
This development follows growing Linux gaming momentum, bolstered by Valve’s Proton emulation layer and the Steam Deck’s success. Fortnite’s eventual arrival on Linux would represent a major shift, as several large multiplayer games have remained unavailable on the platform due to anti-cheat implementation challenges.