Fortnite придёт на Linux, но потребует Secure Boot и TPM 2.0

On October 14, Epic made two Linux moves on the same day. It released a Preview of its rebuilt Epic Games Launcher with a native Linux build, the first official Linux client the store has had, and it announced Easy Anti-Cheat Linux v2, which it will test in Fortnite first. Together they are the clearest route yet to Fortnite on Linux. There is still no release date, and the requirements will leave a lot of machines out, the Steam Deck included.

Why anti-cheat was the blocker

Fortnite has never officially supported Linux, and anti-cheat is the piece Epic is rebuilding to change that. According to Dexerto, Epic's post puts it plainly: "We are also planning to pilot EAC Linux v2 in Fortnite first." The plan is to prove it in live conditions on Epic's own game, then open it to other developers.

The design is different from the Windows version. EAC Linux v2 does not install an anti-cheat kernel driver. Instead, It's FOSS reports, it runs a systemd service that is only active during a protected game session, plus eBPF programs that watch for tampering. To trust that setup, it leans on the security features of the machine itself.

What a Linux PC will need

• Secure Boot turned on
• TPM 2.0 enabled
• Measured boot and kernel security protections, which Epic lists alongside the first two
• A kernel signed with a key Epic recognizes, according to It's FOSS, plus several other boot and kernel settings that some distributions will need extra configuration to meet

Two details soften that list. The check only runs when a protected game launches, so it does not change how the rest of the system works, and It's FOSS notes players can keep a separate boot entry just for protected games. And a machine that fails the check gets an error message, not a ban, which both Dexerto and It's FOSS report from Epic's post.

The Steam Deck is not on the list yet

Epic added that it is "actively talking with Valve" and hopes to support the handheld in the future. That is a hope, not a date, so anyone planning to play Fortnite on a Deck should treat it as unannounced.

The new launcher, and why creators should wait

The Launcher Preview runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. Inven Global and It's FOSS list the officially supported distributions as Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, Fedora 43 and Debian 12 or newer; other distributions may work but are untested, and Mac support is Apple Silicon only. Windows-only games still need a compatibility layer such as Proton or Wine. Your account, purchases and cloud saves carry over.

Epic's headline claim is speed: a cold start of 5.47 seconds against 10.07 for Steam, and 0.36 seconds to switch to the library from the system tray. Those are Epic's own figures from testing it commissioned from Keywords Studios, so they are a vendor benchmark, not an independent one.

The part that matters for island makers is Epic's own advice: during the Preview, competitive players and developers working on live projects should stay on the current launcher, and the first release is still missing some social and account features. Inven Global adds that installing the Preview replaces the existing launcher. Epic's v42.40 known issues thread already lists UEFN crashing after updating through the new Epic Games Launcher as under investigation. With the October 22 thumbnail and logo requirement days away, this is not the week to swap the tool you publish with.

For now, Fortnite is not playable on Linux. Epic says it will arrive through the new launcher once EAC Linux v2 works across enough distributions, and it has not put a date on that.