Epic Games says Fortnite is coming to Linux, with the battle royale set to be the first game used to test a rebuilt version of Easy Anti-Cheat. The announcement appeared in Epic’s official post introducing EAC Linux v2, and Eurogamer noted that it was tucked into the same blog update that also revealed the new Epic Games Store for Linux.
Epic says the plan is to rebuild the anti-cheat layer around Linux security features that can be enabled by default, rather than relying on weaker protection or special-case support for individual games. The company says Fortnite will be the first test, and that the same work will later be made available to other developers.
Epic’s Linux push starts with Fortnite
Epic says Easy Anti-Cheat has supported native Linux game clients since 2014, and that in 2021 it added support for running Windows builds on Linux through Wine and Proton. That support has stayed opt-in for each game, and Epic says many developers never enabled it because its Linux implementation “couldn’t offer the same level of protection as our Windows implementation.”
That is the gap Epic says EAC Linux v2 is meant to close. The company says Fortnite still is not available on Linux for that reason, but “it’s coming.” Epic describes the rebuild as a way to bring Linux protection “much closer to par with Windows” in the “very near-term.”
In the announcement, Epic ties the change to a long-running anti-cheat problem on Linux: the operating system is open, but that makes some system-level protections harder to guarantee in the same way across different distributions. Epic’s answer is to require a set of security conditions that Linux distro maintainers would need to support if they want Fortnite to run.
Epic also says it will continue “its open line of communications with Valve” so it can support Steam hardware “to the maximum extent technically possible.” That matters here because Fortnite on Linux would not just be a desktop curiosity; it could reach SteamOS systems as well, including Steam Deck and Steam Machine if the required security setup is in place.
What Epic wants Linux distros to provide
Epic says EAC Linux v2 will use Linux features that many distribution maintainers already work with, including signed kernels, signed kernel modules, and secure boot with attestation. The company says these requirements build on work maintainers already do, and that the more distributions that meet them by default, the fewer players will need to change their setup.
Epic is asking Linux distribution maintainers to contact the company if they have not already been reached. It says signing keys for approved distributions will be added to a well-known list, which it calls a core part of how EAC Linux v2 verifies systems. Epic also says it wants that list to be open source eventually and welcomes community contributions to expand it.
The company listed several certificate authorities it plans to include, among them the Canonical Ltd. Master Certificate Authority for Ubuntu and derived distributions such as Linux Mint; the Fedora Secure Boot CA; Universal Blue for distros including Bazzite, Bluefin, and Aurora; the Debian Secure Boot CA; the openSUSE Secure Boot CA; the SUSE Linux Enterprise Secure Boot CA; the Rocky Linux Secure Boot Root CA; and the Microsoft UEFI CA used to sign non-Microsoft components such as the Linux bootloader shim project.
Epic has not given a timeline for any of this. It says Fortnite will be the first test case for the rebuilt system, and only after that will the company make the work available to other developers.
What this could mean for other EAC games
The wider effect could be bigger than one shooter. Eurogamer reported that the move would likely make Fortnite playable on SteamOS PCs and handhelds, including Steam Deck and Steam Machine, if a “critical mass of distro maintainers” is reached. Epic did not specify a number for that threshold. Even if that level is never reached, Epic says the work will still be available to other developers who want to bring their games to Linux.
That is relevant because Easy Anti-Cheat already appears in a long list of major multiplayer games, including Dead by Daylight, Rocket League, Apex Legends, and even Elden Ring. Epic says many developers have not enabled Linux support because they could not match the protection level of Windows. If EAC Linux v2 works as planned, more of those games could become viable on Linux hardware.
Linux has been a difficult platform for anti-cheat makers because the protections they need are not guaranteed the same way they are on Windows. Epic says some of the work can be done on Linux, but only with the interest and participation of distribution maintainers. It also says the new requirements are meant to reduce the number of players who need to alter their own system setup before they can play.
Earlier GAMER2GO coverage reported that Steam Deck support was not guaranteed and that Fortnite’s Linux release depends on a rebuilt Easy Anti-Cheat. Epic’s latest post makes that rebuild public, names Fortnite as the first test, and lists the Linux security features it wants distros to support.
If Epic’s plan lands, Fortnite would become the first major proof point for EAC Linux v2 and the clearest sign yet that more Easy Anti-Cheat games could follow onto Linux systems.
will steam deck count then?
Fortnite on Linux is bigger than people think. If EAC v2 really gets close to Windows protection, that could pull a lot more multiplayer games over too.
or it stays a beta mess
Could be, but Epic naming Fortnite first makes it sound like they want a proper flagship test, not a half-finished experiment.
fair, and if they get the distro side working by default it is hard to ignore. still, i would not hold my breath for a fast rollout.
signed kernels again…
better than anticheat not working
Yeah but it is still a pain if every distro needs a checklist. I get why they want secure boot and attestation though.
will switch get this?