Fortnite Is Coming to Linux, Epic Confirms

Epic Games has confirmed it is working on bringing Fortnite to Linux, though the news was easy to miss. The company mentioned it near the bottom of a blog post introducing a new Epic Games Store, which is also coming to Linux. That post drew plenty of ridicule online for the way it described the store's development, and the Fortnite line got little attention in the noise.

Fortnite has never been officially available on Linux, which leaves a large group of PC players without a way to play Epic's biggest game. That gap matters more now that Linux is a serious gaming platform. Valve's Steam Deck runs SteamOS, a Linux-based system, and the company's Steam Machine is expected to use the same foundation. If Fortnite and Apex Legends arrive on Linux, the two games could reach a lot of handheld and living-room hardware they cannot easily run on today.

The short announcement does not appear to include a release date, and it does not say how the Linux version will be distributed or whether it will work on Valve's hardware specifically. Linux support for a shooter with competitive play also depends on anti-cheat software, which has historically been one of the main obstacles for games on the platform. Until Epic shares more, the most reliable takeaway is that a Linux build is in development, not that it is close to launch.

Still, the direction is notable. Epic has been expanding its own storefront, and a Linux release for both the store and its flagship game would signal that the company sees the platform as more than a niche. Players who have been waiting for official Fortnite support on Linux now have a real reason to keep watching for updates.