Epic plans to support SteamOS in the Epic Games Launcher, but its November 6, 2026, statement gave no release date. Epic’s Launcher page lists Ubuntu, Fedora and Debian for its Linux Preview, not SteamOS, so Steam Deck owners should treat the SteamOS support as a plan rather than an available feature.
What Epic has said about SteamOS
Jake Jones, Epic Games’ communications director, said the company planned to support SteamOS and other Linux distributions, including Fedora, Cachy and Omarchy. GamingOnLinux reported Jones’s statement on November 6, 2026.
Epic’s Launcher page describes the software as a Preview and lists Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or newer, Fedora 43 or newer, and Debian 12 or newer for Linux. SteamOS is not on that list. Epic says other distributions may work, but are not officially tested or supported. Epic’s Launcher page
The page also gives Linux Preview minimums: a 64-bit x86-64 dual-core processor running at 2 GHz or faster, 4 GB of RAM and 2 GB of available storage. Internet access is required for setup and online features; offline mode supports eligible installed games. These are the Preview’s Linux requirements, not Steam Deck-specific requirements.
Launcher support and game compatibility are separate
A Linux version of the launcher does not by itself make every game in an Epic library playable on SteamOS. Epic says its launcher runs natively on Linux, while many games have Windows-only builds and may need a compatibility layer, software that lets an operating system run programs built for another one. Each game’s compatibility is a separate consideration.
Steam Deck owners have also used third-party options. CNET’s tutorial covers Heroic Game Launcher, a separate way to access Epic Games Store titles on the handheld. It shows the Steam Deck’s Desktop Mode and how a game can appear in Game Mode; it covers Heroic, not Epic’s new Launcher.
For a different question, NeoTeo previously compared the Epic Games Launcher Preview’s startup performance with Steam.
