In a preview release that went live today, Epic Games introduced a completely overhauled Epic Games Launcher, but with a slight twist. In a blog post announcing the release in preview form, Epic Games states "programming is hard," so it decided to "vibe code" an entirely new app instead. The initial result is "light on features" but big on speed, according to Epic Games.
"Think of it as a speedboat and not a yacht! Though it does have advanced digital commerce technology such as a shopping cart," Epic Games states.
Just what kind of speed is Epic Games talking about? According to the developer, it basically runs circles around Valve's Steam platform, which while popular, has sometimes been criticized for feeling sluggish, bloated, and comparatively bare-bones. Given those criticisms, it's not surprising to see Epic pitch raw speed and efficiency as the retooled launcher's main attributes.
According to Epic Games, the vibe coded launcher spins up from a cold start in 5.47 seconds, besting Steam by 46%. It also claims a 14% edge when maximizing the minimized client back onto your desktop, though the percentage in the graph overstates the real-world feel—we're talking about a difference just over half a second.
Beyond the performance claims, the preview release embraces Linux for the first time, with the Linux version supporting Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or newer, Fedora 43 or newer, and Debian 12 or newer. This is in addition to standard Windows and macOS versions.
"The new Epic Games Launcher runs natively on Linux, but many games are Windows-only builds and may need a compatibility layer. Check each game’s Linux compatibility before installing," Epic Games caveats.
As part of the focus on Linux, Epic confirmed that it is collaborating with Linux distribution maintainers and retooling Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC). Once anti-cheat protections reach widespread distribution stability, Epic plans to bring Fortnite natively to Linux and handheld platforms running desktop Linux environments.
The new launcher also brings customizable top navigation bars, enhanced filtering categories, integrated party voice chat, and an updated download manager that provides real-time read, write, and network transfer metrics.
For anyone concerned about AI slop as the developer pushes to minimize hand-written code, Epic Game Store vice president and general manager, Martin Keely, clarified in an interview with IGN that the use of AI was strictly applied to codebase optimization, refactoring, and backend architecture rather than asset generation or visual design.
"It's been focused on code efficiency and the architecture, and allowing us to basically build features more quickly. It hasn't been about the artwork or the design style. There are some updates and changes, but that's been managed by our normal Epic Games design group.," Keely said.
Paul is a seasoned geek who cut this teeth on the Commodore 64. When he's not geeking out to tech, he's out riding his Harley and collecting stray cats.