Epic previews a faster Epic Games Launcher with Linux support

In short: Epic Games has previewed a redesigned Epic Games Launcher for PC that it says is faster, now works on Linux, and was built with help from AI.

What happened

Epic Games announced a “big refresh” of its Epic Games Launcher, the app people use to download and manage games from the Epic Games Store on a PC. Epic says the new version is “way faster,” more responsive, and has a new look. It is available as a preview, which means it is not the final version yet.

Epic also said the new launcher supports Linux, an operating system that is an alternative to Windows and macOS. For many players, Linux support matters because it can be harder to get mainstream game software working there.

In its own blog post, Epic described the work as “vibe coded.” That is a casual way of saying the team used AI tools to help write and test the software, instead of doing all of it by hand. Martin Keely, Epic’s VP and GM for the Epic Games Store and Epic Online Services, told The Verge that AI was helpful for testing, copying over key features from the current launcher, and making the Linux version possible.

This fits into a bigger change at Epic. CEO Tim Sweeney recently said the company is moving teams around to focus on “maximum AI acceleration,” meaning more use of AI tools during development. Bloomberg also reported that a director on an unannounced Disney-related game told staff there would be “No more hand-written code.”

Why it matters

For players, a faster launcher can mean less waiting when you open the store, browse your library, or install updates. For the wider industry, Epic’s comments show how quickly some game companies are trying to treat AI like a regular tool in the toolbox (like using a calculator instead of doing long math by hand), even for core software people use every day.

Source: The Verge AI