Epic Games has confirmed that Fortnite is coming to Linux as part of a redesign of Easy Anti-Cheat, but Steam Deck support is not guaranteed.
In an October 14 announcement, Epic introduced Easy Anti-Cheat Linux v2, a rebuilt anti-cheat system that the company says will bring Linux protection much closer to the level it already offers on Windows. Fortnite will be the first game used to test it in a live environment before Epic opens the technology to other developers.
Linux support has been a long time coming for Fortnite. Epic says Easy Anti-Cheat has supported native Linux game clients since 2014, and Windows games running through Wine and Proton since 2021, but many developers have left the feature off because the Linux side did not provide the same level of protection as Windows. Epic says that gap is the reason Fortnite has stayed unavailable on Linux so far.
The company says EAC Linux v2 is designed to close that gap without using the same model as the Windows version. Instead of a dedicated anti-cheat kernel driver, the Linux system will rely on existing security features already built into the operating system, including Secure Boot, TPM 2.0, signed kernels and measured boot. Epic also says the protection layer will include kernel security protections and a service that runs only while a protected game is active.
Epic said the rollout will begin with Fortnite. “We are also planning to pilot EAC Linux v2 in Fortnite first,” the company said, “where we’ll test it in a live environment and refine it based on what we learn.” Epic added: “Once we’ve validated EAC v2’s effectiveness, we’ll make it available to more game developers so they can bring their multiplayer games to Linux players too.”
How the new Linux anti-cheat is supposed to work
Epic’s goal is to use checks that already exist on many Linux systems rather than adding a Windows-style kernel driver. The company says that approach should make it easier to offer anti-cheat protection on Linux while staying within the operating system’s normal security model.
The requirements Epic listed for EAC Linux v2 include Secure Boot, TPM 2.0, measured boot, signed kernels, signed kernel modules and kernel security protections. Some Linux distributions may need extra configuration before players can launch supported games. Epic says it wants distribution maintainers to contact the company if they have not already been reached, so their signing keys can be added to the system’s well-known list.
That list is central to how EAC Linux v2 checks whether a system meets Epic’s requirements. In the announcement, Epic named several certificate authorities it wants supported, including Canonical Ltd. for Ubuntu and derived distros such as Linux Mint, Fedora Secure Boot CA for Fedora and its derivatives, Debian Secure Boot CA, openSUSE Secure Boot CA, SUSE Linux Enterprise Secure Boot CA, Rocky Linux Secure Boot Root CA, Universal Blue for projects such as Bazzite, Bluefin and Aurora, and Microsoft UEFI CA for components such as the Linux bootloader shim project.
Epic says it wants that list to start as a core part of EAC Linux v2 and ultimately hopes to make it open source. The company also says it welcomes pull requests from the community to expand it.
Players who try to launch a protected game without meeting the requirements will get an error message instead of being banned for cheating. That matters because Epic is tying access to system configuration, not account punishment, when the needed security features are missing.
Steam Deck support remains separate from Linux support
Epic was clear that Linux support for Fortnite does not automatically mean Steam Deck support. “The Steam Deck does not support the required features for our EAC v2 solution, but we are actively talking with Valve and hope to support it in the future,” Epic said.
That leaves the handheld in a different position from Linux desktops and laptops that do meet the requirements. The Steam Deck runs SteamOS, but Epic says Valve’s device currently lacks the features needed for the new anti-cheat setup. Until that changes, Fortnite’s Linux release will not necessarily extend to the Steam Deck at launch.
Epic also said it is maintaining communication with Valve to support Steam hardware devices “to the maximum extent technically possible.” The company’s earlier statement on the same project said it would continue working with Linux distribution developers as well, so compatibility work is not limited to Valve’s hardware.
No release date has been announced for Fortnite on Linux. Epic has also not given a timeline for Steam Deck compatibility, and the company has not said when EAC Linux v2 will be rolled out more widely to other game developers after Fortnite’s test.
For now, Epic says players who want Fortnite on Linux hardware will need to rely on cloud-streaming services such as GeForce Now or Xbox Cloud Gaming. Native support remains in development, with Fortnite serving as the first live test of the new anti-cheat system.
This follows Epic’s earlier confirmation that Fortnite is coming to Linux after Epic rebuilds Easy Anti-Cheat. The new announcement adds the technical details behind that plan, including the security features Epic wants Linux systems to support and the reason Steam Deck owners may still have to wait.
What Epic has confirmed so far
- Fortnite will be the first game to test Easy Anti-Cheat Linux v2.
- EAC Linux v2 is being rebuilt to bring Linux protection closer to Windows-level support.
- The system will use Secure Boot, TPM 2.0, measured boot, signed kernels and related Linux security features.
- Epic says the Steam Deck does not currently support the required features.
- Players who miss the requirements will get an error message, not a cheating ban.
- No release date has been announced for Fortnite on Linux.
Epic’s announcement leaves Fortnite’s Linux launch in development while the company works with distribution maintainers and Valve. The first live test is set, but the hardware question around Steam Deck is still open.
Will Steam Deck ever get it?
not until Valve fixes the missing bits, probably
The Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 part is the big one for me. That sounds way more like a distro compatibility filter than a normal Fortnite launch, so a lot of players are going to hit a wall fast.
Does this kill Steam Deck?
If the Deck still misses the required features, you just get an error. No ban, just no queue.
why would it
Not kill it, just not at launch. I have seen games with similar anti-cheat stuff work later after updates, so maybe Valve and Epic can sort it out.
Error message instead of a ban is good, honestly. At least people with the wrong setup aren’t getting smacked for trying to launch the game.
yeah, that part matters
Yeah, that was the main thing I noticed. Tying it to the system check is a lot cleaner than punishing accounts when the machine just fails the requirement.
still annoying either way
Steam Deck support is basically the real story here, not Linux itself. Epic can say Linux all day, but if the handheld the internet actually cares about is out, half the hype dies.
nah, Linux desktop players are still a huge deal here. the Deck getting cut off would suck, but that’s not the same as the whole thing being pointless
Desktop support is nice, sure, but the Steam Deck is the loudest Linux gaming platform by a mile. If Epic wanted headlines, that’s the gap people will talk about first, and it is also the easiest way for Fortnite to reach a bunch of handheld players who already run Proton-adjacent stuff all the time. Without that, this feels like a technical win that most casual players won’t even touch. So yeah, I still think the Deck question is the main event here.
you really woke up and chose handheld discourse lol
fair enough, we’ll see
Fortnite on Linux? wild
Do you think other games will follow after Fortnite tests it?